Austro-Hungarian WWI Ribbon Bars

[Rick Research]

OK, maybe this is technically "international" rather than "German," but it is related--

as part of my German Ribbon Bars 1914-1945 Article, I will be showing AUSTRIAN ribbon bars from WWI. These 40mm snap on or clip on ribbons were occasionally also worn by Germans (von Mackensen posed with several, all with Grand Cross "Kleindekoration" devices, comes to mind), and I wanted to set the record straight about what the "Austrian style" actually looked like.

Top row are typical 40mm (same as full size trifold ribbons' width) ribbons, normally worn singly on the overlapping "strings" that full sized medals used for attachment to tunics.

Middle row is a type previously unknown to me, brought over yesterday by Stogieman Rick-- these are NOT German ribbons: they are literally "Halbspangen," 20mm half Austrian size. The Turkish Osmanie Order at the end is 25mm and so tucked under the 1908 Military Jubilee Cross ribbon--apparently, as was often the case with German bars-- it was "make do" with exotic foreign stuff.

Bottom is a German 25mm single for any of the Austro-Hungarian WWI bravery awards, all of which used this ribbon.

Has anyone got a good clear previously unpublished original photo of a WW1 Austrian ribbon bar in wear that I could use for the Photo Gallery in the article?

[Daniel Krause]

Hi Rick,

You want an Austrian??



Unfortunately no backside picture. The ribbons are sewn togehter and then sewn on the uniform. From the same guy I have some usual single ribbons.

Best Greetings

Daniel

[Mike Dunn]

Rick, was wondering something. With so many of the Austrian medal using the same ribbon, how does on figure out what the ribbon was for on a ribbon bar? IE the two red and white ribbons with the stripes in the middle? Thanks, Mike

[Rick Research]

Ah, Daniel-- a K.u.k. Oberst or Generalmajor, there! Excellent bar!

The plain "bravery" ribbon between the Leopold Order with Swords and the Iron Crown with Swords should be for an Officer of the Franz Joseph Order, which 1914-16 had "Kriegsdekoration" but no swords (and no way to add any later to that type, since it was pinback). The Leopold was virtually never given to any ranks but the above two, and usually involved capture or successful defense of a fortress or something similar.

Mike: you COULDN'T tell them apart! That's why little minis of the actual awards came into usage.

I don't know when these first appeared (or indeed, when ribbon bars were first authorized in the K.u.k. and K.k. forces), but ribbons with minis were in common usage by the end of the war.

In the case of Daniel's ribbon bar above, there was only ONE of these awards rated as coming between a Leopold and an Iron Crown, but the pair on the 4 bar I got yesterday from Stogie-Rick?...

Your guess is as good as mine! (Probably Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration--the Austrians don't seem to have used the round gold wreath, even though German recipients did), and then a Signum Laudis on my 4 bar: the Turkish Osmanie Order was rarely given to officers below Captain, and the absence of any Long Service award with the 1908 also indicates a junior officer rather than an NCO. Rick

[Daniel Krause]

Hi Rick,
I have NO picture of a austrian officer wearing a ribbon bar, but a nice one with a medal bar also with the ultra- rare Kleindekoration miniature star.



It is Field Marshal Lieutenant (Lieutenant General) Trollmann. You will like it. Note the Turkish one.

Best greetings

Daniel

[Glenn2438]

Rick,

here is a nice picture of Hauptmann Anton Pfrogner, a battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of Tyrolean Kaiserjäger.

He held the:

Knight's Cross of the Order of Leopold with war decoration and swords.
Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class with war decoration and swords.
Miltary Merit Cross 3rd Class with war decoration and swords.
Silver Miltary Merit Medal (Signum Laudis).
Bronze Miltary Merit Medal (Signum Laudis).
Karl Troop Cross.
Military Jubilee Cross.





Glenn

[stogieman]

How about this guy?

En-route from Germany, as we speak!

[Rick Research]

Uh huh, Fmlt Höfer will do very nicely, Rick.

Glenn, is that a temporary eyepatch, or did he remain at the front with that disability?

I was looking for actual photos, so Stogie-Rick's will be a very nice example for the Gallery. Thanks, Rick

[Glenn2438]

Rick,

Hauptmann Pfrogner is a bit of a mystery after late 1916. He commanded II./TJR.3 during the Pasubio fighting in October 1916 for which he was awarded the Leopold Order Knight's Cross. His battalion was amalgamated with I./TJR.3 due to heavy casualties and although he still appears in the 1918 Austrian Common army Schematismus as a Hauptmann within TJR.3 he does not seem to have had another battalion command within that regiment according to the regimental history. A photo of him in the summer of 1916 shows him minus the patch but again I can find no reference to his later wounding. He was additionally awarded the Golden Bravery Medal for officers in 1921 by the Order Chapter of the Military Maria Theresia Order for his counter-attack at Pasubio. He apparently retired as an Oberstleutnant.

Here is a picture of FML. Franz Ritter Höfer von Feldsturm (9 Jul 1861 - 22 Jan 1918) to complement Rick's fine portrait



Glenn

[Rick Research]

Ahhhh... this is a FIRST for us: a photo AND an oil portrait! Got to say I prefer the latter!

Now we know who to ask about AUSTRIAN research! Thanks, Glenn! Rick

[Rick Research]

Here's a better scan of Stogie-Rick's photo, made by me today:

[ccj]

Wonderful!!!

I like, I like.

What decorations did this man have?

[stogieman]

How about this one??

Try to figure out what this fellow had for awards!!

[stogieman]

Or maybe this guy..........

............ would be easier? He has only 9 awards!

[JensF.]

Hmmm....

First one:

Two bravery medals
Karl-Truppenkreuz
Hindenburg cross
Wound medal, looks like two stripes for three wounds
Austrian WWI commemorative
Hungary WWI commemorative
Bulgarian WWI commemorative
WWI Commemorative of Tirol
3. Reich Austria Medal
3. Reich Sudetenland Medal


Second one:
Two Bravery
Karl-Truppenkreuz
Wound medal for two wounds
Hindenb.
Austria WWI Commemorative
WWI Commemorative of Tirol
Maybe a 1905 Commorative cross for Beamte???
Hungary WWI commemorative