Bundeswehr Medal bar........
Ladis & Gents....It was my New Year resolution to begin collecting awards & medals of the BRD (Both West & a Unified Germany)....I shall be starting a thread just on this subject, where mine and other members awards can be shown and discussed...mean while here is my first BW medal bar, these are both difficult and expensive to obtain, probably as BW serving soldiers and vets are still with us and are unwilling to sell their awards.....it would also seem that current thinking in the BW is that full size court mounted medals are not as important as they were during the heady days of the Imperial & TR periods !
This two medal bar has the "Ehrenzeichen der Bundeswehr" (the Cross of Honour of the BW) in bronze, awarded for 5 years of exemplary and meritious service or exemplary achievements. The other medal is the "U.S. Navy Expert Pistol Shot" medal one of the few U.S. medals that can be won/awarded by members of the BW, this is for qualifying as an expert marksman on the 9 mm M9 pistol, to qualify at the expert level, a superior score must be obtained on an approved weapons qualification course. This medal bar probably once belonged to a member of the BW Marine (Navy).
Note the medals are mounted in a traditional "German" way, that collectors of both Imperial & TR/57er would recognise...I like the gold thread round the 12'o clock arm to stop the medal falling forward when the wearer bends over, a trait seen on EK bars from 1870 to 1957 !
Prost ! Steve.
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