Sorry - medals and awards just aren't my 'thing' so -

What ARE these medals I've been awarded on the forum ?

OK, I recognize the Purple Heart. But second from left ? No idea... Then there's a German Wound Badge ( I've got a real one of those ! ), but then the one on the right - what's that? Is it Russian ?

Must say I've always rather fancied the DFC. As this is a deeply trivial post, I'll finish with my favourite (true) DFC story.

Shortly after Dunkirk, a group of Biggin Hill pilots were drinking in a pub near the airfield. Pushing past the pilots at the bar, an Army Major turned to one of them, prodded his finger into one of the pilots' chests, sneering :
'Ah, the Royal Air Force. Where's your DFC ?'
The Pilot Officer looked at the Major's feet, replying -
'Ah, the Army. Where are your roller skates ?'

The police had to be called to restore order.... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I don't get it?

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"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

There was serious bad feeling between the Army and RAF after Dunkirk.
The Army felt that they had been 'let down' on the beaches ( 'We never saw the bloody RAF 'glamour boys' ' etc ).

Whereas, in fact the RAF had been heavily engaged inland and at high level trying to keep the Luftwaffe away - and took heavy losses doing so. Just read Al Deere's memoir for a vivid description. This 'RAF weren't at Dunkirk' myth actually persisted for years and is still repeated in some accounts.

And the roller skates ? For some reason, the 'forces' in the '40s seemed to associate these items of footwear with running away.

Don't worry, it's just the English sense of humour !

Now, what about my medals ...... ?

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Hi Martin, I think the second award is Japanese--as it looks like the Order of the Kite and im not sure what class--they went for several classes--the other one I cant tell--but I dont think its Russian--unless it is Imperial Russian.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Just looked at my screen thro' a magnifying glass - looks like a hammer-and-sickle to me ! ( Order of the Kite ? Sounds like something rude ! )

[ 08 July 2002, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Hi Martin, I now know what nationality that last award is--it is a DDR award--their second highest award in fact. I dont know what it is called but--this award is equal to the ww2 German DKiG (German Cross in Gold) This award as well is in gold.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Hmmmmmmmmm... think I'd rather have got the DFC !

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Im sure your DFC will be there for you sometime later. BTW, this DDR decoration sells for about $400.00.

Seriously though--you might ask Otto what "Award Icons" he has. I cant remember what I had but--I had 6-7 "awards" possibly more now. I remember the last one I had was a CMoH, but somebody griped about it--so thats I think why it was removed.

Personally, I do not think it cheapens any award by having one given to you as an award icon--even though in real life--I know I dont deserve one.

If I am forced into thinking that way--then I guess I dont deserve all my Iron Crosses, War Service Cross, Panzer Assault badge in bronze, Infantry Assault badges in Bronze and Silver, Black Wound badges, Destroyer badge, Pilots Badge, Heer/Waffen SS Artillery Badge, Hamburg, Lubeck and Bremen Hanseatic Crosses, my Loyalty to the Regiment Crosses, my Hamburg Field Honor Badge, my Prussian Warriors Cross in Iron, and all my other German badges and medals.

Fortunately--I dont think that way

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Er .. only joking, Carl !

A last thought - you must get around to writing up your war memoirs - you must be the Deutsch equivalent of Audie Murphy !!

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

All will be answered soon.

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Hello martin, i know your kidding--and I just love to talk about medals.

Otto:

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl, i know you do not need my backing to continue with collecting medels. But, as someone who has been awarded real ones, i find it reasuring that people like you find the time, and money, to collect them when those who were awarded them can, for what ever reason, no longer keep hold of them. You are not just collecting a piece of metal, but an important part of someones life, and in many cases i would gess a story as well. And no doubt you go to some effort to find that story behind that awarded. And by doing so, you are keeping the memories of brave men alive.

As for the medal icons. I see no problem. Its a harmless piece of fun that shows ohers how mch effort you put into the site.

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'England confides that every man will do his duty' Nelson
'I'm a Norfolk man, and glory in being so' Nelson

Proud to be a GRUNT

Well spoken Bish! That's exactly were my interest lies as well; when I was a 'nipper', I came across these markers in the polder were I grew up. One airman buried here, six buried in the next village, etc. I remember standing in front of these graves, reading what was on them and wondering who these men had been. Then I met a local men who could tell me something about a few graves that he had researched and it started from there. I want to know the stories behind that marker....Just like, like you said, there is a story behind every medal. With most things that I 'collect' I try to get the story behind it. Otherwise it is just a piece of metal or whatever to me.

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Exactly. I don't collest medals theway you guys do. But i just hope that in sixty years time someone takes as much interest in the ones i have as you guys take in the stuf you collect. Good on ye.

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'England confides that every man will do his duty' Nelson
'I'm a Norfolk man, and glory in being so' Nelson

Proud to be a GRUNT

Well written Bish--as you put it--that is the EXACT way I feel when collecting these medals.

I have a few vet obtined pieces. An ex-Heer Artillery Officer I am friends with--gave me his 41-42 Frozen meat medal (Winter War medal) another vet gave me his Destroyer Badge, another gave me his Officers Overseas cap (the one he wore as an officer on U 181) and another U 181 vet friend of mine--gave me my first piece of Imperial militaria (which started my interest in them) He gave me his fathers 15 KP von Sachen, Regimental badge that was awarded to him in 1901 or 1902. This was the only piece of his fathers awards that he had left--the rest had been stolen many years ago. This Regimental Cross is absolutely emaculate and very beautiful.

What Bish says about medal collecting SHOULD be one of the main reason why a person should get into collecting them--every award has a great story to go with it.

I wonder what kind of stories my 1848 Aus-Tirol medal could tell if it could talk? Same goes for my von Kleist Uhlan shoulderboards and my Friedrich-Wilhelm (Future Kaiser) ribbon bar.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Iron Crosses and Knight's Crosses from WWII are nice, but the Imperial German medals are quite much more interesting and beautiful. My grandfather has a Knight's Cross of the Royal House of Hohenzollern and it is simply beautiful! I do not know how he got this. He also has several German awards which I can't remember now. But some are from first-half of the XIX century! I don't have to mention marshall Von Bock's Iron Cross II Class, do I, Carl? There is just missing a beautiful "Por le Mérite" there...
He also has a Victoria Cross and a Croix de Guerre. Some fascits Italian medals, a Lenin order, etc. I like them far more than his hand gun collections...

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Carl, do you colect ribbons as well as medals. I don't mean the ones that the medal is attached to, i mean the ones you see on uniforms when the medals are not worn.

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'England confides that every man will do his duty' Nelson
'I'm a Norfolk man, and glory in being so' Nelson

Proud to be a GRUNT

Hey, Bish? Do you mean the little coloured squares which are worn above the left side of the chest? The insignias of campaigns, battles, etc?

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Ye, those are the ones. Each one represents a medal.

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'England confides that every man will do his duty' Nelson
'I'm a Norfolk man, and glory in being so' Nelson

Proud to be a GRUNT

I've been reading this thread with interest.

I have "collected" medals for many years; as a kid in the 70s British junk markets were full of them (especially WW1/WW2) and no-one wanted them. Having my own fathers WW2 medals for Italy, I knew exactly what these things could stand for, and I couldn't bare to see them being effectively thrown away like this - so I spent my meagure pocket money on "rescuing" the things. That's the way I looked at it.

Some tell some tragic stories; I have two groups of WW1 medals hanging on my wall here to a father and son both killed in 1918...

So as Bish says, they are far more than just bits of metal...

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