My treasure from Stuttgart

[jani_tiainen]

Good to be back home...with this great addition to my collection.

- EK 2 1914 with 'Luftkampf' bar
- Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
- Mecklenburg Schwerin KVK 2nd class
- Hindenburg Cross w/swords
- Flandern Cross w/ two bars 'Flanderschlacht' and 'Luftkrieg'
- Kyffhauserbund medal w/ swords
- Finnish Cross of Liberty 3rd class from 1918

I can tell that this person was most propably in Finland during April - May 1918 with German Baltic Division under v. d. Goltz. Also he he was in Flandern, but since those bars are kind of unofficial... could this be a pilot?

... Since so far I have not heard about any German pilot being in Finland during 1918 and then he would have to be one of instructors to 22 Finnish pilots who were in training in Rugen later 1918...

I know that with these medals it is impossible to trace him, but if he was a pilot, the only possibility to get the Finnísh cross would be the fact that he was one of the instructors... and then tracing would be another story

Jani

[jani_tiainen]

reverse

[Klaus O.]

Jani,

Congrats for your newly acquired Spange... It looks very good and it was a pleasure to view it at your table in Stuttgart. It has the typical look of a medal bar which has been put together during the twenties, judging by all these unufficial medals and clasps. Very nice indeed! This is what I call a good catch...

Ciao,

Claudio

[Rick Research]

This is an EXCELLENT medal bar! From the "coastal states" combination and the "air war" bars, I can only guess that he was a NAVAL aviator.

I too know of no ARMY flyers engaged in Finland in 1918. Nor navy either-- but perhaps he was someone on a reconnaissance plane attached to the German fleet.

Probably a Leutnant or Oberleutnant rank, from the class of Cross of Liberty.

[Adam H]

An EXCELLENT bar indeed! I hope that if you cannot find a match to an individual that research will perhaps give an idea of what kind of service this officer performed, with whom and where. I'm sure digging a bit deeper into the Naval aviation/Finnish connection will bare fruit, research-wise!

Congrats!

Adam

[Blitz]

What can i say, a great guy found an wonderfull Grosse Ordenspange.

[JensF.]

Very very nice item!!! I also think he was maybe a naval aviator or an observer.

[Eric Stahlhut]

Yep, that is a keeper!

Good job, Jani!

[mott5ranch]

very, very, NICE!