My Christmas presents

[Dave Danner]

Other than a CD, a sweatshirt and a coffee mug, I didn't get a lot for Christmas this year. But I did get these...

There were only two German states that I didn't have anything from - Lübeck and Hohenzollern. Now it's down to one. Technically, Hohenzollern wasn't a member state of the German Empire, but the head of the princely house, the Kaiser's cousin, was still allowed to award decorations. He was also chief of the regiment raised in the principality, Füsilier-Regiment Fürst Karl Anton von Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsches) Nr. 40.

Here is the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Cross 3rd Class with Swords (Fürstlich Hohenzollernscher Hausorden, Kreuz 3. Klasse mit Schwertern):

[Dave Danner]

The reverse:

[Dave Danner]

Hohenzollern's next-door neighbor is the Kingdom of Württemberg. The standard decoration for Württemberg officers was the Friedrichs-Orden. It filled the same role in the Württemberg military awards system that the Military Merit Order did in Bavaria's and the Order of the Zähringen Lion with Swords did in Baden's.

For junior officers, there was the Knight 2nd Class with Swords. For middle officers - mainly lieutenant colonels and majors, but also the occasional outstanding captain - there was the Knight 1st Class with Swords. The 1st Class differs from the 2nd Class by the white enameled arms and the flames between the arms.

[Dave Danner]

Here's the reverse. The medal itself is the same front and back. You can see the length of ribbon on which the order was presented folded into a trifold, with a pin sewn on for wear, long ago rusted and partly broken off.

[gregM]

Very nice Christmas gifts