I am going to show today an Ordensspange with a mix of medals from a small State in Thüringen, Preußen and Bayern. It has the following Decorations (whose names, I will leave in German).
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Königreich Preußen).
Militär-Verdienstkreuz 2. Klasse mit den Schwertern (Königreich Bayern).
Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen in Silber (Großherzogturm Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach).
Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914 – 1918 (Deutschland).
It is not a common mix of medals, also the quality of the Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen is good, marked “Silber 990”. Unfortunately, the pin at the back of the Medal Bar is broken. In General, the Small States in Thüringen have a big variety of beautiful and interesting Orden and Medals.
It is very difficult to try to find out about the person, to whom all of these medals were awarded. We can only be sure, that he was a Sergeant (Feldwebel). The Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen in Silber was given to people originally from Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, who mainly joined the Infantry Regiment 94. Also those from that State, but where in other Armies, like the Prussian, or Bavarian or Saxon. But there are many cases, where it was also given to other troops from other states, who fought along that 94th Regiment. Even it was given to brave NCO`s or Soldiers under the command of an Officer originally from Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach. In other words, no idea about the origin of the person, who ordered this Medal Bar.
So just for one instance, let’s suppose, that we are talking about somebody related to the Infanterie-Regiment Großherzog von Sachsen (5. Thüringisches) Nr.94.
This Regiment was originally form in 1762, but its origin can be traced back to 1702. During the Napoleonic Wars, it fought in the Peninsular Campaign, and the Spaniards (and allies) gave them Hell in 1810, been almost wiped out. During the Franco-Prussian War, this Regiment also fought in the battles of Wörth and Sedan.
In Peace Time, the 3 Battalions were placed in 3 different cities: 1st Bat. In Weimar, 2nd Bat. In Eisenach and 3rd Bat in Jena. The IR 94 was part of the 83rd Infantry Brigade, 38th Division, XI Army Corps.
The 38th Division started the war in the Belgian Ardennes and stayed in Namur until its surrender. Soon after, this division was sent to East Prussia to fight against the Russians. They participated in the Battle of Lodz in December 1914.
The IR 94 remained in the East until October 1915, after taking part in the Narew-Offensive. The Regiment was sent back to the West, to the sector of Tracy-le-Val, in the Oise Area, France.
They hold it until may 1916, when they were sent to Verdun. During the next 5 months(!), they defended the sector of the Cote 304. Due to the huge casualties, it had to be taken out of the line. Only after a couple of days rest and few replacements, it was sent to the Somme. Just 3 weeks later, they had to be retired from the front for resting after severe loses.
The year of 1917 they will be back in the line in the Somme area, suffering serious loses and being moved to the west on Cambrai. During 1917 they will be moving between Ypres, where they had also many casualties, and Cambrai for resting. They were involved also in the Battle of Passchendaele, just north east from Ypres.
In April 1918, the Division took part in the Battle of Armentières, just west of Lille. It remained in that area until August 1918, when moved to Cambrai. The last months of the war, the Regiment was in both Somme and then Cambrai. Even when the regiment was probing its value in defensive positions, they lost a big amount of troops, who were taken prisoners (over 2.000 since August 1918). Still, they were tough soldiers.
It is worth to spend time having a look at the decorations of the small States in Thüringen; it is a world for itself.
Sources:
Histories of the Two Hundred and Fifty One Divisions of the German Army.
Traditions of the Imperial German Infantry Regiments (Chris Dale).