German medal bars with Finnish medals

[Klaus O.]

Dear Imperialoids,

Here I am showing you my latest arrival (ex-Detlev), an interesting medal bar with a Finnish medal:

Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, 1914 (OEK 1909)
Kriegsverdienskreuz 2. Klasse mit Schwertern, 1939 (OEK 3836)
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (OEK 3803), Hersteller N. & H.
Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen, 2. Stufe für 25 Jahre (OEK 3524)
Deutsches Olympia-Ehrenzeichen, 1936, Erinnerungsmedaille (OEK 3573)
Finnland, Freiheitsmedaille 2. Klasse in Bronze, 1918

To me this medal bar was particularly interesting because of the Finnish medal at the end and the label on the reverse (Grabow & Matthes, Kiel), since I already purchased from Detlev another medal with this very same "Schneider" (Taylor).

Enjoy,

Claudio

[Klaus O.]

Detail of the maker of the Finnish medal... Can somebody identify it for me?

[Peter J.]

Hi Claudio.

Sporrong&Co, Stockholm.

KR

Peter

[Klaus O.]

...and the other medal bar with the same taylor's maker! What a coincidence... in the same Hansa city (Kiel) on the Baltic sea. Very likely many of the German ex-veterans of the Finnish front lived originally in these area or were at least in service in the "Kriegsmarine". Who knows.. perhaps the wearers of these medal bars very likely knew eachother... the German expeditionary force in Finland wasn't that huge, comparatevely speaking with the Eastern or Western front in WWI!

Here the composition of the medal bar:

Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse ohne Schwerten (OEK 3835)
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (OEK 3803)
Finnland, Orden des Freiheitskreuzes (1918), Kreuz 4. Kl. mit Schwertern
Finnland, Freiheitsmedaille 2. Klasse in Bronze, 1918

Ciao,

Claudio

[Klaus O.]

Another medal bar of mine with Finnish WWI decorations and a taylor's maker from another Hansa city: Hamburg.

Here are the details:

Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, 1914 (OEK 1909)
Hamburg, Hanseatenkreuz (OEK 688)
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (OEK 3803), maker PSL
Finnland, Orden des Freiheitskreuzes (1918), Kreuz 4. Kl. mit Schwertern
Finnland, Freiheitsmedaille 2. Klasse in Bronze, 1918, Sporrong & Co.<O></O>
Bulgarien, 1. WK Erinnerungsmedaille 1915-1918


Ciao,


Claudio

[Peter J.]

Hi Claudio.

Is that Liberty Cross really in silver. It appears to be in gold.

KR
Peter

[Klaus O.]

Peter,

It is in Golden colors, but it still is a 4th class cross.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Rick Research]

The oxidyzed iron medal with the blue and black ribbon is the 1918 War Of Liberation Medal, not the Medal of Liberty 2nd Class.

All the original Liberation War medals were made in Stockholm that year.

Peter is right--the Cross of Liberty on that last bar with the Hamburg Hanseatic is indeed the THIRD Class and NOT the Fourth.

I've sent you a PM. You will have to join the Secret Forest Cult that is Finnish Collecting, now!

[Peter J.]

Gotta leave some for the rest of you guys, right

Claudio, nice bars

KR
Peter

[Klaus O.]

Peter & Rick!

Thanks for your correction on my latest medal bar's description. That is indeed a great surprise...

I would like to know if there are good reference books on Finnish awards. I still lack a bit in identify some medals and decorations...

Ciao,

Claudio

[Gerd Becker]

Great stuff, Claudio

Thanks for sharing

best,
Gerd

[Dave Danner]

The bar below does not look like a "Grabow & Matthes", as it has an orange felt backing and is less padded than Claudio's.

But note that like Claudio's second bar above, it has the same incorrect ribbon for the Cross of Liberty. The war ribbon of the Cross of Liberty 3rd and 4th Class is red with two whitish stripes toward the center. This appears to be the ribbon of the Medal of Liberty 2nd Class - orange-red with yellow stripes near each edge. So two different ribbon bar manufacturers either made the same mistake or both ran out of the right ribbon and used the same substitute.



Regarding the confusion on the other medal: The iron medal with the blue and black ribbon is the Vapaussodan muistomitali, or War of Liberation Commemorative Medal. In German, that should be the "Erinnerungsmedaille an den Befreiungskrieg" or something like that. It was a campaign commemorative medal.

What in German is called the "Freiheitsmedaille" is the Medal of Liberty (in Finnish, Vapaudenmitali). It came in two classes - a silver medal for the 1st class and a bronze one for the 2nd class. It was a merit medal for enlisted soldiers, associated with the Cross of Liberty. The Medal of Liberty 2nd Class would be roughly equivalent to a Bavarian MVK 3rd Class and the Cross of Liberty 4th Class would be like the Bavarian MVO 4th Class.

[Peter J.]

I didn´t spot that . Sharp eyes Dave

KR
Peter

[Blitz]

Rick, can i join your secret society? I have a bronze second class medal of liberty 1918!

Ps. Thanks for sharing these wonderfull medal-bars mates!