Cheating on Prussia

[streptile]

I've been cheating on Prussia just a little bit with this nice 2nd Empire Légion d'Honneur.



My idea is to make a little display from the Franco-Prussian War, my primary area of interest, with awards from both sides. This is the first piece. I posed them on top of a framed map of Sedan, positions at noon, 1 September 1870.

[Don D.]

I think you will have a fine display when all is said and done.

[streptile]

Thanks, Don. I'll show my progress.

[Roglebk]

Nice piece Trev! Are you learning French too

[streptile]

Nice piece Trev! Are you learning French too

Thanks Carl! I have been fluent in French since my youth .

[Roglebk]

Thanks Carl! I have been fluent in French since my youth .

C'est très bien! Do you eat innocent green amphibians too?

Actually looking for a mini Légion d'Honneur, so many to choose from though...

[Eric Gaumann]

My idea is to make a little display from the Franco-Prussian War, my primary area of interest, with awards from both sides. .

Sounds like a great idea. Already off to a good start. I'm a big fan of themed display and will be looking forward to watching yours grow.

[Noor]

Hi,

Great awards - so much history behind bouth of these awards! Actually they are probably few main ones, what people who don't know anything about ODMs recognise that Iron Cross and Légion d'Honneur exist because they had heard the names somewhere.... to my wife, almost every cross, what I have is Iron Cross

Nice ones and great picture, thanks for sharing!

[Brian R]

Very nice, Trevor. I like the idea of a themed FP War display.

I'm also not surprised to see your love for enamel grow. It's inevitable given your knowledge of EKs. Just look at that beautiful KO2X you posted a while back. What's next? How about some nice Albert Orders?

[Scott Powell]

Beautiful award

[streptile]

Hi guys,

Very nice to log on and read all the comments. These Ld'H Chevaliers (Knight's Crosses) are still very affordable -- about the price of a zinky 1939 EK1, if you can believe it. They are small wonders, aren't they? Another member commented what an interesting juxtaposition the Ld'H makes with the EK1:

prussian modesty versus imperial french glamour.

Brian, my EK collection is dwindling rapidly... mostly the TR ones are disappearing.

Well, I'll update this thread as my display grows over the next months and years.

Thanks again for the nice words.

[Ammersee]

Trevor, if you ever find a Ld'H Commander I have an extra original neck ribbon for it. Gary

[kriztof]

Looks great Trevor, nicely displayed. Looking forward to seeing the finished project in what.....a few weeks


Chris

[Eric Gaumann]

Trevor, what else do you plan to add to this dispaly (besides what I read in the Int'l thread)? I'd assume you'd add a nice Prussian Campaign medal (Kriegsdenkmunze) with a few bars, nicht so? I wonder if the French issued any campaign medals for the F/P War? (off to look).

[streptile]

Trevor, if you ever find a Ld'H Commander I have an extra original neck ribbon for it. Gary

Nice, thanks Gary I like the ribbon box you have there -- especially the handy use you seem to have made of the WWII KVK ribbon

Trevor, what else do you plan to add to this dispaly (besides what I read in the Int'l thread)?

Hi Eric. Thanks for your interest. It's funny you should ask, because I've been thinking about this display all day.

As you know, the French Imperial government (the Second Empire) collapsed after their spectacular defeat at Sedan on 1 September and the Emperor's abdication and capture. The most interesting (to me) battles of the war were those fought from 19 July - 1 September, the so-called Imperial phase of the war. I think I will build a display around that phase, centered on Sedan, and containing a good battle-map (like the one I've shown here), a Medaille Militaire (MM), Légion d'Honneur Chevalier, and Légion d'Honneur Officier (for the Imperial French forces), and an EK2, EK1, and something else (for the Prussian).

The next, and longer phase of the war was against the French Republican forces, after the so-called Government of National Defense decided to continue the fighting and attempt to expel the Germans. On 8 November, the Republic instituted a new design for the Ld'H (and the MM), and awarded it again in all grades. Of the subsequent battles (in the Republican phase), the one that interests me most is Paris -- which wasn't really a battle, but an investiture and bombardment of the city (although there were some suburban battles in which the Germans beat back some breakout attempts). So I may build a second display around this theme -- a map of Paris and the German lines around the city, a Republican MM, Ld'H Chevalier, and Ld'H Officier (for the French), and another EK2, EK1, and something else for the Prussians.

Exactly what the highest Prussian decoration will be (the "something else") is an open question. What would be roughly equivalent to the Ld'H Officier? This is what I don't know. I had thought of perhaps a Hohenzollern House Order, but for me to afford two of those is out of the question. So I really don't know what exactly I will do yet.

One other possibility is to do something like this (for both phases):

Prussia
KDM
EK2
EK1

France
MM
Ld'H C
Ld'H O

...but I think the KDM isn't really a satisfactory equivalent to the MM. So I'm still thinking about it, really.

Here's another very good, cheaper, and more accurate idea:

Prussia
EK2
EK1

France
MM
Ld'H C

Again, this would work for both displays.

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

I will also look for nice photos or CDVs of soldiers wearing the awards shown, and try to include them in the display. Ideally one photo per side, per display (so a total of four photos).