Order of Merit from the German Eagle

Order of Merit of the 3rd Class German Eagle by Charles Lindbergh .
Reversed photograph, as the imperial eagle looks to the right and not to the left from the viewer. The national eagle and emblem were embossed and enamelled on both sides . Therefore, the back was mistakenly mistaken for the front.

The Order of Merit of the German Eagle , from 1943 German Eagle Order , or DAO for short , was an award of the German Reich (1933–1945) donated by Adolf Hitler on May 1, 1937 for foreign nationals. Wearing it in public is punishable or unlawful in Germany and Austria .

Purpose of the order

The Order of Merit of the German Eagle was awarded by Hitler on the proposal of the Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs to honor foreign nationals who had rendered services to the German Reich.

Classification of levels or classes

May 1, 1937

Until the end of the war, the classification of the German Eagle Order was subject to two additions or changes, apart from the original foundation. The division of the German Eagle Order from May 1, 1937 to April 19, 1939 was initially only donated in stages:

1. Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order
2. Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle with the Star,
3. Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle (1st level),
4. Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle (2nd level),
5. Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle (3rd level),
6. German Merit Medal (in silver).

April 29, 1939

On April 29, 1939, the statutes for the division of the order were expanded. The special level of the Grand Cross in gold was introduced, the maximum number of which was set at 16 holders. In addition, the Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Reich Protector in Bohemia and Moravia wore this special level on special occasions (state receptions, etc.). The most important change, however, was the introduction of swords , which should only be awarded for military services to the German Empire. Accordingly, the current division was:

1. Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order in gold (special level with and without swords),
2. Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order (with and without swords),
3. Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle with the Star (with and without swords),
4. The Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle (1st level with and without swords),
5. The Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle (2nd level with and without swords),
6. The Cross of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle (3rd level with and without swords),
7. German Merit Medal (in silver with and without swords).

January 5, 1944

The last change to the statutes for the German Eagle Order is the renaming of the previously used levels in classes. Until the end of the war, the class division of the order was as follows:

1. Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order in gold (special class with and without swords),
2. Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order (with and without swords),
3. German Eagle Order 1st Class (with and without swords),
4. German Eagle Order 2nd Class (with and without swords),
5. German Eagle Order 3rd Class (with and without swords),
6. German Eagle Order 4th Class (with and without swords),
7. German Eagle Order 5th Class (with and without swords),
8. German Merit Medal (in bronze, which was introduced by ordinance of December 27, 1943, and silver with and without swords).

Deeds of ownership

The holders of the Golden Grand Cross received an award certificate on parchment in a leather folder , made out by the head of the Order's Chancellery and signed by Hitler personally . Holders of the Grand Cross as well as the 1st and 2nd class received a certificate executed by Hitler and countersigned by the Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs and head of the Order's Chancellery. Holders of the 3rd to 5th grade a certificate from the head of the Ordenskanzlei. Holders of the silver or bronze merit medal only have a certificate of ownership.

Proposal process

The proposals which should lead to the award of the German Eagle Order were forwarded to the head of the Order Chancellery by the Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs. This then caught up with Hitler's decision. The minister of state and head of the presidential chancellery performed the business of the order's chancellery.

Carrier (selection)

Hungarian soldier with the Order of Merit of the German Eagle with swords as neck decoration (1943)

Golden Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order (limited to 16 carriers)

• Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs (order taken over from predecessor on assuming office)
  • Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath
  • Joachim von Ribbentrop
  • Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
• Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia (order taken over from predecessor when taking office)
  • Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath
  • Reinhard Heydrich
  • Kurt Daluege
  • Wilhelm Frick
• Benito Mussolini , custom-made with diamonds on September 25, 1937
• Ion Antonescu , Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army
• King Boris III of Bulgaria
• Galeazzo Ciano Count of Cortellazzo
• Francisco Franco , Spanish politician and general
• Admiral Nicholas von Horthy
• Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , Commander in Chief of the Finnish troops
• General Hiroshi Oshima , Japanese Ambassador
• Risto Ryti , Finnish President
• Jozef Tiso , Slovak President

Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order

• Apr. 02, 1938 - Luang Praditmanutham ( Pridi Phanomyong ), Thai Foreign Minister
• Apr. 02 , 1938 - Prince Wan Waithayakon of Siam
• Jul 30, 1938 - Henry Ford , American Automobile Maker (75th Anniversary Award)
• February 19, 1940 - Sven Hedin , Swedish explorer (awarded on his 75th birthday)
• Oct. 7, 1940 - General Olof Thörnell , Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
• March 3, 1942 - Ante Pavelić , leader of the Independent State of Croatia
• Achille Starace , Secretary of the Italian Partito Nazionale Fascista

German eagle order with star

• June 28, 1937 - Thomas J. Watson , IBM , for his services in data processing with Hollerith machines (Watson returned the medal on June 6, 1940)
• Oct. 19, 1938 - Charles Lindbergh , aviation pioneer

German Eagle Order 1st class

• James D. Mooney , Vice President of General Motors
• Ernest G. Liebold , Ford Works

Criminal offense and administrative offense

According to the more detailed provisions of § 86, 86a StGB as the use of marks of former National Socialist organizations is punishable among other things, wearing the order in the original version because it has swastikas. But wearing them without these National Socialist emblems is also not permitted and will be prosecuted as an administrative offense (Section 6 Paragraphs 1 and 2 in conjunction with Section 8 of the Law on Titles, Medals and Decorations ).

In Austria, wearing the medal in public is also prohibited and is prosecuted as an administrative offense (Section 1, Paragraph 2 in conjunction with Section 4 of the Badge Act ).

Please note the information on legal issues!

Appearance, texture and way of wearing

Name of the class	Description and way of carrying
	The Bronze and Silver merit medal (with and without swords ) are round and have a diameter mm from 38th They show the embossed image of the order cross on their front and the three-line inscription: Deutsche / Verdienst / medaille on their back. They were worn on the same band (as the 5th step) on the left side of the chest. However, the ribbon of the bronze medal is criss-crossed by a narrow white vertical stripe.
	The German Eagle Order of the 5th class has a diameter of 45 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, gold-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The 5th grade is a classic ribbon order and was worn on the left side of the chest. The ribbon was based on the colors of black-white-red at the time and is vertical red and lined with white and black.
	The German Eagle Order of the 4th class has a diameter of 50 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, gold-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The 4th grade had a classic cross and was worn on the left breast pocket.
	The 3rd class German Eagle Order has a diameter of 50 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, gold-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The 3rd class was worn as an order of collar , like the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .
	The German Eagle Order of the 2nd class has a diameter of 50 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, golden-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The 2nd class, like the 3rd class, was worn as a collar medal. This includes a silver breast star with a diameter of 75 mm, formed from six beams of equal length, which is covered with the medal (gem) of 45 mm in diameter and was worn on the left side. If the person to be loaned was already awarded the 3rd class, the star was also to be awarded.
	The German Eagle Order of the 1st class has a diameter of 50 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, golden-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The 1st class was worn on a 90 mm wide band with white stripes in the middle from the right shoulder to the left hip. This included a silver breast star, which is similar to that of the Grand Cross. However, the sovereign eagles in this medal are made of silver with a gold border. The breast star was not worn on the left, but on the right side of the breast.
	The grand cross has a diameter of 60 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, golden-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The Grand Cross was carried on a 100 mm wide ribbon leading from the right shoulder to the left hip. This included a silver breast star, formed from eight beams of equal length, 80 mm in diameter, which was covered with medals with a diameter of 45 mm. The breast star was worn on the left side of the breast.
	The Golden Grand Cross has a diameter of 66 mm and is an eight-pointed, white-enameled, golden-framed cross, in each of the corners of which there is a golden sovereign eagle with lowered wings on a wreath of oak leaves surrounding the swastika. The swords that may be additionally awarded are interlaced in the middle of the cross. The Golden Grand Cross was worn on a 100 mm wide ribbon that ran from the right shoulder to the left hip. This included a golden breast star with a diameter of 91 mm, formed from eight beams of equal length, which was covered with the medal (gem) of 47 mm. The breast star was worn on the left side of the breast.

stages

In the statutes of the German Eagle Order there was no corresponding regulation as to which persons could be entrusted with which level. However, it was based on the already existing international order statute. The Wehrmacht High Command announced the following guideline on March 7, 1944:

• Grand Cross of the German Eagle Order
  • Field Marshal General ,
  • Grand Admiral ,
  • Colonel General ,
  • Admiral General .

• 1st Class
  • Commanding General ,
  • Admiral .

• 2nd Class
  • Lieutenant General
  • Vice Admiral ,
  • Major General ,
  • Rear admiral .

• 3rd grade
  • Colonel ,
  • Sea captain ,
  • Lieutenant Colonel ,
  • Frigate captain .

• 4th grade
  • Major ,
  • Corvette Captain .

• 5th grade
  • Captain ,
  • Rittmeister ,
  • Captain lieutenant ,
  • First lieutenant ,
  • Lieutenant .

• Silver Medal of Merit
  • NCOs (with and without portepee )

• Bronze Medal of Merit
  • Teams

Web links

• Verfassungsschutz.de: Right-wing extremism: Symbols, signs and prohibited organizations (PDF) ( Memento from January 16, 2015 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ordinance of May 1, 1937, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 56 of May 1, 1937
2. ↑ Art. 1 of the statutes of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle from May 1, 1937.
3. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 56 of May 1, 1937, Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of May 1, 1937, Article 2 of the Statute
4. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 56 of May 1, 1937, Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of May 1, 1937, Article 3 of the Statute
5. ↑ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 82 of April 29, 1939 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of April 20, 1939, Article 2 Paragraph 2, 3 and 4 of the Statute
6. ↑ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 82 of April 29, 1939 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of April 20, 1939, Article 2 Paragraph 5 of the Statute
7. ↑ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 82 of April 29, 1939 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of April 20, 1939, Article 2 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
8. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Articles 2 and 3 of the Statute
9. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 6 of the Statute
10. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 7 of the Statute
11. ^ ^{A b} Hitler Honors Siamese In: The Straits Times , April 3, 1938, p. 3.
12. ^ Edwin Black: IBM and the Holocaust. ISBN 3-548-75087-7 , p. 174 with additional information
13. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
14. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
15. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Point 6 of the Statute
16. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
17. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
18. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Point 5 of the Statute
19. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
20. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
21. ↑ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Point 4 of the Statute
22. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
23. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
24. ↑ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Item 3 of the Statute
25. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
26. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
27. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Item 2 of the Statute
28. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
29. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
30. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Point 1 of the Statute
31. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Statute
32. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 4 of the Statute
33. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt No. 1 of January 5, 1944 Statute of the Order of Merit of the German Eagle of December 27, 1943, Article 4 Paragraph 3 of the Statute

Please note the information on legal issues!