We continue with another Medal Bar with a “different” and also “exotic” Orden as what I previously shown.
The “Ordensspange” contains the following decorations:
– Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse.
– Hanseatenkreuz.
– Kronenorden 4. Klasse. It is Marked with an N for Neuhaus & Sohn.
– Dienstauszeichnung für Offiziere.
– Kaiser Wilhelm I. Erinnerungsmedaille 1897.
– St. Alexander-Orden, 5. Stuffe mit Schwertern (Bulgaria).
This “Schnalle” was made in Hamburg by Ulrich, a famous shop for type of pieces. There is a distinctive characteristic in his Bars, apart from the etiquette at the back, it was normal to see the bands of some Medal losing its white colour in the Iron Cross or the Hamburg one, or both.
The front medallion of the St. Alexander-Orden has written: “God with us”, and the back, 19th August 1878, the Day of the Treaty of Saint Stefano and the Bulgarian Autonomy.
This Medal Bar belonged to an Officer with at least 20 years of service in the Army, or in the Navy. The person who sold it to me, told me that it belonged to a “Deckoffizier” in the “Kaiserliche Marine”. This could make sense, because during 1915, the year that Bulgaria entered the First World War, there were German Marine officers working as advisors in the Machine and Naval school in Warna, Bulgaria.
In addition, there were also many Bulgarian Marine Cadets being trained in Germany in the Naval Academy of Mürwik.
The Balkan Front, or directly, the East Front is often forgotten, when comes to the head the words “First World War”. Bulgaria has a strategical geographical position in Europe, so after their defeat in the Second Balkan War, the Central Powers put their eyes in them, after the Entete almost ignored Bulgaria in favour of their neighbours. The fact, that the Central Powers granted Bulgaria some Loans caught the attention of the Entete, and more when the war started.
In this moment, the diplomacy race was almost at its maximum speed. Both the Entete and the Central Powers tried hard to influence Bulgaria in their favour. Like what happened with Italy, Bulgaria was offered new neighbours territories in exchange to enter in the war in their side. Even the Entete countries negotiated with Bulgaria behind the back of some of their allies, like Serbia or Greece, promising territories from those countries.
At the end and after the Russian defeats in 1915 during the Gorlice–Tarnów and under consideration of the German Loan of 1914, Bulgaria decided to join the war in the Central Powers side. They would receive German Advisors, help and armament (when no needed in other fronts). They were also promised lands in Serbia, Macedonia and Greece.
The German saw a great opportunity for Bulgaria to enter the war against Serbia so the railway line to the Ottoman Empire could you just between allied countries.
The Bulgarian Troops participated against Greece and Serbia, occupying a great part of their territories. Also against Romania when they joined the Front in 1916 against the Central Powers.
At the end, in 1918, the Macedonian front collapsed and the Bulgarian Army was defeat by the Allied army of the Orient, with troops from France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Serbia, etc.
Bulgaria had to sue for peace, which ended up with the loss of all of the conquered territories, part of its own and forced to pay high war reparations in the Treaty of Neuilly.
Slowly, I am coming to the end of my Medal Bar Collection…..