New Medal group

[leibregiment]

Thanks everyone for their views, my first thought was a muscian as they have been heavly laquered. Parading with full medals from 1943 with medals would have been a rarity, I do not however hold the belief that the group persay is rare however mounted maybe ( In the 1960's and 70's this group would have been worth more stripped down) also If I had wanted to make up a group to sell it I would have added an EK2 not a KVK.

Have included a few more photos, again welcome your views

[leibregiment]

2

[leibregiment]

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[leibregiment]

4

[McCulloh]

Lacquer!?
Now, that's unusual (but good!), but it explains the poorer look of the Ostmedal. Not done often, but I read a Reichsheer memoir in an old annual Military Kalender years ago that recounted lacquering medals because of parade duty in the rain and snow.
Have a look at the medals bar and wedding photos thread over in Photographs. TR exclusive medal bars above 4 & mounted are very rare: -@1% or so.
The combination is rare in my opinion & I stand by what I wrote ("rare="less than 1% of Luftwaffe troops had/got said medal(s)).
Given there were only 100,000 men in the Reichsheer in 1928 (the latest to achieve the LS12 given the cut off award date of Dec. 1940) and of those @ 1/10 could not have had the time in to get that medal after 1937 (or transfered to the Luftwaffe)...a very small pool of men indeed, just to start.
I don't know about the eagles, but I have a cousin who does.

[Don D.]

I agree, establish the originality of the parts. It they are suspect then the rest of the arguement is moot.

[Brian R]

Where's the Czech medal? It's starnge that a guy who wears two LS medals and so many campaign medals doesn't wear a Czech medal. He was around for the Austrian Anchluss and then recieved a West Wall medal. Did he go from Austria to the West Wall without being one of the million plus to be awarded for the Czech occupation?

[Don D.]

So now he doesn't have enough awards? Perhaps he was an Austrian that was absorbed into the Wehrmacht after the anschluss. How many Luftwaffe units were involved in annexing CZ?

[McCulloh]

I seriously doubt this guy was an Austrian.
Anschluss medals (at least the docs I have seen-and I look) went mostly to Germans and Austrian Nazis. Also professional soldiers in the Austrian army were allowed to keep their earlier Austrian LS medals in place. Not all did, but still....
I'd love to know the order of battle for the DAK Luftwaffe units and attachments because that is the really controversial facet of this bar (and the mounting style, albeit to a lesser extent). Someone who obtained the Ost medal and THEN got the Italian medal did so within a 9-12 month period. most Italian "Afrikan" medals I have seen awarded were done so in the summer and Fall/Winter of 1942. I have never seen a doc. past Jan 1. 1943 (and I look for these). There can't have been many Luftwaffe officers who were in the cold steppes in February and in the blazing sun by September.
An interesting piece-it has pros and cons.

[Brian R]

So now he doesn't have enough awards? Perhaps he was an Austrian that was absorbed into the Wehrmacht after the anschluss. How many Luftwaffe units were involved in annexing CZ?

Don - he certainly has "enough" medals. Plenty of Luftwaffe guys got Czech medals, and plenty of KM guys too. It just seems that given his long service in the 30s he'd be more apt to have a Czech medal rather than the uncommon combo of Ost and Afrika medals. I certainly agree that this is possible... this sure is an interesting bar.

[Don D.]

This bar looks to be an NCO bar for some Luftwaffe tech support guy. Perhaps he didn't get the CZ Annexation Medal because he was doing duty as an instructor. Heck, I see our air force guys running around with a chest full of ribbons, including bronze stars for loading bombs in Montana. The techies went where ever the rest of the squadron went. They just rarely were in harms way. Now,if this type bar combo starts popping up everywhere then we have a problem.

I think it all comes back to the parts and the construction. If they are ok then the bar is ok, unique and ok.

[leibregiment]

Thanks all and one, I think the point is just that, how many have we seen? that said was it made in 1943 or 1953 we will never know, did the guy have it made to represent his service after the war or for his last parade in 1944,the construction is ok ribbons ok and bits ok.....i am going to start a thread on medal group as I think we need to learn a bit more on the subject, again many thanks, Paul