One challenge at the moment is to find the citations for the many medals received, and secondly be able to trace a timeline of where Reso was on the frontlines from 1914-1918. The Austro-Hungarian front lines must have been a melting pot of many nationalities going by the vast variety of cigarettes collected.The Military Archive in Vienna has been very helpful but have limited details (theoretically records of Austro-Hungarian Officers should have been stored in Vienna). However the Archive in Vienna thinks the records went to Budapest. If any readers here - who are more proficient in this research than I) - can help with how to find the relevant records it would be much appreciated.

 

Reso won many medals, mainly a number of these:

 

The Order of Franz Joseph (Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden)

The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph (or Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden in German) was an Order founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on December 2, 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne.The order was originally awarded in three classes: Grand Cross, Commander’s Cross, and Knight’s Cross. In 1869, the class of Commander with Star was added, which ranked immediately below the Grand Cross. On February 1, 1901, the Officer’s Cross, which ranked between Commander and Knight, was introduced.The order ceased to exist as a governmental award with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 and was not re-established with the foundation of the Republic of Austria. However, it remains active as a dynastic order of the House of Habsburg.

The Order of Franz Joseph Design
Knights wore the decoration suspended from a triangular ribbon on the left breast. Officers wore it on the left breast without a ribbon. Commanders wore the decoration at the neck, as did Commander with Star, who also wore a breast star. The Grand Cross was worn suspended from the shoulder and also came with a breast star. The ribbon of all classes of the order was plain red.In common with the other Austro-Hungarian awards of the period, the Franz Joseph Order was further distinguished with the addition of the War decoration and Swords which could be awarded for military merit. However, if soldiers were honored, it was usually for distinguished service as opposed to gallantry in the face of the enemy.

The Military Merit Medal - Signum Laudis (Austria-Hungary)

The Military Merit Medal (or Militär-Verdienstmedaille in German) is a military decoration of the Empire of Austria-Hungary founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I on March 12, 1890 and only awarded to officers and officials of similar rank.The Military Merit Medal is often referred to as the “Signum Laudis” (Latin for “Sign of Praise”) after the inscription on the reverse of the medal. It was awarded in peacetime for meritorious service and in wartime for outstanding acts, including bravery or military merit.The medal originally came in one class, a gilt bronze version, and repeat awards were not authorized. On March 26, 1911, a Silver Military Merit Medal was founded, intended to reward those who would have earned a second award of the Military Merit Medal. It too could be awarded on either of the two ribbons. On December 13, 1916, the addition of a pair of gilt-crossed swords on the ribbon was authorized to recognize a higher grade of wartime merit.The Military Merit Medal became obsolete with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in November 1918.

 

We hjave some other documentation with respect to Awards, but this may only refer to 1 award? Any help / advice to help us locate missing details would be much appreciated!