Bundeswehr veterans and the 57' awards.

**DUJAILAH** · 04-02-2010, 05:21 PM

EK2 & Winterschlacht Im Osten

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 04-02-2010 05:21 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Adrian** · 04-02-2010, 05:41 PM

Here's a full set of '57 KVKs.......

**oradour** · 04-02-2010, 06:35 PM

DUJAILAH, erm...oh dear, i won the EK2 & Winterschlacht Im Osten, sorry, but its gone to a good home ! your 1st class 57' is a cracker, and appears to be an early one, early 60's, let me know if it is mm when you recieve it, if it is its earlier, glad to see you made the jump into 57' awards they are very addictive ! nice same period wound badge, do you have the name and rank of the officer ? ....AdrianC, welcome and thanks for showing a super set of KVK's, i havnt got any, but am tempted..can you date from materials and build quality as with the Iron Crosses ?...can you post close ups of the KVK Knights Crosses you have. The photos shown are from the seller, as the same as DUJAILAH i havnt recieved them yet.

**jock auld** · 04-02-2010, 07:02 PM

Guys,

Thought I would add this ribbon bar, with the BKA on it, obviousely proudly worn by the owner at some point.

I thought it was the sort of badge that you didn't shout about having in post war Germany?!

I had two identical but sold one on ebay a few years back.

Jock

**oradour** · 04-02-2010, 07:11 PM

by jock auld

Guys,

Thought I would add this ribbon bar, with the BKA on it, obviousely proudly worn by the owner at some point.

I thought it was the sort of badge that you didn't shout about having in post war Germany?!

I had two identical but sold one on ebay a few years back.

Jock

jock auld , thanks for your contribution, a 57er medal bar, showing the recipient to hold the Iron Cross 2nd class, wound badge in silver, General Assault badge and Partisans combat badge and lastly, but not least the War Merits Cross for combattants.In civvie life you wouldnt expect a veteran to talk about his awards in West German society (especially if he had been awarded the Partisan combat badge), however this bar would be worn on the holders tunic when he re-enlisted in the Bundeswher. I wish i had known you had one for sale !..i allways thought you swopped !

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 04-02-2010, 07:21 PM

Of some slight relevance to this thread.

General Adolf Heusinger, the first Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr and the commissioning ceremony in the Ermekeilkaserne in Bonn on 12 November 1955.

The Bundeswehr is a special love of mine, but I do not own any of these orders and decorations.

I knew the people who wore them, though.

**oradour** · 04-02-2010, 07:38 PM

Friedrich-Berthold , thank you for your contribution and information, and welcome to this thread, i have had an interest in the Bundeswehr since a small boy, although i only started collecting these awards in the past year, i feel it a great privilege to own these awards, post war versions of hard won WW2 decorations, that were obviously worn with great pride by members of the Bundeswehr/veterans. If you have any more photos of 57' award holders please post .

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 04-02-2010, 08:11 PM

by oradour

Friedrich-Berthold , thank you for your contribution and information, and welcome to this thread, i have had an interest in the Bundeswehr since a small boy, although i only started collecting these awards in the past year, i feel it a great privilege to own these awards, post war versions of hard won WW2 decorations, that were obviously worn with great pride by members of the Bundeswehr/veterans. If you have any more photos of 57' award holders please post .

Thanks. Here are some more Bw images in no order, but of some relevance. A poster from the first years of the new West German Army; an image of an important first field exercise of the army in 1958 with Ulrich de Maiziere 2d to right; and an image of Adolf Heusinger and Hans Speidel at the time of the Ermekeil ceremony in November 1955, the founding of the Bw. There is an excellent bio of Heusinger by Georg Meyer, and the one on Speidel is being written now. Ulrich de Maiziere was also a founder of the Bw, one of the fathers of Innere Fuehrung, and Generalinspekteur from 1966 until 1972, and an exemplary personage in the history of the FRG. His experience in the OKH after 20 July 1944 was also central to his experience of the re foundation of military professionalism associated with the orders and decorations you collect.

**oradour** · 04-02-2010, 08:21 PM

Thanks for that FB, especially interested in the early advertisment/recruiting poster, showing the early style field cap badge, and that the regulations that sanctioned (the photo is dated 1955) the wearing of previous awards were not yet in force in the third photo of the two elderly, and probably well decorated Bundeswehr Generals, as they look quite unattired ! with bare chests.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 04-02-2010, 08:47 PM

by oradour

Thanks for that FB, especially interested in the early advertisment/recruiting poster, showing the early style field cap badge, and that the regulations that sanctioned (the photo is dated 1955) the wearing of previous awards were not yet in force in the third photo of the two elderly, and probably well decorated Bundeswehr Generals, as they look quite unattired ! with bare chests.

Thanks. The new uniform and regalia generally for the Bw in the first years was a political theme under the motto of "Armee ohne Pathos," which for someone from the UK might be hard to comprehend. But one should recall that the Bw was highly unpopular at a time when German cities stilled showed deep scars of war, to say nothing of the fact that the last of the POWs were only coming home from the USSR at the time of the foundation of the Bw. In fact, in this picture, the reason that Speidel and Heusinger are not wearing their caps is that the custom made headwear was too large.