German WW1 medals

[Majordecor]

Hello,

My wife's grandfather's name was Bernhard Alfred RATAJCZYK.

I have recently discovered 4 medals of his which are shown below.

Additionally, here's a description of them...

From right to left,

Iron Cross has crown on top, letter 'W' in centre and 1914 on bottom. On obverse, from top down, is a crown; either PW or FW; oakleaves on a twig, one pointing up and two left and right; and 1813.

Next has '1914-1918' and 'W.K.' (Weltkrieg?)

Next has crown over shield. Shield has 4 bars to the left and double cross on the right. Around the edge, left side = laurel leaves, right has oak leaves. Obverse has 'Pro Deo et Patria.', a helmet and '1914-1918'.

Last has crown on top of shield with crossed swords behind with laurel leaves around edge on left and oak leaves on right. Obverse has wheat ears and what looks like roses around edge with '1915-1918 in centre.

Does any of the above allow you to identify

a) What medals they are? and

what his unit might have been?

Best regards,

George Major.

[P.B.]

Hello George

The medals, in the order you list them, are:

1) Iron Cross, second class -issued by the German state of Prussia, but widely awarded to all German subjects and their allies. It could have been won anytime between 1914 and 1918, or even be a post-war "catch-up" piece.

2) Cross of Honour, combatants class -issued under the Third Reich from 1934 onwards to all participants in WWI. There was also a version without swords for non-combatants, and a blackened version for the next of kin of those killed in 1914-18.

3) The World War Commemorative Medal, 1914-18 -issued by the kingdom of Hungary, and widely distributed to their German allies.

4) Not sure about this one -I think it's either an Austrian or Bulgarian WWI Commemorative medal similar to number 3, again it's not uncommon to find these awarded to Germans.

The ribbon bar is the common combination of the Iron Cross and Cross of Honour, and therefore dates from after 1934. Gaining a unit ID from these medals is impossible without the accompanying citations which would have the listed the soldier's regiment, battery, etc. It's not unusual to find Austrian, Hungarian or Bulgarian medals as part of WWI German medal groups, especially those to NCOs and officers, so I would say that your grandfather probably served on the Eastern Front in WWI and was maybe an NCO. The lack of other strictly German awards would count against him being an officer in my opinion.

Hope this is of some help, all the best

Paul.

[Majordecor]

Dear Paul,

Thanks for your speedy reply.

Some questions, please, which will probably display ignorance on my part.

1. The Cross of Honour, awarded after 1934...Is it because it is shown on the same ribbon strip as the Iron Cross that you conclude that the Iron Cross too was awarded after 1934?

2. Why would Bulgaria, Austria, Rumania and Hungary have been involved with medal awards? Does this indicate that his unit was somehow mixed with troops from those nations? On the face of it, that might narrow down where he was fighting

3. Your conclusion that he might have been on the Eastern Front in incisive. He was indeed. His only brother was killed on the Eastern Front and his mother agitated to have Herr R. returned from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. The brother's name was Rudolf but I do not know where or when he died. Could that information be obtained because it would narrow down when Bernhard switched Fronts?

Now then, I hope to be as brief as possible.

Bernhardt's daughter (Inge Major) is 80 and lives with us. Her husband was 32 years older than she and fought on the Western Front between 1915 and late April 1918 when he was shot through the hip, repatriated and then went to Archangel, Russia with the Allied Expeditionary Force. The two men were of the same age and on opposite sides. At some stage, they were opposing each other close in the geographical sense. Her husband, Lt. Col. AWC Major, was with 1/6 Royal Warwickshire Brigade and before that with Divisional Cyclists Corps before he was commissioned in 1917 to 2 Bt. Suffolk Regiment. I can therefore place his movements in the same general area of France as 3rd. Army, 48 Division, 76 Brigade etc.

Lt. Col. Major won 3 MC's at Zonnebeke (Sept 17), Bullecourt (Dec. 17and Neuville Vitasse (Apr. 18), the latter action being to do with the Kaiser's Spring Offensive which happened because a large number of German troops were tranferred to Western Front after November 1917.

It would be nice to be able to place roughly where the two men would have been. Do you think I have any chance of doing so? Bernhard R was born in Neu Koelln, Berlin, and so would probably have been attached to some Prussian unit.

I have two photos of Bernhardt R in uniform but they are not very informative. One, though, shows him in a group photo outside a makeshift 'Office' in the field with signs on it indicating a court martial function.

Incidentally, Bernhard R's daughter, who would have been 8 in 1934 does not remember any medals being received by him on or after that date and she thinks she would have remembered were that the case.

The more you can tell me, the more delighted I'll be.

Best regards,

George Major.

[Peter B]

Hello George, have a look at this link lots of info on the medals you have.

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-medals/german_medals.htm

Bulgaria, Austria, Romania and Hungary were all with the Central Powers ie allied to Germany.

As such inter country awards were issued, much the same as the British awarded medals to the French, Italians etc, and vice versa.

The Iron Cross was awarded during WW1, The Cross of Honour added later. As Paul states a common combination. Finding a Iron Cross court mounted for wear on its own, harder to find in comparasion.

Hope this is of some help

Regards

Peter

[P.B.]

Hello George

Glad to be of some help -the Iron Cross was almost certainly awarded between 1914 and 1918, I was a little imprecise in the way I phrased this in that I meant that the ribbon bar (i.e: the two ribbons together, not the individual medals) must be post 1934.

The Honour Cross would have been awarded post 1934 -as you can imagine there were many ex-soldiers eligible, and a large proportion probably received their cross via the post. Each cross came in a presentation case which bore the legend "Loyalty to the Loyal" together with a facsimile of Hindenburg's signature -the cross sometimes being referred to as the "Hindenburg Cross" by modern collectors.

Peter is spot-on in regard to the exchange of awards between the various Central Powers. This was in some ways a continuation of the practice which existed between German states, in that Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony etc all freely conferred their state decorations on soldiers from other contingents. I suggested the Eastern Front as this was where a German soldier was most likely to fight alongside Austrians and Hungarians and therefore receive some of their medals.

Researching WWI German soldiers is notoriously difficult, especially in the absence of a unit identification. Many service records -especially for the Prussian Army- were destroyed in WWII, so it's a fairly mammoth task. If you can post the photos of your ancestor in uniform -it's a long shot, but they may turn up something.

As you've probably already found, researching Lt Col Major will be a lot easier. I have to close with mark of admiration -to win three MCs was no mean achievement, I believe only 170 two bar MCs were awarded in WWI.

All the best

Paul.

[Majordecor]

Dear Peter and Paul.

So grateful for your info and time.

It's late and I'm working tomorrow, but - if you don't mind - I'll get back to you with photos and after I've looked at Peter's medal site.

Thanks a million.

Best wishes,

George.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

The Austro Hungarian commemorative Medal{Pro Deo~with Shield & Stalhelm} was instituted in 1929.

[James Blonde]

Bulgaria, Austria, Romania and Hungary were all with the Central Powers ie allied to Germany.

As such inter country awards were issued, much the same as the British awarded medals to the French, Italians etc, and vice versa.

The Iron Cross was awarded during WW1, The Cross of Honour added later. As Paul states a common combination. Finding a Iron Cross court mounted for wear on its own, harder to find in comparasion.

Hope this is of some help

Regards

Peter.

Hallo Peter B,

Just to clarify a point Romania was on the Allied side in WW1, the Romanians joined the war in 1916, being very short of equipment they faired very badly despite receiving some assistance from Britain and France, Once their Allies, the Russian Imperial Army mutinied they were forced back into North-Eastern Moldova by the combined forces of Germany, Austro-Hungaria, and Bulgaria.

Pre-WW1 Romania was a much smaller country then with Transylvania coming under the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

OFF TOPIC:

In WW2 Romania was with the Axis forces until 1944 when the capitulated to the Russian and then fought against the Germans.

Kevin.