ph0ebus Posted 10 January , 2014 Share Posted 10 January , 2014 Hi all, I have identified another relative of mine who served in the Great War: Gottfried Regensteiner, born 25 November 1891 in Augsburgh. Since he fought with the Bavarians, happily, his records are on Ancestry! I could use a spot of help understanding some of the abbreviations in his service records, if possible. For starters, I recognize the second entry in the snippet below (Prussian EKII), but was is the first award they refer to? I'll add more details and information, and probably more questions, as I dig into this exciting new discovery. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 11 January , 2014 Share Posted 11 January , 2014 Militär-Verdienstkreuz 3. Klasse mit Schwertern, see http://www.ehrenzeichen-orden.de/deutsche-staaten/militar-verdienstkreuz-3-klasse-mit-schwertern-3-form-1913.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron da Valli Posted 11 January , 2014 Share Posted 11 January , 2014 That's the Military Merit Cross with swords. It was a bravery award. I believe the swords were to indicate it was awarded during wartime. It was also issued with a crown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 11 January , 2014 Author Share Posted 11 January , 2014 Thanks! Would that be an equivalent to the Military Medal? If not, what would it be comparable to for British or American forces? -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 11 January , 2014 Share Posted 11 January , 2014 Thanks! Would that be an equivalent to the Military Medal? If not, what would it be comparable to for British or American forces? -Daniel It's comparable to the Iron Cross 2nd Class but for Bavarian privates and NCOs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 11 January , 2014 Author Share Posted 11 January , 2014 It's comparable to the Iron Cross 2nd Class but for Bavarian privates and NCOs. Hm, that's interesting. I wonder why he got the Bavarian and Prussian equivalents of the same award? I need to try and find him in the Verlustlisten. He's not in the database yet, but I'll keep an eye out for him when I do my monthly sweeps. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 11 January , 2014 Share Posted 11 January , 2014 Hm, that's interesting. I wonder why he got the Bavarian and Prussian equivalents of the same award? I need to try and find him in the Verlustlisten. He's not in the database yet, but I'll keep an eye out for him when I do my monthly sweeps. -Daniel That's quite normal. Once you got the Bavarian medal, you usually got the IC2 a bit later. Although these medals started as rewards for bravery, they were quite common later in the war and could be awarded for just being in the field and having done your duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 11 January , 2014 Author Share Posted 11 January , 2014 Given how late he got his, I suspect he got them for the reasons you mention. We'll see if he turns up in the VLs or not, as that may give a clue. I was able to get the rest of his service record off Ancesty a little while ago and will dig into that. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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