8 Place 1957er Medal Bar - Thoughts/Opinions?

[Adam H]

Hello Gents,

I picked up this 1957 pattern medal bar over the holidays. While I'm not all that familiar with 1957 bars, the construction looks good to me... but I'd appreciate your comments all the same.

I'm a bit confused about the "order of precedence" on this bar with the West German Merit Medal and the Lifesaving medal before the EK? I am guessing the West German one may have been worn before the EK because it was awarded after the war and the EK would no longer have been officially awarded at this time...but what about the lifesaving medal?

I think it's an interesting combination of medals and overall a really attractive bar, at least for a 57er!

I look forward to your questions and comments!

Cheers,

Adam

[Adam H]

Here is a view of the reverse...

[Laurence Strong]

Hi Adam

I'm no expert, but it sure looks nice

[bossi]

This medal bar is 100% correct. Enclosed § 12 of the German law which rules how awards have to be mounted on medal bars:

§ 12

(1) Orden und Ehrenzeichen sowie sonstige Auszeichnungen, die am Bande zu tragen sind, werden an der Ordensschnalle auf der linken Brustseite von rechts nach links in folgender Reihenfolge angebracht:

1. Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland,

2. Rettungsmedaille am Bande,

3. Eisernes Kreuz 1914,

4. Eisernes Kreuz 1939,

5. Orden und Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste im zweiten Weltkrieg in der Reihenfolge ihrer Verleihung,

6. Ehrenkreuz des ersten Weltkrieges,

7. Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1939,

8. sonstige Auszeichnungen für Verdienste im zweiten Weltkrieg in der Reihenfolge ihrer Verleihung,

9. weitere deutsche Auszeichnungen in der Reihenfolge ihrer Verleihung,

10. staatlich genehmigte Auszeichnungen in der Reihenfolge ihrer Verleihung,

11. ausländische Auszeichnungen in der Reihenfolge ihres Klassenverhältnisses.

Karl

[Master3477]

That is a rreally nice medal bar. The orders are all in the right place.


Is the iron cross a 3 part construction and magnetic?

[Grant Broadhurst]

Very nice bar

[Christian L]

for sure nice - but a man who won the ek and the kvk was in activ military service, luftschutz and taken part as ? at the olympic games - and not to forget the rescuemedal

for me it is really too much - i think there is no possibility for an owner.

christian

[Adam H]

Thanks for the replies guys...

The EK is 3 piece construction, but I just tested it and the core is not magnetic. I guess some '57 awards were made without iron cores as well?

Christian, I know what you mean about the combination, but the medals and ribbons do show some wear that I would consider consistant with wear from being worn (i.e. on parade, etc) I have quite a few Imperial/TR bars and my main area of collecting/knowledge is Canadian and British medals so I do have a pretty good idea what worn medal groups look like. I guess we can say that the combination is improbable but not impossible but that's as close as we can get. I don't think an owner can be IDed either, which is a real shame as there couldn't have been many with this combination of medals...maybe somebody out there can shed some light on the combination of awards and some possible recipients?

Cheers,

Adam

[McCulloh]

Hmmm...what bothers me about the bar is the Wehrmacht 4 year LS medal AND the Luftschutz together. Without it I'd suppose "Berlin SA/ NSKK officer/ Blockleiter type, born @1906, who later served in some West German official capacity (Asst. Mayor? Police Detective etc?)... but from what I remember the LS was cut off in 1940 and not later awarded for wartime service in 1940-45.
If however, the BRD regs allowed retroactive award of the LS medal-then it makes sense in that he got the medal for service from 1940-1945. Lots of NSDAP officials got called up/enlisted and went into the Wehrmacht.
The Luftschutz award-where it wasn't awarded to actual Luftschutz members, seems to also show up infrequently but notably in NSDAP files where Blockleiters usw. were working as air raid wardens and/or city civil defense organizers. I was rummaging through some random Munich NSDAP files at the NA last Summer and found 2 Blockleiters who had been given the medal in 1942.
NSDAP awards of course would not show up on a 1957 bar-being banned.

[webr55]

Jeff and Christian,
I have to agree with your doubts. The LS awards were definitely NOT bestowed retroactively, so this guy would have to have been full time Wehrmacht in the late 30s already. And this goes indeed badly together with the Luftschutz, which is much rarer than TR fake bars suggest.
Another point: Why the Bundesverdienst MEDAL, why not a cross? Someone with Wehrmacht LS and all these other decorations should have been an officer, at least a Hauptmann, I would say. I doubt he would have got the medal in post-war time, rather the Bundesverdienst CROSS, 1st or 2nd class. Again: not impossible, but highly improbable.

Regards
Chris