What are these ribbons on this bar?

[Todd Gylsen]

I can identify the EK2 with Spange, the Hindenburg Cross in the middle and the Russian Front on the right. What are the other two?

[Rick Research]

That was a Seriously Confused officer!

Second place: the PRUSSIAN Hohenzollern House Order 3rd Class with Xs-- the "German Cross in Gold" of WW1.

Fourth place (should be in third) is the PRINCIPALITY of Hohenzollern Honor Cross (i.e. House Order) 4th with Xs.

The Hindenburg Cross should FOLLOW the WW1 awards, and the 41/42 East Medal should come between the WW1s and the Hindenburg Cross!

[Brian S]

Practicality supercedes regulation. Rather than mess with a perfectly good ribbon bar the owner dropped one and added one. I would guess he had a long service at the end of that bar and dropped it off for the Eastern Front Ribbon?

[Rick Research]

Dunno... but would if the photo is named. Betcha this is a zV officer though-- highly decorated WW1 Lt but a Capt or Maj WW2, maybe dR rather than zV.

[Todd Gylsen]

I'll show the whole photo to add some discussion to the photo. Here you go. It is of General der Panzertruppe Gerhard Graf von Schwerin. I was attempting to do some research on him to find out which decorations he had earned in his career.

[Rick Research]

That's quite weird-- a strange affectation to leave off his two long service ribbons and any "flowers" he might have had! Mangling the correct precedence was doubly naughty of him.


His Prussian HHOX was gazetted (not awarded) 3 September 1918.

[Chris Wainwrigh]

Look at the number of ribbon bar loops. It looks like his uniform was setup for a ribbon bar twice as long.

[Todd Gylsen]

Ok, you got me. What is an HHOX??? I'm not familiar at all with WW I decorations.

[Tom Y]

HohenZollern House Order w/ Swords.

Maybe it's been done and I missed it, but we should have a list of abbreviations of Orders and ranks. It can get confusing, even to those of us who have been here for awhile

[Rick Research]

HHOX = "Second place: the PRUSSIAN Hohenzollern House Order 3rd Class with Xs"

Xs are always "crossed swords" of course, since we don't have a key for tiny crossed swords.

It's easier for us perusers of arcane period references to use the contemporary short forms for things

"ÖM3K" for example was the Rank List abbreviation for the "Austro-Hungarian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class"... huff puff ..."with war decoration." Try typing THAT over and over and over

The Principality of Hohenzollern's version of the award on the ribbon bar was "HE3X."

But didn't get into that.

[Daniel Krause]

Nice pic!
His ribbon bar is clearly a "wartime only" one. leaving out all that long service and "I´ve been there" stuff.
The mis-placed awards are a good example that even German Generals can fail.

Best regards

Daniel