my 1st stab at a officers career through his ribbion bar!!

[paddywhack]

right well im getting this bar of off rick v hopefuly early this week(touch wood etc etc etc) but i thought id take a shot at his carreer!!! so please tell me if im close or wwwwwaaaaaayyyy off!(which id say i probably am!!)
ok well 1st up whe have the good old ek 2nd class next up is the HHO,then we have Hamburg Hanseatic Cross followed by the good old hindenburg cross then the a long service award then the 1897 jubilee medal and finaly the Austrian Military Merit Cross Third Class with War Decoration (cheers rick v!!)
ssssssssoooooo this guy was in the army for the 1897 jubilee, doent look like he got anything up till the war,maybe the long service medal but id say he got it during the war,but during the war he got the EK2nd and the HHO,(cos of the sword device,i could be wrong though!!) he also applyed for the hamburg cross which he got more i think to maybe have some more nice enamel on his medal bar,and he also got the austrian military merit cross,third class with war decoration but why and what for i dont know,maybe someone could suggest why!!!!,and then after the war he got the hindenburg cross as he due it!plus during the war he got a long serivice medal and take a guess at maybe a 18 year one! now taking a wild wild shot at rank maybe a major????
so how did i fair at my 1st breaking down of a officers bar???could this guy be id'ed at all???
thanks for all your help guys!!!
(hope its ok using your pics rick?? if not il takem down!)

[McCulloh]

Morning Glenn. How's the weather in Germany?
The LS would've been a 25 year award. Interestingly, if the chap who wore this has an 1897-then he was probably born @1875 and 60 years old when the HK was issued in 1935-and aged 65 in 1940! Too old to be recalled in the rearmament of 1935-39, so no "double LS medals with eagles. Makes you wonder what uniform he wore it on though-huh?
I'd rekkon the HH hints at navy too-more more odds on likely anyway.

[paddywhack]

hi jeff! actuly its paddy from ireland!! weathers fine !! and got the bar today!!
yeah i was thinking he must be well old when i came to ww2 so the 25 year long service medal would make sense!!what makes you think it could be navy??would a id be possible due to the HHO?
thanks for the reply!

[paddywhack]

just noticed another think the guy didnt "fluff" out his bar like loads of other guys at wars end! i reckon with the austrian order at the end he was most likely entitled to the austrian comerative! and of course the hungerian comerative to! so thats 2 other place on his bar he could have had! oh and the bar actuly isnt to in to bad condtion,well used but now one of my favourites now! and to a realy old soldier to!!!

[McCulloh]

Slainte'
Actually, Glenn was looking at the ribbon bar this morning as I typed in the airport.
Maybe the HHOx can provide an id., but I doubt it. We have a list of the HHO and somebody out there could make a Hansa list if they rescued the docs from the flak tower, but these were commonly awarded in WW1 to jr. officers of all stripes. Of course, it could also be a guy who went in as a 1 year volunteer in 1897 and then went back as a war volunteer in 1914 and obtained a Lt. dR or dL commission and then ended up in the RAD or SS @1933 (obtaining a LS medal). Such things happpened. Or may be it was career officer who received 2 new LS medals in 1936 and maybe a commemorative (or two) and decided to put his old bar in the cigar box after getting a new "wunderbar". I'd like to see Rick's thoughts.

[paddywhack]

i like that! a new "wunderbar"!!!
id say your right cos the bar is WELL used and a bit bend in places! though i reckon he was still serving pre ww1 as the L S ribbion doesnt have anything on so id say is pre 3rd reich and to get that he;d have to have been serving(i couldwell be wrong though!!!)! would the rank of major be right for this kindguy/bar???still anice lovely bar!!
cheers jeff!!

[Daniel Krause]

Nice bar!

I would say a Captain in 1914, ended the war probably as Major, maybe LtCol.
From the combination I see unfortunately no chance for an ID. 8500+ Hohenzollern, 50.000+ Hamburg Hanseaten, the Austrian one was their "EK-Equivalent" as basic decoration also for foreign officers.

Best regards

Daniel

[paddywhack]

wow so i wasnt to far off!!!must be learning someing!!!
cheers guys!!! and oh well didnt realy thing that it could get id'ed but no bother still realy like it! a real war horse!!!
thanks again guys!