My Kaiserreich ribbon bar collection

[TabsTabs1964]

Above there are two images of the ribbon bars from the former Hanseatic State City of Bremen.
Bremen was a German Hanseatic State City (Freie Hansestadt Bremen) which with its “enclave” Bremerhafen (Port of Bremen) on the shores of the North Sea, are surrounded by the present Land of Lower Saxony.
From left to right and top to bottom:

01. EK2.1914 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Bremen
02. Hanseatic Cross of the City of Bremen + EFK
03. EK2.1914 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Bremen + EFK.
04. EK2.1914 + KvK 1939 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Bremen + EFK. (Serving in two wars)

This ribbon bar belonged to a member of the only Infantry Regiment of the Hanseatic City of Bremen or, more probably, to a member of the crew of the warship of the Kaiserliches Marine "Bremen", he was distinguished for his courage by his City-State and also by the Empire with the EK2 1914. In 1934 its holder requested and obtained the EFK (Hindenburg Kreuz). This veteran of the Great War was enlisted again. We know it because in the second place of the ribbon (as it orders the regulation) we see the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1939 II Klasse mit Schwertern (KvK 1939) which tells us that its owner was on the combat front or on board in a war ship during WWII (by the swords). It was during this war when the ribbon bar was assembled, and the decorations were sorted from left to right, according to their importance. He was probably a non-commissioned officer or an officer of a war ship on board again.
See you soon gentlemen.

[TabsTabs1964]

The same ribbon bars and another whith the ribbon of the Frederick August Cross 1914, of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (in the third place).
Oldenburg was a former German Grand Duchy (Grossherzogtum Oldenburg) located on the German coast of the North Sea, at the mouth of the Wesser, right next to Bremen. It´s a typical medal for members of the german Imperial Navy and was frequently granted to sailors of Bremen, Hamburg or Lübeck.

See you Gentlemen.

[TabsTabs1964]

I think this is going to be a pretty Hanseatic weekend

[TabsTabs1964]

Above there are two images of the ribbon bars from the former Hanseatic State City of Hamburg.
Hamburg was a German Hanseatic State City (Freie Hansestadt Hamburg) which on the banks of the Elbe lies at the southern end of the Jutland peninsula, is surrounded to the south by the present Land of Lower Saxony; and to the north by Schleswig-Holstein.

From top to bottom:
01. EK2.1914 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Hamburg
02. EK2.1914 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Hamburg + EFK.
03. EK2.1914 + KvK 1939 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Bremen + EFK. (Serving in two wars)

This ribbon bar belonged to a member of the only Infantry Regiment of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg or, more probably, to a member of the crew of the warship of the Kaiserliches Marine "Hamburg", he was distinguished for his courage by his City-State and also by the Empire with the EK2 1914. In 1934 its holder requested and obtained the EFK (Hindenburg Kreuz). This veteran of the Great War was enlisted again. We know it because in the second place of the ribbon (as it orders the regulation) we see the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1939 II Klasse mit Schwertern (KvK 1939) which tells us that its owner was on the combat front or on board in a war ship during WWII (by the swords). It was during this war when the ribbon bar was assembled, and the decorations were sorted from left to right, according to their importance. He was probably a non-commissioned officer or an officer of a war ship on board again.

See you soon gentlemen.

[TabsTabs1964]

We are going to make an exception to the alphabetical order and, in order to the three Hanseatic cities to appear together, we will skip Hesse and Lippe Detmold for the moment.





Above there are two images of the ribbon bars from the former State City of Lübeck.
Lübeck was a German Hanseatic State City (Freie Hansestadt Lübeck) located in the lowlands of northern Germany, at the eastern end of the Jutland peninsula, in the present Land of Schleswig-Holstein.

From top to bottom:
01. EK2.1914 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Lübeck
Its back is marked with de acronym “DRP” what means Deutsches Reichspatent (German Patent).
02. EK2.1914 + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Lübeck
03. EK2.1914 + Military Merit Cross, Second Class, for Combatants, 1914. Great Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin + Hanseatic Cross of the City of Bremen + EFK.
This ribbon bar belonged to a member of one of the five Regiments that the Great Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin contributes to the Imperial Army. Who was also distinguished for his courage by the City-State of Lübeck with the Hanseatic Cross of Lübeck, and by the Empire with the EK2 1914.
It´s also possible and even more probably, that its owner was a citizen from the Great Duchy of Mecklenburg and member of the crew of the warships of the Kaiserliches Marine “Bremen”, "Hamburg" or “Lübeck”. In 1934 its holder requested and obtained the EFK (Hindenburg Kreuz).

See you soon gentlemen.

[TabsTabs1964]

The ribbon bars of the three Hanseatic cities: Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck. Only white and red colours in their ribbons.

[TabsTabs1964]

Above there are two images of the ribbon bars from the former Grand Duchy of Hessen.
Hessen was a German Grand Duchy (Grossherzogtum Hessen) located in the southwest of Germany, on the banks of the Elbe. Its capital was the city of Darmstadt.

From left to right and top to bottom:
01. EK2.1914 + General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig
02. General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig +EFK
03. EK2.1914 + General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig
+ EFK.
04. EK2.1914 + KvK 1939 + General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig + EFK. (Serving in two wars, another one)
This ribbon bar belonged to a member of one of the eight Regiments of the Grand Duchy of Hessen (4 Infantry, 2 Cavalry and 4 Artillery) with which Hessen contributed to the Imperial Army. This man was distinguished for his courage by his Grand Duchy and also by the Empire with the EK2 1914. In 1934 its holder requested and obtained the EFK (Hindenburg Kreuz). This veteran of the Great War was enlisted again. We know it because in the second place of the ribbon (as it orders the regulation) we see the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1939 II Klasse mit Schwertern (KvK 1939) which tells us that its owner was on the combat front during WWII (by the swords). It was during this war when the ribbon bar was assembled, and the decorations were sorted from left to right, according to their importance. It´s probably that the holder was a doctor, surgeon, veterinarian or another kind of non-combatant officer, but destined to the front.





From left to right and top to bottom:
01. EK2.1914 + General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig
02. EFK + Decoration for Helping Services in the War of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, 1916
03. General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig +EFK
04. EK2.1914 + General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig
+ EFK.
05. EK2.1914 + KvK 1939 + General Decoration to the Valour of Hessen. Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig + EFK.

See you soon gentlemen.

[TabsTabs1964]

Above there are two images of the ribbon bars from the former Principality of Lippe.
Lippe-Detmold was a German Principality (Fürstentum Lippe) located between the Wesser River and the Teutoburg Forest in central Germany.

From top to bottom:
01. EK2.1914 + War Merit Cross 1914 on combatant´s ribbon+ EFK
02. EK2.1914 + KvK 1939 + War Merit Cross 1914 on combatant´s ribbon + EFK. (Serving in two wars, another one)

Lippe, like the rest of the German principalities, was so small that it did not form an independent regiment, so they provided battalions that were integrated in existing Prussian regiments.
It´s medal was the “Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1914 II Klasse”. Only 18.000 men were awarded with this medal during the WWI.

This ribbon bar belonged to a citizen from Lippe member of some Prussian regiment of the Imperial Army. This man was distinguished for his courage by his Principality and also by the Empire with the EK2 1914. In 1934 its holder requested and obtained the EFK (Hindenburg Kreuz). This veteran of the Great War was enlisted again. We know it because in the second place of the ribbon (as it orders the regulation) we see the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1939 II Klasse mit Schwertern (KvK 1939) which tells us that its owner was on the combat front during WWII (by the swords). It was during this war when the ribbon bar was assembled, and the decorations were sorted from left to right, according to their importance. It´s probably that the holder was a doctor, surgeon, veterinarian or another kind of non-combatant officer, but destined to the front.

I hope you are enjoying this thread. See you soon gentlemen.

[Chopperman]

Awesome collection.

[Anderson]

This is amazing stuff, worthy of a book I would think