General Heinicke?

[lohengrin]

Hi,
I am looking for info on this General. His name is possibly Dr. Heinicke, General a. D. and the photo comes from 1932. He was born around 1862...
Also, can anyone ID the awards? The Prussian EK looks huge!

Lohengrin

[abaus]

I believe that is a photo of Max Heinicke, a Saxon officer. He was born 15.02.1862. In 1914 he was commander of Landwehr Bezirk Chemnitz. He had received the character of Oberst on 23.09.1911 and then a commission dated 14.07.1915. On 28.11.1919 he was given the character of Generalmajor.

Regarding the decorations, I can say that the cross below the medal bar is the officer cross of the Saxon Albrecht-Orden. This is what prompted me to look at the Saxon officers. He received this on 15.05.1917. The EK is regular size, it looks larger because he has pulled it out from beneath the order next to it.

I'll leave it to the medal experts to decipher the others.

All in all a very nice photo!

Andy

[Dave Danner]

The neck orders are the Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Commander 2nd Class, and the Austrian Franz-Joseph Order, Commander's Cross. The pinback is, as Andy said, the Officer's Cross of the Albert Order.

The medal bar is:
• Prussia: Iron Cross 2nd Class
• Saxony: War Merit Cross
• Saxony: Merit Order, Knight 1st Class
• Saxony: Long Service Cross
• Prussia: Order of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Crown
• Prussia: Crown Order, 3rd Class
• Württemberg: Order of the Württemberg Crown, Knight's Cross
• Lippe-Detmold: House Order of the Honor Cross, 3rd Class
• Austria-Hungary: Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class

He was Kdr. LwB Chemnitz until December 1915, and then Kdt. of Kr.Gef.Lag. Chemnitz. Most of the foreign awards date from his service as Platzmajor von Dresden from March 1903 to May 1906.

The war decorations illustrate one of the differences between the Saxon and Prussian award systems. Prussia awarded the Iron Cross on the black/white ribbon to military officers, even on the homefront, which is why it is an error to refer to the white/black ribbon as the "non-combatant" ribbon. Saxony created its War Merit Cross because it did not award swords awards of its orders to non-combatants (with maybe a few exceptions for princes and the like). So Heinicke received a "combatant" EK2 but a Saxon War Merit Cross, and when he got his Albert Order Officer's Cross in 1917, it was without swords.

I don't see any reference to him ever getting a doctorate. If so, it was likely an Ehrendoktor (Dr.h.c.). He is not shown as "Dr." in the 1934 Dresden Adressbuch.

Dave

[abaus]

Dave,

Thanks for the assist and the explanation of the "non-combant" ribbon. I learn something new nearly every day!

Andy

[Elwyn W]

There were 2 Heinickes. Hans was Char als Obst 23.09.11. But Max, our subject matter, was Char. als Obst 12.11.12

Cheers
Elwyn

[lohengrin]

I believe that is a photo of Max Heinicke, a Saxon officer. He was born 15.02.1862. In 1914 he was commander of Landwehr Bezirk Chemnitz. He had received the character of Oberst on 23.09.1911 and then a commission dated 14.07.1915. On 28.11.1919 he was given the character of Generalmajor.

Regarding the decorations, I can say that the cross below the medal bar is the officer cross of the Saxon Albrecht-Orden. This is what prompted me to look at the Saxon officers. He received this on 15.05.1917. The EK is regular size, it looks larger because he has pulled it out from beneath the order next to it.

I'll leave it to the medal experts to decipher the others.

All in all a very nice photo!

Andy

Hi Andy! many thanks for this... GREAT info!!

The neck orders are the Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Commander 2nd Class, and the Austrian Franz-Joseph Order, Commander's Cross. The pinback is, as Andy said, the Officer's Cross of the Albert Order.

The medal bar is:
• Prussia: Iron Cross 2nd Class
• Saxony: War Merit Cross
• Saxony: Merit Order, Knight 1st Class
• Saxony: Long Service Cross
• Prussia: Order of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Crown
• Prussia: Crown Order, 3rd Class
• Württemberg: Order of the Württemberg Crown, Knight's Cross
• Lippe-Detmold: House Order of the Honor Cross, 3rd Class
• Austria-Hungary: Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class

He was Kdr. LwB Chemnitz until December 1915, and then Kdt. of Kr.Gef.Lag. Chemnitz. Most of the foreign awards date from his service as Platzmajor von Dresden from March 1903 to May 1906.

The war decorations illustrate one of the differences between the Saxon and Prussian award systems. Prussia awarded the Iron Cross on the black/white ribbon to military officers, even on the homefront, which is why it is an error to refer to the white/black ribbon as the "non-combatant" ribbon. Saxony created its War Merit Cross because it did not award swords awards of its orders to non-combatants (with maybe a few exceptions for princes and the like). So Heinicke received a "combatant" EK2 but a Saxon War Merit Cross, and when he got his Albert Order Officer's Cross in 1917, it was without swords.

I don't see any reference to him ever getting a doctorate. If so, it was likely an Ehrendoktor (Dr.h.c.). He is not shown as "Dr." in the 1934 Dresden Adressbuch.

Dave

Dave... Exceptional info on his awards! I really appreciate that. Particularly the EK information is very helpful!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

There were 2 Heinickes. Hans was Char als Obst 23.09.11. But Max, our subject matter, was Chars als Obst 12.11.12

Cheers
Elwyn

Thanks Elwyn! As always great additional info!!

[handb3]

Could this be the Generalleutnant Heinicke mentioned in this extract from the Wikipedia entry for Königstein castle: "The last commandant of Königstein Fortress was Oberstleutnant Heinicke who commanded it until 1913"?
Simon