Blue Division 4 place Court Mounted Medal Bar

[vonStubben]

Here is a medal bar you don't see very often and one which I believe belonged to a German Cadre member of the Spanish Blue Division. Although I can't see the makers mark on the Spanish Russia Service Medal I am quite certain that it would be marked 1 for Deschler as it is the German made example.

Are there any more bars like this out there?

Chuck

[vonStubben]

The backing fabric is a very fine slate grey doe skin wool.

[Robin Lumsden]

I don't think Germans were eligible for that award..............even the cadre personnel.

[DKNYC71]

Blue Division 4 place Court Mounted Medal Bar

Very interesting Bar! Certainly looks 100% legit by composition and overall condition. I would love to hear opinions of other WAF member as to what type of an individual this might have belonged to.

[vonStubben]

I don't think Germans were eligible for that award..............even the cadre personnel.

Interesting,................I don't know that much about the award so you may very well be right.

Could he have volunteered for both wars??

[vonStubben]

Very interesting Bar! Certainly looks 100% legit by composition and overall condition. I would love to hear opinions of other WAF member as to what type of an individual this might have belonged to.

The bar certainly appears correct under direct scrutiny, ie. material and workmanship, as well as natural age and even a bit of rust bleed through upon the ribbon of the bronze washed steel 1914-18 Honor Cross.

I'm looking forward to others thoughts.

This is another of the bars included in the large collection that I purchased a few weeks ago.

[DKNYC71]

Blue Division 4 place Court Mounted Medal Bar

There is nothing about the bar that appears put together and reconstituted. Also if someone was to put together a bar liike this, they would certainly place a WWII EK II and not have placed the WWI honor cross. Perhaps this was a German WWI vet who settled in Spain after the Great War and later went over with the Blue Division to Russia. But then if that was true he would have received the Spanish Russia Sevice medal awarded by Spain and not just this one which was awarded by Germany. So that is where the mystery lies. I think the key question is: could a German receive the (German awarded) Russia Service Medal???? If yes, then it would be logical to think that this was a German soldier with WWI service that was liasoned with the Blue Division in Russia.

[McCulloh]

Shows how careful you have to be these days.

There is no record anywhere that I am aware of that these Blue Division medals were awarded to Germans-ever.

[Scott C.]

Beyond the odd mix of medals, the thing that puts me off from the photo is the catch on the back -- it looks like the hand-snipped type that contemporary bar builders use. It could just be the photo though.