Heer officers in France

[Witt]

An early war photo taken in France of two officers ahead of a staff car. The older officer on the right has been awarded the KVK II.Klasse, but is also a veteran of the Great War as seen by his four-piece medal bar. The younger officer to his left has also been awarded the Kriegsverdienstkreuz. He is turned too far away from the photographer to distinguish the medal on his left breast pocket and the other below it. No inscription on the reverse to provide any identifying information.

[TWS]

"wie Gott in Frankreich leben"

[MAP]

Looks like a ww1 ek2 ribbon on the officer on the left and a WW2 EK ribbon on the officer on the right.

Odd as the officer on the left doesn't look like a WW1 vet

Probably just my eyes

[Witt]

I debated over whether the button hole ribbons were that of the WW1 or WW2 EK’s or the KVK. Iron crosses were my initial thoughts. Although I think it is the latter having a thick black center followed by white stripes and bordered with red stripes. The borders of both of their ribbons are hard to see especially for the officer on the left. His looks like it almost could be three stripes and not five wide. I bet he is a decade too young to have been in the Great War.
The older officer surely had to be in the Great War. His four piece medal bar from left to right is a mostly black ribbon, a mostly white ribbon, a multi-striped ribbon with swords device, and a blue and white ribbon. The third one could either be the KVK with swords or the Hindenburg Cross. The fourth ribbon due to the colors I thought of a WW1 Bavarian order.

The magnifying glass and the USB microscope were not enough to give me a clear look at definitively identifying any of the medals of either one.

[Willmore]

Hi Ben.

It might be my eyes playing tricks on me, but is the soldier on the left missing his right hand/lower arm. Maybe the medal on his left breast pocket could be a wound badge if this is the case.

[Witt]

That is a valid point, Will. You must have guessed that is what drew me to this photo when I first saw it. Under magnification I am pretty sure I saw knuckles and fingers on his right side. That bottom corner is plagued by a really dark dark spot. Now I cannot adjust the image enough to recreate what I saw so now I am kind of second guessing myself.

[Adrian]

I may be wrong but I believe his hand and arm are there or else the end of the jacket sleeve would be pinned or pinned up to stop it flapping around.
But I do see a wound badge below the pocket.
The very obscured badge looks like an Infantry Assault badge to my eye.

[MAP]

If he is missing his hand, I find it odd they he would put something in the lower pocket on that side.....and button it closed too