WWI Medal bar Attribution

[JBFloyd]

I was asked to help identify the medals on the illustrated bar, which was easy enough. But can any of you attribution experts put a name with this one?

[Okrach]

Well, Is it original? I can see Polish 1920 Cross of Valor - on the same ribbon as EK I? It is rather impossible - looks to me as a home-made bar

Am I wrong?

IMO:

From Left to the right
EK I, Ribbon of the Volunteers of Olmutz Medal with swords(i am not sure)
Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Meclkenburg-Schwerin cross ribbon 2nd class,Order of White Falcon,?,ehren kreuz with swords,long service 4 and 12,austro-hungarian military merit cross, polish cross o valor,?,Bulgarian order of St Alexander with crown and swords.

PS. working on the rest..but no successes... Anyone help

Well IMO the Guy who was supposed to wear such a bar must had been a extraordinary hero since he was involved in nearly every possible conflict of his era That can't be truth though. If we now concearn the Hitlers Long service awards... they don't pass here...

[Christian L]

the way it is made is not the best.
but if it is original its a soldier from sax coburg (the second ribbon with the swords bar is this one http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ad.php?t=88194)
the seho could would also match as a saxonian decoration - weimar is also ok (all those decorations are very high for a normal soldier - so i think he was a little longer in the army, but after ww1 not in service because only silver long service medals from ww2)
the polish cross is wrong - there should be the ww1 commemorative medal from austria
the last two would be the same "class" as his ww1 bravery awards.
so if this is an original bar, it would be researchable because of his ww1 bravery awards.
and the ranklist in ww2 will have him - because of the 3. reich long service awards.

[Okrach]

What is the red one second from the right? I don' have a clue?

It looks to me like a saxon honor cross (ribbon is correct) but red enamel?....

[JBFloyd]

The identification request came from a non-collector (it was apparently a bring-back from WWII by a family member) and I'm working solely from his photo, so I can't see the back.

The Polish Cross of Valor matches the ribbon, although the pendant looks crudely sewn on. There is also a problem with the Bulgarian Order of Military Merit (pendant does not match the ribbon and properly would follow the St. Alexander).

With all of that said, I don't think it's a fabricated group. I've certainly seen stranger combinations.

[JBFloyd]

I read the ribbons as follows:

1. Prussia Iron Cross 1914, second class
2. Ribbon for the Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha Duke Carl Eduard Medal with swords and date bar
3. Saxony Ernestine House Order, knight first class with swords
4. Ribbon for the Mecklenburg Order of the Wendish Crown
5. Sachsen-Weimar Order of the White Falcon, knight second class with swords
6. Reuss Honor Cross, third class with crown and swords
7. Hindenburg Cross
8. Ribbon for a Luftwaffe long service medal
9. Ribbon for a Luftwaffe long service medal
10. Austria Military Merit Cross, third class with war decoration
11. Poland. Cross of Valor 1920
12. Bulgaria Order of Military Merit, fourth class (see note below)
13. Bulgaria Order of St. Alexander, fourth class with swords at the ring

Note: The Bulgarian Order of Military Merit pendant appears to be on an incorrect ribbon, but I can't see enough detail to determine which ribbon is actually there. Properly, this order would follow the Order of St Alexander in precedence, but a foreign recipient might wear the Bulgarian awards in the order earned.

[webr55]

No. 4 might also be the Mecklenburg Military Merit Cross. Right before the Bulgarians, that's the ribbon of the Hungarian WWI Commemorative medal. The Polish Cross of Valor was simply stuck on the Austrian Commemorative ribbon, as Christian rightly noted.

Regards
Chris

[Okrach]

I totally agree.

I have never seen the Polish cross on the same bar with german EK - IMO it is simply not possible

[Dave Danner]

From here it looks like the Polish Cross of Valor is on the ribbon of a Hungarian WW1 commemorative medal (green laddered stripes).