The Coburg Badge

[Rich Moran]

Anyone care to comment on this web page? List of recipients for the Coburg badge. Am wondering does this list also contain 2nd issue recipients? Supposed # awarded 400+ badges:

http://ailsby-collection.blogspot.co...urg-badge.html

[Matthew]

It's a mix of names of both. Few notables missing like Sister Pia, etc.

Surprisingly, not much is known about the decoration other than what's been published in official sources like Organisationsbuch. Not even the maker of it- the elusive 189...apparently no in-dept research has been done, hopefully someone will tackle the topic and expose more facts about those in the near future- the interest sure warrants it.

cheers

Matt

[Mark C. Yerger]

Nice article on the badge in a recent issue of Bender's Military Adviser magazine with various items pertaining to it including one of the stained glass windows, etc.

[ErichS]

Nice article on the badge in a recent issue of Bender's Military Adviser magazine with various items pertaining to it including one of the stained glass windows, etc.

Yes Mark, the best article to date on Coburg.

[jabnus]

Can someone please tell what issue of the MA that was? I like to order one.


The silver with red enamel CB remains one of the most magical of all awards i ever had the luck to hold and inspect.


Erich, just an idea that pops up:

Heinrich Bulking of Duisburg, an SA Mann martyred in 1929.

Theresa Esslinger a widow from Munich

Could it have been a commemorative piece as Bulking appears to have died in 1929?

[ErichS]

Hi Gaston,

It's in the current issue of The Military Advisor which is volume 25 issue 2 from Bender Publishing.

Don't really know regarding the purpose of the silver badges other than being a special honor award with only 2 known but I only know of the one that has survived.

[jabnus]

Hi Erich,

Thanks, ill go and try to backorder. My last backorder of a MA magazine from Bender never arrived, so hope it works out better this time.

It is interesting to see Heinrich Bulking died in 1929 and Theresa Esslinger was a widow. Is it known when her husband died? Maybe the award was his and not her's but maybe she got the silver badge as her husband had died? Maybe the silver ones were special versions awarded to alte Kämpfer who died before the awarding moment? Of curse im thinking out loud here and speculating. Therese Esslinger appears to be on the recipients list on Ailsby's site, Heinrich Bulking not (as he had died at the time?).

best regards,
Gaston

[JoeW]

Anyone care to comment on this web page? List of recipients for the Coburg badge. Am wondering does this list also contain 2nd issue recipients? Supposed # awarded 400+ badges:

http://ailsby-collection.blogspot.co...urg-badge.html

Here is the original list.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...t=list&page=54

I have no idea how Ailsby created his list. And there are some debatable historical facts he presented, as well as gross spelling errors.

All the people on this list did not receive theirs in 1932. That is fact. Only 250 were at the 1932 event to receive their badge from OGF Hoffmann, then march to the sports field to listen to the speech from Hitler who had arrived by plane after the award ceremony had concluded.

Now unless Schwede-Coburg informed the OSAF from where he got the original 250 badges, I would presume they ordered additional badges to satisfy the requests of those unable to attend the event and who properly were entitled to the badge. As the RZM badge is reported to be smaller, would that indicate that a 1932 badge was used as a model for the later production?

[Mark C. Yerger]

Yes Mark, the best article to date on Coburg.

Always interesting articles, those I like best are on things I know nothing about or never collected, though Coburg badge always an interest. He also has an article I wrote, but is history oriented rather than militaria.

[jabnus]

JoeW, many thanks for this, i had not saved these files and almost forgotten them.

Look at post #809, written by the name of Theresa Esslinger stands "Für den Mann" (For the man/husband). Could it be then... that the silver with red enamel are posthumous after all? Clearly it says the badge was not for her but for her husband?

Heinrich Bulking appears to have died in 1929, so was obviously dead in 1932 as well?

Maybe, just maybe we can finally unravel the meaning of the silver ones!

Another thought is that a silver with red enamel badge looks quite a bit more elegant than a bronze badge (this feels like cursing in church, sorry), but would look better on a womans dress for sure!

Exciting thoughts!

best regards,
Gaston

[Richard]

Is there any period reference to the silver/enameled badges?
Richard V

[ErichS]

If the silver badge was awarded to Esslinger's widow he must of been special because there is no mention of a posthumous award going to the family of Oskar Koerner who was at Coburg and was killed a year later at the Feldherrnhalle .

Both Sister Pia and her son Wilhelm Baur were awarded the CB yet the Ailsby list only shows her son listed so like Joe said, it's incomplete."

[jabnus]

Hi Erich,

None of the 16 names of the martyrs are on the list, if there were posthumous awards (whoch im starting to really think, be it a silver badge or not), then the fallen for the putsch were not included in 1932.

Interesting!

[ErichS]

Hi Erich,

None of the 16 names of the martyrs are on the list, if there were posthumous awards (whoch im starting to really think, be it a silver badge or not), then the fallen for the putsch were not included in 1932.

Interesting!

Not sure how many of the Putsch martyrs took part at Coburg but Koerner was there as seen in period photos and if anyone should have gotten a posthumous award if they were awarded,it should have been him. That said, still a mystery if any posthumous badges were actually awarded and the actual purpose of the silver version.

[JoeW]

Is there any period reference to the silver/enameled badges?
Richard V

Of course not. First appeared in Littlejohn/Dodkins book. Ailsby purchased it out of that collection if I remember correctly.