is this medal bar OK

[andya]

Hi
Can anyone confirm if this combination is Ok?, and what is the second medal?
Thanks
Andy

[andya]

rear

.

[stogieman]

Not really.......

... the second medal is the one that doesn't fit. That's an Austrian "Other Ranks" (NCO/Enlisted) Long Service Cross for 6 Years, First Class. (silver device)... but it's an Imperial Era/First Republic Era Award.... No WW1 Honor Cross?? Unlikely. My best guess would be you're missing the 8 year LS Medal. This style of bar is easily repaired, if it's not too expensive.

[Rick Research]

That is indeed the ribbon for the Austrian First Republic military long services (much narrower black stripe than the K.u.k. long services) with an Austro-Hungarian VI years service cross-- the Republic version should bear a "5."

This naughty NCO (for only NCOs got that grade) has quite IMPROPERLY worn BOTH long service awards-- his Austrian "5" SHOULD either have been worn alone or been REPLACED by the Third Reich Wehrmacht one. He apparently decided since a "4" was LOWER than his existing "5" he would wear both, in the correct mounting precedence, but with TWO medals where ONE should have been. Normally what you see, correctly, is a more senior NCO with a Wehrmacht 12 and the Republic 5, since 1938+ regulations specified that when the 12+ years PAIRS were worn, holders of the earlier Austrian lower class continued to wear that AFTER the single higher German Wehrmacht award in a pair.

This is a typical ORIGINAL period mistake, caused entirely by the whole idiotic Third Reich Wehrmacht system of wearing TWO military long services for 12+ years in the first place. If they had simply (logically! ) worn the current highest class alone (as in the Imperial period), NONE of the confusion about wearing PAIRS would have arisen.

It is quite difficult to find the mixed Austrian Bundesheer/Wehrmacht long service awards being worn. This looks like the type wear the awards simply clip in and out under the ribbons, so find a "5" cross and this will be back as it was when the non-regulation NCO wore this so proudly in 1940.

[Peter J.]

Rick, we have already ventilated this one . Andy, this is the cross Rick is referring to.

KR
Peter

[andya]

Many thanks

If I am reading this write and this is the way the previous owner wore this bar this is the way I think it should be left. Many thanks for all your help.
Regards
Andy

[Rick Research]

No, you need a 1st Austrian Republic "5" (that number, not Roman "V") Cross. Somebody has replaced that with an incorrect WW1 era Austro-Hungarian Empire "VI."

[andya]

medal

No, you need a 1st Austrian Republic "5" (that number, not Roman "V") Cross. Somebody has replaced that with an incorrect WW1 era Austro-Hungarian Empire "VI."

Sorry, I misunderstood the previous posts. I will put it right.

Thank you

andy