Medal Bar

[Tom Yanacek]

Was sorting thru pix & found this one with the Olympic & service.

Hi James,

Nice picture. thanks for posting it.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Now which one has the correct order for the medals?

Hello,

Not an easy question to answer. If the picture shown by James in post #12 was taken between 1938 and the end of 1939, then the order would be correct for that time period. Actually, the regulations of January 1, 1939 only make mention of the enameled Olympic Games Decoration Second Class and not specifically the Olympic Games Commemorative Medal. But the Olympic Decoration was given higher precedence than the long service decorations. Now if this picture was taken in 1940 or later, then the order is incorrect for that time period, but the policeman is probably not going to have his medal bar modified just for the sake of staying current with regulation changes. I've said this before but it is worth repeating: Because of changes in the order of precedence regulations, medal bars that were correct in the prewar years would become incorrect in subsequent, wartime years. And since medal bars were only supposed to be worn in peacetime (the exception being wartime weddings) most were not upgraded/modified during the war.

The medal bar I show in post #1 has a correct order of precedence for the period from 1940 until the end of the war. The regulations for the armed forces and police clearly place the Olympic Games Decoration Second Class and the Olympic Games Commemorative Medal after the long service decorations. The Olympic Games Decoration would come after long service but before the annexation medals whereas the Olympic Games Medal would come after the long service decorations as well as the annexation medals and the Westwall Medal.

So the order would be (from 1940 onwards):
1. Long Service Decorations
2. Olympic Games Decoration Second Class
3. 1938 Anschluß Medal
4. 1938 Sudeten Annexation
5. Memel Medal
6. Westwall Medal
7. Olympic Games Commemorative Medal

I have some police medal bars where the Olympic Games Medal is placed before the long service decoration and some where it is placed after. Whether one is correct or not can only be determined by knowing the time frame in which the bar was assembled. I hope this all makes sense. Regulations are never as simple and straight-forward as one would expect. They were further complicated by being changed from time to time. Also, we must remember that assemblers sometimes made mistakes in the order of precedence.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Here is a bar where the 1936 Olympic Games Commemorative Medal is worn before the Police Long Service Decoration. Correct order of precedence per the somewhat vague regulations of the 1938/39 prewar period but incorrect by 1940 regulations. Was this guy really going to have a new medal bar made up just to reflect this change in precedence?

[Tom Yanacek]

Another bar with the Olympic Games Medal worn before the Police Long Service Decoration:

[Sevrin]

So the order would be (from 1940 onwards):
1. Long Service Decorations
2. Olympic Games Decoration Second Class
3. 1938 Anschluß Medal
4. 1938 Sudeten Annexation
5. Memel Medal
6. Westwall Medal
7. Olympic Games Commemorative Medal

Best regards,
Tom

Thanks for the order list and the information, Tom.