A group of high Luftwaffen ranks - id if possible

[Robert Noss]

Got this photo a few days ago.
There is no date, place or any info on it.
These are a group of high Luftwaffen ranks up to Oberstleutnant in their best walking-out / parade dresses.
Look at all the fine medals, medal-bars, the brocade-belts, the swords, the uniforms. Can You imagine that a wizard comes and says to You - You can have all the things that are shown on this single photo. Well - just dreaming (and nobody would believe a collector who has 20+ Luftwaffen-Major uniforms in his collection, anyway).



I wonder if there are some officers that could be identified by their faces and/or decorations, so I made some close-ups from the men in the first row:









Would be nice to get at least one name, if possible.

Thanks in advance.
If You need any other close-ups, tell me.

Robert

[Gene]

Robert,

Good luck with your quest but I don't think you'll have too much luck. I believe this photo is pre-war, hence no 1939 and up decorations. One man is wearing an Observer's badge, but trying to identify him or the others will be a longshot. Nice photo though, by the way!

Gene

[James Clark]

Robert,

can't help you at all, but just wanted to say how much I enjoyed seeing number 6 with his Long Service medals mounted the wrong way round!

James

[Rick Research]

Well surprise surprise... almost all of them are Bavarian... what an assortment of Military Merit Orders!!!

The guy third right (#6) is-- Doh!!!! wearing his 4 years medal BEFORE his 18 years cross!!!!

There's another Oberstleutnant in there with NO Luftwaffe long services at all! From that, and Mister Backwards, as well as the "downtail" eagles, I'd guess this was taken right about October 1936, when the first Wehrmacht long service awards were bestowed.

Most of these men are wearing 18 and 4 or 12 and 4 years medals... which combined with their ages make it clear they are (E) officers brought back into the military in the 1930s...


so not in any Reichsheer Ranglisten.

#2 (WW1 Flyer's Commemorative Badge and Luftwaffe Observer) I can't tell what his second award is-- possibly a Saxe-Weimar Order of the White Falcon X, from his saxe-Ernestine House Order X in third place.


If only somebody had labelled them on back, I could tell you LOTS about their WW1 data, IF only they had been named!

[Robert Noss]

No problem Rick.
It is still a nice photo, also without names.
But look how No. 6 is starring at You. As if he would say, I bet Rick Lundström knows immediately what's wrong with my medal bar. Oh, damned collectors in 60 years.

Kind regards
Robert

[Rick Research]

He knew he had Screwed Up-- just look at his Guilty Expression, that sidelong glance...

He is thinking: "Oh crap! And here I am stuck right in the front row! maybe if I slide my shoulder back behind Benignus there, nobody will ever notice... (FLASH!) Oh, rats!!!!"

[McCulloh]

Great photo!
The most interesting bar is the non-com who got promoted above the left shoulder of Officer #6.
Great photo!!