Important Grouping to Wehrmacht Generalmajor Friedrich Ritter von Bogendörfer (1869-1945)

• Served with Oberfeldkommandantur 589 from March 1, 1940, to the end of 1942
• Retired from military service thereafter
• During World War I, he served as a commander of various army units
• Awarded the Pour le Mérite on November 8, 1918
• Awarded the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph on September 28, 1918, the highest military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria

Awards:

• Pour le Mérite

  • Gold-plated tombak cross with blue enameled cross-arms (chipping)
  • Manufactured in the 1920s
  • Includes original neck ribbon and suspension loop
  • Sent to Generalmajor von Bogendörfer on February 15, 1921
  • Original cover letter from the Heeresabwicklungsamt Bayern enclosed
  • An excellent piece of the period, awarded in 1921, confirmed by the letter

• Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph, Knight's Cross

  • Made from genuine gold with white enameled cross-arms (light chipping)
  • Dark blue medallions at the center
  • Numbered "296" inside the suspension loop
  • Original ribbon, extremely rare to find

  This Military Max Joseph Order No. 296 was previously awarded to:

  1. Generalmajor Anton von Halder in 1814 (died 1854)
  2. Generalleutnant Friedrich Freiherr von Pechmann in 1916 (died 1919, commander of Infanterie-Leib-Regiment)
  3. Josef Ritter von Steiner in 1919 (killed in 1918, posthumously awarded)
  • Subject to strict return obligations: After the death of the recipient, the order had to be returned to the Bavarian Order Chancellery and re-issued multiple times
     

• 12-Place Medal Bar

  • 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class, three-part construction, iron core
  • Bavarian Military Merit Order 3rd Class with Crown and Swords
    • "900" silver hallmarked
    • "G.H." maker marked (Gebrüder Hemmerle, München)
    • Gold-plated cross with blue enameled cross-arms (tiny chip on the back)
    • "950" silver hallmarked
    • Swords and lower cross-arm marked "G.H."
  • Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords
    • "938" silver hallmarked
    • "FR" maker marked (Friedländer, Berlin)
  • Honor Cross of WWI, maker marked, magnetic
  • Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class
    • "980" silver hallmarked
    • "JL" maker marked (Jacob Leser, Straubing)
    • Blue enameled cross-arms (chipping), medallions made of genuine gold
  • Bavarian Order of Saint Michael 4th Class
    • "JL" maker marked
    • Made from genuine silver, blue enameled cross-arms (light chipping on the back)
  • Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class with Crown
    • Made from genuine silver, red enameled crown, "W" maker marked (Wagner & Sohn, Berlin)
  • Prussian Order of the Crown 4th Class, made of bronze/tombak, gold-plated, blue enameled rim (chipping)
  • Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold Medal in Bronze
  • Prussian Centenary Medal
  • Bavarian Golden Wedding Anniversary Medal, dated "Christmas 1918," made of iron
  • Bavarian Long Service Award 2nd Class for 24 years, made of bronze/tombak

• Includes matching 12-place ribbon bar

• 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class

  • Iron core, three-part construction, original black paint
  • "SILBER" hallmarked on the pin

• WWI Wound Badge in Black

  • Made of iron

• Prince Alfons of Bavaria Commemorative Badge

  • Tombak, silvered, "M. Heinloth" maker marked, pinback

Award Certificates:

• Pour le Mérite, issued on November 8, 1918, hand-signed by Hofmarschall Georg von Kanitz, extremely rare
• Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph, Knight's Cross, awarded on September 29, 1918, issued on December 4, 1920, hand-signed, extremely rare
• Prussian Order of the Crown 4th Class, issued on February 2, 1896, hand-signed by General der Kavallerie Prinz Eduard zu Salm-Horstmar
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class, issued on March 22, 1897, hand-signed by General der Kavallerie Prinz Eduard zu Salm-Horstmar
• Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold Medal in Bronze, issued on October 13, 1905
• Bavarian Long Service Award 2nd Class, issued on September 22, 1911, hand-signed by a General der Kavallerie
• Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class, issued on August 25, 1913, hand-signed by Hofmarschall Georg von Kanitz
• Bavarian Order of Saint Michael 4th Class, issued on September 3, 1913
• Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class, issued on October 28, 1913, hand-signed by Kriegsminister Otto Kreß von Kressenstein
• 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class, issued on November 17, 1914, hand-signed by General der Infanterie Magnus von Eberhardt
• Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown and Swords, issued on November 13, 1914
• Bavarian Military Merit Order 3rd Class with Swords, issued on January 31, 1917
• Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords, issued on February 9, 1917, hand-signed by Hofmarschall Georg von Kanitz, accompanied by a letter dated May 12, 1917
• Bavarian Military Merit Order 3rd Class with Crown and Swords, issued on September 22, 1917
• Bavarian Golden Wedding Anniversary Medal, issued on Easter 1923
• Prince Alfons of Bavaria Commemorative Badge, issued on November 26, 1929
• Honor Cross of WWI, issued on March 10, 1935

Imperial German Promotion Documents:

• Portepeefähnrich, dated April 13, 1888
• Second Lieutenant, dated December 12, 1889, hand-signed by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria
• Premier Lieutenant, dated November 7, 1896, hand-signed by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria
• Hauptmann, dated October 28, 1904, hand-signed by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria
• Major, dated March 7, 1912, hand-signed by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria
• Oberstleutnant, dated April 7, 1917, hand-signed by King Ludwig III of Bavaria
• Wehrmacht promotion document to Generalmajor z.V., dated November 11, 1941, issued by Wehrkreiskommando XIII, hand-signed by a Hauptmann

Insignia:

• Heer shoulder boards for a Generalmajor (Cellon type, red cloth base, sewn-on type) with gold-plated uniform buttons, an excellent pair

Books, Documents, Photos, and Personal Items:

• Three diaries with numerous entries from the war and military period, last entry dated June 9, 1943
• Book of Honor of the City of Nuremberg "Die Stadt der Reichsparteitage Nürnberg, des deutschen Reiches Schätzlein"
  • First page shows a dedication to Generalmajor Friedrich Ritter von Bogendörfer
  • High-quality book made from parchment paper
  • Accompanied by a letter, presented as a gift for his 75th birthday (1944)
• Letter from the "Ritterschaft des Ordens pour le Mérite," dated September 1, 1939, hand-signed by Generalleutnant a.D. Friedrich Karl von Witzleben (Pour le Mérite recipient)
• Nine original photos, including an excellent portrait of Generalmajor Friedrich Ritter von Bogendörfer displaying his awards, and one photo with Reichsstatthalter Franz Ritter von Epp (also a Pour le Mérite recipient)
• German Reich "Kennkarte" ID card, issued on October 31, 1942, with original photo
• "Auszug aus der Kriegsrangliste," detailing his military service during World War I, dated August 3, 1920
• Two telegrams from Deutsche Reichspost, the book "Mit einer bayerischen Division durch Rumänien," and seven other period documents

Signs of use. Good condition.