An enigma in a mystery...

[Tom Y]

Just in today. A small group with an EKII marked K mounted backwards on a homemade Spange.

[Katrin]

oh there it is !


Like i said i got a spange with a ek mounted backwards to !
maybe they did it after the war ? ashamed of the kaiser 's W ?

[Tom Y]

A photo of the Trager, maybe.

[Tom Y]

Closeup of the EK and shoulder strap. Strang ribbon and frame on the EK or phunky photo? On the strap, X8?

[Tom Y]

On the back, and this is playing havoc with my self-image as a Sütterlin translator, the inscription. I got as far as Leiber Fritz, but pretty much gave up after Yerbe(?) Ok, "und danke", and maybe a couple other words, but that's it.

[Tom Y]

Finally, the one seemingly normal thing in the group, a NCO buckle with applied roundel.

[gregM]

Hi Tom,
Here is another one for you. Home made spange with the cross mounted
backwards

[Chris Wainwrigh]

I have seen crosses mounted backwards on medalbars and they were non- Prussians. Regards Chris

[Vadim K]

Hi buddy. Gee, where have I seen this group before...?
Nice buckle.

Reverse-mounted crosses are a fairly common occurence, almost always in non-Prussian lots or on non-Prussian medal bars, so it could very well have been a gesture of defiance against Prussia.

[Tom Y]

Another possibility that's occurred to me is the post-War factionalism. A Spartacist, for example, would want to wear his Cross but not show a symbol of the late unlamented (by him) regime.

[McCulloh]

Spartakists didn't wear imperial medals. They were symbols of a corrupt capitalist war & system.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...verse+EK2+1914

Mis-mounting this way was also done during the war, mostly by non Prussians.