Odd Imperial Medal????

[Chris Wainwrigh]

What is the last medal on this medal bar It looks like Austrian ribbon,but I have never seen this medal before. Thanks for your input. Regards Chris

[Daniel Krause]

Ribbon is Austrian Marianerkreuz, but the decorations looks like Freikorps!

[Chris Wainwrigh]

Thanks for the info Daniel. I did a search on Austrian medals and nothing like that showed up. It looks like some sort of Midevil shield. Regards Chris

[Eric Stahlhut]

It's a Freikorps piece

The ribbon is correct. This is the medal bar version of the Grenzschutz Ost commemorative 'Germanic Order' shield of the former XVII Army Corps. Most shields were pinbacks but as we can see they also put them on their bars.
There was only a single grade for this award but it came in several styles and variations.

[Chris Wainwrigh]

Thanks for the information Eric. He just replaced the Austrian medal with shield. Regards Chris

[Eric Stahlhut]

The ribbon is correct for this award. It matches the Marianer ribbon because it was designed along the lines of an "teutonic" order like the Marianer cross was....

[Canutt]

If all Freikorps and Vet awards were banned after 1933 whit the introduction of the Hindenburg Cross, is it correct a bar with these two awards togheter?


Ciao
Mario.

[McCulloh]

sort of. There was an @14 month overlap between the introduction of the HK and the banning of the Freikorps awards. A few of the vets ignored the new regulations but the vast majority, being good Germans, did obey. One does occasionally see photois from 1940 with banned Freikorps awards being worn-even on Wehrmacht uniforms!!