🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Bad Kissingen Statue

[mchalet]

Hello. I have had this hand sculptured wooden statue for many years And have not been able to identify or find an approximate value. It stands approx. 9 3/4” tall. It has “Bad Kissingen” and “1945” carved on the bottom of the statue. Thank you for your help.

 

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[Retired Sarge]

Well for starters Bad Kissingen is a city/town in Bavaria Germany. It was under the control of the Americans during the Occupation Period following WWII.

So being it's dated 1945 I would gamble and say it was some local work done for sale to American GIs during the immediate Occupation Period. Think souvenir here.....

I'm not finding an actual statue like this, so it's likely just a generic local representation per se.

 

[mchalet]

Well for starters Bad Kissingen is a city/town in the Bavaria Germany. It was under the control of the Americans during the Occupation Period following WWII.

So being it's dated 1945 I would gamble and say it was some local work done for sale to American GIs during the immediate Occupation Period. Think souvenir here.....

I'm not finding an actual statue like this, so it's likely just a generic local representation per se.

Thank you Mike and thank you for your service. I have done some research on the town and it has some interesting history. I haven't found much on art from the area. Thanks again, Tom

 

[Rmeav8r]

I'm fairly familiar with Bad Kissingen. While assigned duty in Germany I've flown into nearby Bad Kissingen Army Airfield many times. From 1988-1991 I was an Army Scout Pilot in an Attack Helicopter Battalion while part of the 8th Infantry Division. Bad Kissingen and Daley Barracks was where one of the Armored Cavalry Regiments was located with a border mission. When supporting the Cav I regularly flew the East German border till 1989 when the border wall came down. The town of Bad Kissingen it's self is a beautiful little city. It is close to the former East German Border before unification. It was largely intact after WW2 and was the location of humanitarian refugee camps in 1945. Your carving might very well have been from one of these camps. Similarly after the wall came down the refugees from former East Germany were housed in Bad Kissingen. Called "BK" by the Army troops stationed there it was one of two Army Bases called BK. The other "BK" was Bad Kreuznach (almost a 2 hour flight away) where I was stationed with the 8th Infantry Division HQ. I don't know how many times we had to stop someone to clarify which "BK" they were talking about. Later on the airfield became a very popular glider field for the German civilian clubs. Bad Kissingen is part of the mostly good memories from almost 10 years of duty in Germany.
Nice find!

 

[Retired Sarge]

I'm fairly familiar with Bad Kissingen. While assigned duty in Germany I've flown into nearby Bad Kissingen Army Airfield many times. From 1988-1991 I was an Army Scout Pilot in an Attack Helicopter Battalion while part of the 8th Infantry Division. Bad Kissingen and Daley Barracks was where one of the Armored Cavalry Regiments was located with a border mission. When supporting the Cav I regularly flew the East German border till 1989 when the border wall came down. The town of Bad Kissingen it's self is a beautiful little city. It is close to the former East German Border before unification. It was largely intact after WW2 and was the location of humanitarian refugee camps in 1945. Your carving might very well have been from one of these camps. Similarly after the wall came down the refugees from former East Germany were housed in Bad Kissingen. Called "BK" by the Army troops stationed there it was one of two Army Bases called BK. The other "BK" was Bad Kreuznach (almost a 2 hour flight away) where I was stationed with the 8th Infantry Division HQ. I don't know how many times we had to stop someone to clarify which "BK" they were talking about. Later on the airfield became a very popular glider field for the German civilian clubs. Bad Kissingen is part of the mostly good memories from almost 10 years of duty in Germany.
Nice find!

I lived in Germany 3 times for a total of 8 1/2 years. As a kid I was at Erding AB 71-72 (Did Kindergarten there, and started 1st grade), and Bitburg AB 82-85 (Graduated HS there), then stationed myself at Rhein Main AB 88-92. The Wall coming down was a sight to behold.

 

[Rmeav8r]

I lived in Germany 3 times for a total of 8 1/2 years. As a kid I was at Erding AB 71-72 (Did Kindergarten there, and started 1st grade), and Bitburg AB 82-85 (Graduated HS there), then stationed myself at Rhein Main AB 88-92. The Wall coming down was a sight to behold.

I had a similar background as you did, also an Air Force brat growing up. I went to DOD schools at Kadena AFB 66-68 and Minot AFB 68-72. While my dad was at Tyndall for the second time I graduated HS in Panama City. I went into the Army and did various flying assignments after starting at Ft. Campbell with 101st Abn. I did 9 1/2 years total on three Germany Tours also, 88-91 Bad Kreuznach + Mainz Finthen flying helicopters. Then Fixed Wing Surveillance aircraft in Central America for 2 years, back to Germany 94-98 in Stuttgart flying airplanes and helicopters on a joint assignment with the USAF. Two years later back to Heidelberg Germany flying Army jets. After extended time in Middle East we relocated to Weisbaden AB Germany. Eventually left in late 2003. Stateside till retirement in 2007. I lived in Panama City again from 2011-2022 till I moved to St. Augustine FL last year.
With all said and done we probably passed by each other somewhere along the way.
From one Veteran to another I say thanks, and I salute your service!

 

[Blackfoot58]

Very nice statue.

 

[Retired Sarge]

I had a similar background as you did, also an Air Force brat growing up. I went to DOD schools at Kadena AFB 66-68 and Minot AFB 68-72. While my dad was at Tyndall for the second time I graduated HS in Panama City. I went into the Army and did various flying assignments after starting at Ft. Campbell with 101st Abn. I did 9 1/2 years total on three Germany Tours also, 88-91 Bad Kreuznach + Mainz Finthen flying helicopters. Then Fixed Wing Surveillance aircraft in Central America for 2 years, back to Germany 94-98 in Stuttgart flying airplanes and helicopters on a joint assignment with the USAF. Two years later back to Heidelberg Germany flying Army jets. After extended time in Middle East we relocated to Weisbaden AB Germany. Eventually left in late 2003. Stateside till retirement in 2007. I lived in Panama City again from 2011-2022 till I moved to St. Augustine FL last year.
With all said and done we probably passed by each other somewhere along the way.
From one Veteran to another I say thanks, and I salute your service!

I'm still living in Panama City.....Small world! Probably know some of the same people.

Thank you for your service also brother. From Brat-GI to another!