UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Hunting, Forestry, and Shooting Forum Souvenir of Remagen Bridgehead, March 1945

This is an Imperial German "Schutzen Konig, Remagen 1887" shooting award that was returned to the family of Pfc Richard R. Blunk, 310th Inf., 78th Div., Co. "E", who was killed in action near Kalenborn, Germany on March 14, 1945, after crossing the Remagen Bridgehead about March 10, 1945. Richard R. Blunk left a wife, Vivian, who was pregnant with a son Robert, and an 11-month-old son Richard. This medal was returned to the family with his other effects. This 1887 medal was probably found in the area during the engagement of the Remagen Bridgehead in March 1945, I just got the medal today 12/17/2022 from his son, Richard Blunk. I will next try to contact the St. Sabastianus Schutezengesellschaft Remagen e. V. 1478 to see who was the Schutzen Konig of 1887.

That is one old shooting club. Good luck

Hey Mikee, thanks for the "Good Luck". Today I received a reply from Remagen, Germany. Johannes Josef Fassbender was the "Schutzen Konig, Remagen 1887".

Wetzel,
Thank you for showing all your nice finds. A very nice medal and even better when you can find out the recipients name. I looked them up and a lot of history associated with this club. I'm pretty sure this is the medal he wore proudly on his uniform and not part of the clubs Shooting King chain that he got to wear for a year or maybe more depending on if he won again. Do you know what it's made of, any silver or maker mark? Best!

Mikee, I see no silver or maker marks on the reverse side of the medal. There are lots of small pits in one area on the bottom left of the medal. I cleaned the small area and I believe it is not a mark. I believe the top part is copper / brass and the bottom is probably silver. There is a suspension bar on the back of the Imperial eagle that is about 28 mm length X 2 1/2 mm wide. There is a small suspension ring on the bottom of the back of the medal.

I have found in my research, two (1896 & 1906) Schutzen medals that have a small suspension ring at the bottom of the reverse side of the medal. Attached to the small suspension ring by two small silver rings is a small silver acorn. The 1906 example pictured is from German Daggers.com in the "Imperial Germany, Uniforms, Orders and Decorations" forum posted under the thread, "Sharp Shooters" by WWII. Note that the 1887 Remagen medal has this same small suspension ring at the bottom of the medal. The small suspension ring could probably also be used to add additional medals or adornments.

Here is another Schutzen medal that was returned with the effects of Pfc Richard R. Blunk (1925-1945). This medal was also probably found with the "Schutzen Konig, Remagen 1887" medal during the engagement of the Remagen Bridgehead in March 1945. The reverse of the medal has the crescent moon & crown mark with .800 which was used in Germany to mark silver starting in 1884. I know very little about these medals and welcome any thoughts about this war souvenir. Maybe this medal also belonged to Johannes Josef Fassbender, Remagen Schutzen Konig of 1887.

Correction: 1886 was the year of the "crescent moon & crown" silver mark replacing individual city marks.

Wetzel,
Yes that's correct. Any maker mark. Thanks for showing.

I see no maker mark Mikee. The "crescent moon & crown .800" is on a raised oval that is a little over 1mm thick.

Wetzel,

No problem. They didn't have to. Nice medal.Best!

By chance I googled another "Sankt Sebastianus" marksmen's festival in the neighbourhood of Remagen town.

Nice to see the edged weapons' equipment and the uniforms with plenty of medals! .... I hope you will enjoy the early 1900s photo, too!

Thanks, Chevalier,

Interesting photo, with swords as well. Is there a date on the photo ?

Dave

Chevalier,

Absolutely love these type photo's. Shooting King for the year sitting in the middle. To bad they don't show a side view of those beautiful target rifles for us to drool over lol. If you can get a closeup of the shooting chain that would be nice to see. Thank you for showing it.

The St. Sebastianus marksmen's festival photo which I posted on 12/22/2022 is dated 1910.

Unfortunately these vintage photoes do not have a better resolution for enlargening (?) more details.

Here is one of the same St. Sebastianus Marksmen's Festival in 1928:

chevalier,

That is a wonderful historic picture. Shooting King sitting in the middle and I can see some beautiful target rifles. Awesome!

I am looking forward to three more war souvenirs from Richard Blunk, son of Pfc. Richard R. Blunk (1925-1945). These items were also returned with his effects and are a white enamel, Maltese cross with green-silver, leaf-cluster, "40" on red background in center with "Fur Treue Mitliedschaft" on the cross and may date to the 1920's to 1930's. This is probably another Schutzen medal awarded to a member, "40 years for loyal membership". Next is dated 1902 in the center below a name that is unreadable from the photo. The other side with some loss to the enamel has what looks like: "ur aug und hand furs vaterland" and is also probably a Schutzen medal. The last item is a RAD stick pin. It seems that Pfc. Richard R. Blunk (1925-1945) found four Schutzen medals and one Nazi stick pin. I will post more pictures including the 40-year medal and RAD stick pin in the future.

Nice shooting medals! The phrase "Train eye and hand for the fatherland" or "Ub Aug und Hand fur's Vaterland" is found on many shooting items as well as the well known Schützenliesl. A lot of people don't know this but she was based on a real person. Best!

Here is a close-up photo of the 1902 Schutzen medal. I am not sure what is engraved above the 1902 date, maybe a town or surname? Does anybody have an idea?

I asked my friend, Mr. Kaeshammer of Oberkirch, Germany what is above the 1902 date, and he said "Kopf" a German surname. I now believe he is correct. See the capital letter K in old German Gothic script.

I have received from Richard Blunk, all five war souvenirs his father, Pfc. Richard R. Blunk had collected and were returned to his family with his effects. The white Maltese cross with green oak leaves, and gold branches with acorns has "Fur Treue Mitgliedschaft" on the cross with the number 40 on red center. This is probably another Schutzen medal for loyal membership, 40 years. The Maltese cross had some light surface rust on the back, and I used some Q-tips and Hoppes Gun Oil (the original, no additives) to clean and preserve the medal. The Nazi RAD stickpin is maker marked on the back with B S W (Bruder Schneider A. G. - Wein) and also has the "RADJ" (within a downward pointing triangle). I would also like to add that Mikee was correct and the 1902 medal has "UB AUG UND HAND FURS VATERLAND".

I found this image of a medal from Remagen dated 1893 from a coin dealer.

It reads: " Zur Erinnerung, an das 50 Jahrige, Stiftungsfest, der St. Sebastianus Schutzengesellschaft, zu Remagen, 29. Juni 1893" or something like: "As a reminder, to the 50th annual foundation celebration, the St. Sebastianus Schutzengesellschaft, for Remagen, 29 June 1893."

I would also like to thank Chevlier for the great pictures he has found of the 1910 & 1928 Schutzen members.

Correction: I would like to thank Chevalier for the great pictures of the 1910 & 1928 Schutzen members. (I spelled his name wrong before).

P.S. The 1902 "UB AUG UND HAND FURS VATERLAND" Schutzen medal and the Schutzen medal with the crown and ribbon have the same type of antique German safety pin with a ball on one end and both medals are probably from the same time period.

This fragment of the bridge at Remagen sold for $140.00 on Oct. 29, 2020.

Here is the description of the above artifact from Worthpoint:

"RARE FRAGMENT FROM THE LUDENDORFF BRIDGE AT REMAGEN, encased in a block of clear and blue Lucite which measures 3 3/4" wide by 1 5/8" high by 2 3/8" deep. Intended to be used as a souvenir paperweight it has a wooden peg inserted in the side. When removed the peg reveals a curled Certificate of Authenticity signed by then Remagen mayor Hans Peter Kurten and affirming that the stone was part of the bridge. It is in German and English. Kurten was mayor of Remagen for 30 years from 1964 to 1994. He had the idea of selling fragments of the bridge to finance the bridge museum. This piece dates from the 1980's. It weighs approximately 11 ounces. In addition to the bridge fragment, it shows a likeness of the original Ludendorff Bridge, the coat of arms of the city of Remagen and the title--- DIE BRUCKE VON REMAGEN. (The Bridge at Remagen). The bottom is covered with green felt and a gold label which reads--- PAUL DICKES ATELIER (Studio). A rare artifact from the first bridge across the Rhine captured by the allies during WW II."

In July of 1981 this originally sold to Mr. Wayne R. Snider, Chairman, Dept. of History and Political science, Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana for $44.00 USD.

Another souvenir Remagen Bridge fragment paperweight just sold on May 2, 2023, on eBay for $144.44 plus $3.99 shipping. I thought about it but passed on the deal.

I have acquired my souvenir Remagen Bridge fragment paperweight, "Die Brucke von Remagen" from ebay for $50.00 plus $12.55 shipping.

FRIEDENSMUSEUM BRÜCKE VON REMAGEN: The idea of establishing a memorial had occupied the mayor of Remagen, Hans Peter Kürten, for a long time. Negotiations with the Federal Railway took seven years until the former railway site could be acquired. Hints to official bodies to preserve the bridge as a memorial and to set up a place of remembrance for peace were not heeded.

Then, in the summer of 1976, when the bridge pillars were removed from the Rhine, Kürten had their stones brought to the Remagen riverbank, for he had an idea: namely, to sell small chunks of these bridge stones, encased in cast resin and with a certificate of authenticity. On 7 March 1978, he presented this idea to the public. The success was great and beyond all expectations. Within a short time, far more than DM 100,000 in sales revenue was collected - the foundation stone of the museum was laid.

A job creation scheme was approved by the employment office. The towers were cleared out, doors and windows were added, the interior was painted, and lights were installed. As early as 7 March 1980, only 2 years after the idea with the sale of the bridge stones, the memorial could be opened. More than 800,000 visitors have visited the museum since then.

We auction one of the 5 last stones of the original collection from the Hans-Peter Kürten era.
Minimum bid 40€. Submit your bid, including your contact details by midnight, September 11th, 2022, on site or by email. The highest bidder is awarded the contract.

Obituary Hans-Peter Kürten,

The association FRIEDENMUSEUM Brücke von Remagen mourns the founder of the association and initiator of the museum Hans-Peter Kürten. He died on March 6th, 2022, after a long illness. We would like to thank him for his unforgettable and important initiative to turn the bridge towers into a peace museum, which is more topical than ever and for which we now bear responsibility. Thanks to his idea at the end of the 1970s to sell the stones from the bridge pillars, the Peace Museum was able to open in 1980. By founding our association 40 years ago, he also managed not only to maintain the museum as a memorial and admonition, but he also set an example with the association members for the active peace work that we are today more than ever legacy and to which we are committed. We mourn with his family and remember him with deep gratitude.

For the association FRIEDENMUSEUM bridge from Remagen

The board

"Every day let us work for peace with our mind and heart.
Each person should begin with himself." (H.P.Kürten)

I sent an email to the FRIEDENSMESEUM Brucke von Remagen. The women in charge sent the email with my pictures of the Schutzen medals to Oliver Schmitz, Schiessmeister (Shooting master) of the St. Sabastianus Schutzengesellschaft e. V. 1478 Remagen. He would like me to send the medals back to the shooting club in Germany. He also told me that the medal with "Kopf, 1902" is for the shooter that shot the head of the eagle shooting target. He also sent me a picture of the Eagle target for the shooting event this year and will send more pictures from Remagen. Here are the emails:

"Dear,Celvin (sic), (Calvin)
Mrs.Sultan was so kind to show me the Fotos with the medals from the Schützenverein Remagen.
I am one of the Officers and member of the Club. It would be an honor for us to get the medals back to our Club. We have a Stream in our Club House where all our Kings are taken by Photo with their medal of King with the Year.
The only one who ‘s missing are the ones you have.
Is there a possibility to take the medals Home?
Greets from Remagen,
Oliver Schmitz"

"Dear Calvin
To become a King in Germany you Must make the Last shoot on a wooden Bird. When a Club has 60 members, then they all take a number. On a Wheel of Fortune there are Numbers from 1to 60. The King from the Years before Turms the wheel and the number who stops at the top Begins' First thing to get is the crown of that Bird.
The Second medal gets the one who Hit the Head (Kopf). Then left Wing, Right Wing,Tail and the Rump.The one who Crashs the rump is the new King for a year.
This all can take till to 4-5 hours.So you can get enough Beer to get in Target.
Head doesn ‘t mean Leader. This Guy got the Head from the Bird in 1902.
Greets from the Rhine,
Oliver"

Kopf in German can translate to head, leader, or a German surname. However, in the case of the German Schutzen medals it is for the eagle (target) kopf (head). There is a German medal on eBay with "Kopf, 1936" on the back of the medal.

I know that Thomas T. Wittmann went to Germany and returned a Schutzenkonigs chain to a club in Germany. What do the members of German Daggers.com think about the 4 Schutzen medals being returned to the Remagen Schutzen club. Would you return these items for free, or should I ask for a trade?

C. Wetzel-20609

Love it, nice! That's definitely a modern made eagle. I love the older ones a little more but love them all lol. I don't think anything wrong with asking for money or a trade. I guess maybe it would depend on how much you got these for. Normally they don't sell for much but have noticed them increasing in price. These are historical and revered items by the club. Personally if was me I would send them back free of charge. Take a trip, have fun, a little site seeing If you decide to send them back and I really hope that you will, you will also be a part of that clubs history. Let us know what you decide. Best!

The Remagen Schutzen club member, Oliver Schmitz, emailed me that only the medals and photo of Johannes Josef Fassbender, Konig of 1887, my medals, were missing from their club.

I found that many Konig photos are missing. They have the 1854, 1855, 1870 Konig, 1886 Konig and then it goes to 1895 on to about 1909, 1911, 1912 etc.

Here is the link: https://seb-remagen.de/schuetzenkoenige/

Just scroll down, click on the image to enlarge and note there are many relatives of the German surname Fassbender.

Also note that the photo of the 1922 Schutzen Konig of Remagen has a medal similar to the top of my 1887 medal with the eagle on top of the metal bar and attached underneath is a different medal from mine.

The photo of the 1922 Konigs Schutzenkette (Kings shooting chain) has many older medals attached.

The Remagen Schutzen medal with the eagle on top of the metal bar as seen in the photo of the 1922 Konigs Schutzenkette (Kings shooting chain) is dated 1892 and is still attached to the Remagen Konigs Schutzenkette as seen in the 2018 and 2019-2021, Schützenkönige der Gesellschaft.

And that is why it looks like the top of the "Konig Schutzen 1887 Remagen" medal, there is only 5 years between my 1887 medal and the 1892 medal. If you click on the image of the Remagen Schutzen Konig of 2019-2021, look for the icon at the top middle to zoom and then drag image and you can see the 1892 date on the medal.

I have decided to keep the 4 Schutzen medals and stick pin, in a wood & glass case, with the military records of Pvt. Richard R. Blunk (1925-1945) who gave his life for his country.

For now, the Remagen Schutzen club can hang the pictures I sent to them of the 4 Schutzen medals to honor Johannes Josef Fassbender, Schutzen Konig, Remagen 1887.