Honor weapon

Naval cadets of the US Navy Academy with a shiny saber of honor

An honor weapon serves as an award for bravery, long honorable service, etc. and was awarded in many armies partly by the chiefs of the regiments , partly by rulers .

These include swords , often of artful workmanship and high material value, captured artillery for generals , rifles , pistols , sabers and other weapons.

Germany

Prussia

In Prussia , deserved postilions have received trumpets of honor since 1827.

Empire

The German Kaiser awarded for outstanding achievements in the scientific field, e.g. B. to officers at the war academy , swords of honor and sabers of honor.

Weimar Republic

The awarding of honorary weapons continued - with interruption - also during the Weimar Republic . For example, Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (1907–1944) received a saber of honor for excellent performance at the weapons school , in his case the cavalry school .

Third Reich

In the Third Reich ceremonial weapon were also awarded. For example, from 1933 the award of the SS honor dagger and from 1936 the honor sword of the RFSS .

SS honor dagger
Detail view
SS sword of honor

German Democratic Republic

In the NVA , various types of honor daggers and sabers were given to officers, generals and admirals. The honor dagger was engraved by the Minister for National Defense for the graduates of the GDR's officers' college , the best of their year . The NVA honor dagger belonged to the parade uniform , but could also be worn with the starting uniform and with the formal suit.

Federal Republic of Germany

No honorary weapons are given in the Bundeswehr . But there are efforts to introduce an officer's saber .

Others

Swiss officer's dagger

In France, the honor weapons were replaced by the Order of the Legion of Honor .
Russian swords of honor for outstanding deeds carry the inscription for bravery .
Revolutionary honor weapon for commanders of the Red Army.
Popes have repeatedly bestowed consecrated swords on military leaders.
In Switzerland, daggers with a cord are handed in after they have been promoted to an officer or higher non-commissioned officer.

literature

Hartmut Kölling: Weapons of Honor from 1789 to 1830, Part 1: Swords, sabers and medals . In: Visier , 1982, No. 6, pp. 26-29, ISSN 0138-1601
Günther Martin: Gift of honor. The Hungarian honorary saber of Colonel Anton Freiherr von Lehár, 1920 . In: Deutsches Waffen-Journal , Vol. 27 (1991), Issue 1, pp. 88-89, ISSN 0012-138X

Web links

Commons : Weapons of Honor - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: weapon of honor - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

www.ehrenwaffen.de - website for collectors of edged weapons

Individual evidence

↑ Zeitschrift für Heereskunde , Vol. 64 (2000), Issue 396, p. 56 ff .; Ulrich Raulff : Totem and taboo in German history: Claus von Stauffenberg's saber of honor has come to light. In: FAZ of August 13, 2000, No. 186, p. 41.
↑ https://taz.de/!451571/

[1] Zeitschrift für Heereskunde , Vol. 64 (2000), Issue 396, p. 56 ff .; Ulrich Raulff : Totem and taboo in German history: Claus von Stauffenberg's saber of honor has come to light. In: FAZ of August 13, 2000, No. 186, p. 41.

[2] ttps://taz.de/!451571/