A Rare Naval Aviator Photo

[stogieman]

Snagged this one and paid dearly... but when's the last time you saw a photo of a Hessian Naval Pilot??

[stogieman]

Some very, very....

... rare awards. I will let my evil twin explain!

[Rick Research]

We know who this fellow was, and bizarre as it seems, he was a RESERVE Marine Infantry officer in WW1, went into naval flying in 1918, then passed into the regular police during the Weimar Republic only to be transferred (quite unusually) into ARMY artillery, rather than Luftwaffe!

Notice on his ribbon bar that he has lost one of his Wehrmacht long service eagles and repaired it with one that doesn't match!

The third ribbon on his bar is the Hessian General Decoration aka Bravery Medal. Not sure exactly what the ribbon between his Wehrmacht 12 and the three SLOVAK WW2 ribbons is-- ? Westwall, or perhaps a foreign ribbon.

I could use some help on the Slovak ones, since I can find no consistent information on them-- brief as that Republic's existence was, it appears they repeatedly switched ribbon designs: War Victory Cross Order, a ? Bravery Medal (the device is unknown to me) and then 1940 "Defense of Slovakia 1939" medal with a bar I can't quite make out.

His Hessian Kriegerehrenzeichen-- the round badge bottom left as viewed-- required Hessian citizenship and possession of a 1914 EK1 by someone who had been wounded-- rather tough requirements! Note that he is wearing the 1918 NAVAL Black Wound Badge-- earned either in the Marine Infantry in Flanders 1915--18, or as a naval land flying unit observer.

He was a Soviet POW at the end of the war... but was still alive in 1983. Quite an interesting life!

[Gerd Becker]

Hi Rick,

nice and interesting photo, as usual.

I have a dumb question: Did one of you ever saw a ribbon bar with mixed long-service-awards?(i.e. someone, who changed from Heer to Lufwaffe or from Lufwaffe to Marine...)

best,
Gerd

[David S]

Third from the end is the War Victory Cross, 4th Class without swords.

Second from the end . . . could be the Bravery Medal 1st or 2nd Class, 1st Class ribbon was red, 2nd Class was blue. Hard to tell in a b&w pic. The device isn't the one that is supposed to be there.

The ribbon on the end is the Commemorative Medal for the Defense of Slovakia . . . the bar is typical.

[sb98]

Great photo, this one caught my eye too.

Tim

[Brian S]

Father Hans Messinger Oberst Regt. Commander lost on the Eastern Front, but found...

Son Horst, dies shortly before his 20th birthday

Mother, another mother in black to make the pilgrimage by Strassenbahn to the Friedhof every Sunday.

[JBFloyd]

Here's a Slovakian Bravery Medal, second class, with device on the ribbon bar.

[Eric K.]

Thats a great looking medal!!

[Rick Research]

Jeff-- is there some significance to the ribbon device (2nd award, for officers...? ) I've had German ribbon bars with this ribbon before and never seen the device. Since each grade of those had its own ribbon design, a device would seem superfluous.

[Eric K.]

His Hessian Kriegerehrenzeichen-- the round badge bottom left as viewed-- required Hessian citizenship and possession of a 1914 EK1 by someone who had been wounded-- rather tough requirements!


Do you have a better shot of this badge?
and also what badge would you get if you DIDNT have the EK or Hessian citizenship?just a regular wound badge?
Eric

[JBFloyd]

Rick,

I can find no references to the devices. When I've had these in first or second class, they come with the device about half the time. The ones I've had without the device came that way (i.e., no holes in the ribbon).

There's a separate device for bravery (a wreath with ribbons attached), and I've seen no reference to a second award device, so this device seems to be appropriate for the award.

Those wacky Slovaks may have done it to confuse us.

[VerKuilen Ager]

Christopher Ailsby says in German World War 2 Medals & Political Awards: The Satellite States:

"When awarded for military merit rather than bravery in the field, a bar was added to the ribbon. This bar is in the form of a circular wreath of linden leaves from which flies a ribbon bearing the words, 'Za Zasluhy' or ' For Merit.' The bar for a bravery award is a circular enamelled emblem 10.5 mm in diameter that comprises an outer blue circle, a broader unenamelled circle with the centre of red with a white double cross."

[David S]

When awarded for military merit rather than bravery in the field, a bar was added to the ribbon.

That gives credence to the War Victory Cross Order, 4th Class being without swords instead of with.

[Rick Research]

Now the ODD thing is that Messinger's device is a DARK Orthodox cross on a pale center, while the device shown in Jeff's scan is a white cross on a dark background...

DARN those Slovaks!!!