1920s Reichswehr Officer Photo For Rick L

[Eric Queen]

Rick,

I was at the Naperdak Militaria Show this morning and there was a guy there who had about 1000 military photo in a large box. He wanted $ 3.00 each for anything in the box. Most of it was small, out of fucus, zero subject matter snapshots worth about a dime each, you know the type. BUT, I spent a lot of time going through the box and I found this. Its a nice original portrait of an Oberst.
I thought because of the subject matter, the time period and because of the ribbon bar it might be something you would want so I picked it up for you. It seems to be signed by the photographer ( bottom left ) and has the name of the Oberst on the back ( I will post after this ). Anyway, if its something you may want send me a email with your address and I will be happy to give it to you. Anyway, I was happy to "rescue" it from that pile of crap.

Eric

[Eric Queen]

Here is the reverse.

[Rick Research]

Eric: oooooooo yes, a "Turk!" MANY thanks and sent you my Snail Mail Address by PM... will now go see who Oberst ad Bensen was! (That's a Reichsheer tunic, Major...)

Sekondeleutnant 18.10.95 XX
Oberleutnant 22.3.07 Q
Hauptmann ernannt 23.5.11 permanent 1.10.12 T24t
Major 18.10.19 #2

still a Major 1926 (!), gone by 1928:

he was an EXPLOSIVES specialist, commissioned in Field Artillery Regiment 59, but spent his entire career at army ammunition and explosives laboratories!

Awards: Iron Crosses 1 & 2, XXV Years Long Service Cross, 1897 Medal, Turkish Medjidie 3rd with Sabers, Turkish Liakat Medal in Silver with Sabers, Turkish War Medal star.

Vanishes into thin air after 1926-- yet the caption says "aD" not "in a great big gigantic kaboom disappeared!"


Most interesting, and my fellow Turkish reebon barz freakie Daniel take note: he got the 3rd Class COMMANDER grade Medjidie Order (common to Majors, he must have been a "Turkish-Major" at one of their arsenals--all German officers on detached service were promoted a Turkish grade)--

so he is wearing a ribbon bar for it as if it was a 4th or 5th Class, when he meant it as a 3rd class sort of "Kleindekoration." This may "explain" some of those combinations we haven't been able to explain!

[Rick Research]

Here is a closeup of his ribbon bar. It is instructive to note that this sort of sepia tone produced a very odd effect-- the 2nd ribbon which looks light was his dark blue XXV Years Service Cross, while the 3rd ribbon which looks dark was the yellow 1897 Wilhelm I Centenary Medal. That sort of "spectrum shift" or whatever it should be called is what often makes exact identifications impossible-- look how hard it is, even at this magnification, to see the red and green stripes on the first two Turksih ribbons-- which ARE identifiable mainly from the devices.

This is almost focussed enough to tell which "front" bar is on the TWM ribbon in last place! (OK, I've squinted and squinted-- it is "Chanak kale" for the Dardanelles.)