5 very "civil" ribbon bars

[erichcraciun]

Any opinions of these....

Erich Craciun

[PaulR]

Is that a Red Cross Ribbon with swords? I did not know that they were issued in that manner...

[TJ Suter]

Can you post a picture of the reverse as well?

[Koj]

@PaulMedic
i think that is the Social Welfare Awards 3.Class with (golden) swords...or not?!

[Rick Research]

I always have problems with Volkspflege awards with swords... they are ACTUALLY so rare... and yet it is soooo easy for Naughty People to stick swords into a plain old original ribbon.

With original swords, no way to tell real or not... but I would personally pass on any be-sworded Volkspflege awards that are not documented in groups.

Too easy to muck up. Yup, I'd pass on original possibles because of so many fakes-- that's the only way to keep the fakers from ruining all the GOOD bars.

Otherwise no problems, and typical of the sort of awards nonmilitary types would have in real careers.

[erichcraciun]

Here is the obverse of two of the ribbon bars.

The one on the left is the Volkspflegemedaille with swords.

Erich Craciun

[PaulR]

Social Welfare with swords... Is for being a social worker in the bronx in the 70s?

[PaulR]

Seriously though,

How is it possible to get such a medal under combat conditions? If a Red Cross or Social worker did something like save someone during a bombing, would they not receive a form of the War Merit Cross? I don't know? I would like to learn something here.

[James Clark]

From 30 January 1942, the Ehrenzeichen (3. Stufe) and Medaille für deutsche Volkspflege could be awarded with swords for a personal contribution made in the face of the particular dangers presented by wartime. The 1. Stufe and 2. Stufe could not be awarded with swords because swords could not be added to the ribbon of the 1. Stufe while the 2. Stufe was a badge (so didn't have a ribbon).

The award with swords could only be made to male and female Sanitätspersonal who were not members of the Wehrmacht. It was limited to acts carried out in combat on the Eastern Front.

Volkspflege awards are state awards, so rank after long service awards in order of precedence. However, awards with swords ranked above the Ostmedaille (and Kriegsverdienstmedaille) but below the Kriegsverdienstkreuz (with or without swords).

All information: Dr. H. Doehle, Die Auszeichnungen des Grossdeutschen Reiches, Berlin, 1945.

[Daniel Krause]

Hi Erich,

All the bars look basically o.k.
Just the Volkspflege...
Both bars with the Volkspflege with X are possible combos; not the usual overloaded nonsense the fakers present. As James said, only NON-Wehrmacht people could get this awards. So I have not a also not a but a

Beste Grüße

Daniel