Sternenschweif, I'm afraid there are quite some mistakes in your post.
Sternenschweif, ich fürchte in deinem Beitrag sind einige Fehler.
noon = Mittag, midnight = Mitternacht
twenty five past one = fünfundzwanzig nach eins, or better: fünf vor halb zwei
five past eight = fünf nach acht
The infamous "Swabian system" is only used in small parts of Germany (I know it of Swabia and Thüringen (hmm, what's Thüringen in English?)), and is known to confuse other people from Germany and foreigners alike:
quarter past three = viertel vier (quarter four)
half past three = halb vier (half four)
quarter to four = dreiviertel vier (three quarters four)
And I think AM = ante meridiem, PM = post meridiem
The 24-hour system is more formal or official. In everyday use almost everyone uses the 12-hour system, too.
