Gold Military Merit Cross

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Gold Military Merit Cross.

The Golden Military Merit Cross was the highest military award for men and non-commissioned officers that the Kingdom of Prussia had to award. It is also called " Pour le Mérite des NCOs ". The foundation was made on February 27, 1864 by King Wilhelm I of Prussia . It had its origins in the military decoration donated by King Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1793 .

Foundation text

Decree of King Wilhelm I of February 27, 1864 vis-à-vis the General Order Commission:

" From now on I want to award the following awards for services to the enemy, which military personnel acquire from sergeants (inclusive) downwards:

1. a second-class military decoration, which corresponds to the previous second-class military decoration;

2. a first-class military decoration , which corresponds to the previous first-class military decoration, but with the difference that I reserve the right to award the same without first having acquired the second class, and

3. A military merit cross, which is intended for increased repeated and particularly brave deeds. "

decoration

The gem has a width of 38 mm and a height of 46 mm. A spherical eyelet with a band ring is attached to the upper cross arm. On the front there is a center plate with a narrow border and the two-line inscription KRIEGS MERDIENST . At the bottom are two tied laurel branches. The center shield on the back contains the ornate initials WR ("Wilhelmus Rex"). Above is a Prussian royal crown. The band is black with two white stripes. It's the same as the Military Badge of Honor . At 35 mm, it is slightly wider than the similar-looking ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd class. The appearance corresponds to the 1st class military decoration , which in turn is based on the Russian St. George's Cross .

Manufacturing

The cross was originally made of gold with a hollow base (weight 20–24 g). A total of 54 of these were manufactured. Due to the scarcity of precious metals, from November 1916 only gold-plated silver could be used instead of gold for the production of awards. The pieces in stock were still being awarded. Only the first 16 of the specimens loaned out during World War I were therefore made of gold. The silver pieces were solidly embossed and then fire-gilded (weight approx. 17 g). The manufacturer was the court jeweler Johann Wagner & Sohn in Berlin. The silver crosses bear the maker's mark “W” and the hallmark “938” on the edge. Because of the stamping errors on the letters "N" and "T" of the KRIEGS VERDIENST lettering , they can now be easily distinguished from later productions.

Carrying method

The award was worn on a black ribbon with white side stripes on the buttonhole or on the left side of the chest.

" The 8th Dragoon Regiment near Nachod on June 27, 1866 ", watercolor by Richard Knötel . The scene shows the trumpeter Adolph Duchale capturing the flag of the Austrian 5th Chevauxlegers Regiment. For this deed he was awarded the Golden Military Merit Cross.

Awards

Paul Thees with the Military Cross of Merit awarded on May 15, 1918, NCO in the 1st Posenen Field Artillery Regiment No. 20 .

see list of holders of the Golden Military Merit Cross

The first awards were made in 1866 to 16 NCOs and men who had distinguished themselves during the war against Austria at Königgrätz , Nachod , Schweinschädel , Königinhof , Aschaffenburg and Kissingen . Further awards were made in 1878/79 to 17 members of the Russian Guard for services in the Russo-Turkish War . Between 1895 and 1906, four awards were made to members of the German Schutztruppe in Cameroon and East Africa . In 1900 a member of the sea ​​battalion who was involved in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion followed . For services in the same conflict, the award was also given to four Russian NCOs by Wilhelm II , but there were no awards. The Iron Cross was re-established for the war against France in 1870 , so that the Military Cross of Merit was not awarded in this war. In the First World War it was initially similar. As more and more soldiers had acquired both classes of the Iron Cross over time, the need for a higher distinction grew. The Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern and the Order Pour le Mérite were reserved exclusively for officers , so the Golden Military Merit Cross was used. The Pour le Mérite and the Golden Military Merit Cross were of equal value, which was reflected in the simultaneous awards to aircraft crews. One example is the award of the Golden Military Merit Cross to the infantry pilot Willi Johnke and the Pour le Mérite to his observer, Lieutenant Hans-Georg Horn.

In addition to the Golden Military Merit Cross, there was in Prussia the cross of the owners of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with swords as an award for bravery for NCOs and men . This was awarded only 18 times during the First World War, including two holders of the Golden Military Merit Cross, Karl Thom and Franz-Josef Ophaus. In terms of its value, it was a little below the Golden Military Merit Cross, comparable to the Knight's Cross of the Hohenzollern House Order and the Pour le Mérite for officers. Its owners also received an honorary salary.

The Golden Military Merit Cross was awarded exclusively to members of Prussian and Baden troops as well as the navy and the air forces (see list of holders of the Golden Military Merit Cross ). For members of the armies of the kingdoms of Bavaria , Saxony and Württemberg there were special awards for bravery, namely the Bavarian Military Merit Medal , the Saxon Golden Military St. Heinrich Medal and the Württemberg Golden Military Merit Medal . Awards to Russian soldiers in the period before the First World War were an exception.

The Golden Military Merit Cross was awarded 1770 times during World War I. The first award of the war was on October 15, 1916 to Georg Dülz, Vice Sergeant in the 6th Rhenish Infantry Regiment No. 68 . Another 54 awards followed in 1917, the rest in 1918. The last award was on November 3, 1918 to Karl Beck, Vice Sergeant in Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 83.

The Golden Military Merit Cross was one of the rarest awards from the Prussian army . With around 8 million non-commissioned officers and men in question during the award period in World War I (members of Prussian and Baden troops, as well as the navy and air forces, minus those who had fallen and disabled by the end of 1916), the award rate was around 1: 4520.

Among the winners in World War I were:

Most awards went to members of the 4th Guards Regiment on foot (18 times), followed by the 1st Guards Regiment on foot (17 times) and the 2nd Guards Regiment on foot (16 times). Most awards in one day with 9 pieces were made on April 23, 1918 to members of the Grenadier Regiment 5 for merits in crossing the Crozat Canal between St. Quentin and Tergnier and subsequent pursuit battles on the Avre and at Montdidier - Noyon (see p . Carrier directory ).

The Golden Military Merit Cross was awarded regardless of origin, nationality or religion. With Wilhelm David at least one owner of Jewish descent is known. It is noticeable that the two well-known Jewish flying aces in the rank of non-commissioned officer, Edmund Nathanael (Jasta 5, 15 kills) and Fritz Beckhardt (Jasta 26, 17 kills), were awarded the extremely rare cross of the owners of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with swords and not with the Golden Military Merit Cross, like similarly successful squadron colleagues.

Around 400 holders of the Golden Military Merit Cross died during the First World War, including 21 airmen. The last owner, the officer’s deputy Karl Heinzmann, died on April 24, 1990 at the age of 101.

Award criteria

The first Gold Military Merit Crosses were awarded in 1866 for capturing enemy regimental flags. These awards were independent of possession of the military badge or any other distinction. In the First World War , the requirement was the possession of the 2nd and 1st class of the Iron Cross .

The evaluation of the reports received from various owners shows that the Golden Military Merit Cross was typically awarded for the following deeds:

  • Capture of an enemy regimental flag (before the First World War).
  • Leading a successful attack against a superior enemy (usually as a group or platoon leader, less often as a company leader)
  • Defense against attacks by superior enemy forces.
  • successful explorations behind enemy lines.
  • Rescuing comrades or valuable equipment in enemy fire.
  • Elimination of enemy tanks or important machine gun positions.
  • 9–20 aerial victories as a fighter pilot .
  • at least 150 enemy flights as a reconnaissance aircraft, artillery observer, infantry pilot or bomber pilot.

If a criminal offense was committed, the award could subsequently be revoked (StGB §33).

According to the regulations, high awards such as the Golden Military Merit Cross were not awarded posthumously and had to be returned after the death of the borrower. That is also the reason why, for example, the artillery sergeant Johannes Joachim Theodor Krüger was not honored, to whom the shooting down of 16 British tanks at the Battle of Cambrai on November 20, 1917 was attributed. The only known owner who was posthumously awarded the Golden Military Merit Cross is the pilot Heinrich Ernst Schäfer. He had a fatal crash on May 30, 1918 and was awarded the Golden Military Merit Cross on June 11, 1918. His observer Wilhelm Paul Schreiber also received the order Pour le Mérite posthumously . The award proposals had apparently been made without knowledge of the death of the two. The awards were also intended to possibly prevent a scandal because Schreiber had been wrongly notified of the award of the Pour le Mérite by the headquarters shortly before his death .

Privileges

Certain special rights were associated with the award:

  • preferential care by authorities, e.g. B. in the case of disability benefits or funding in civil service
  • a monthly, tax-free honorary salary of three talers for life. With the currency conversion in 1871 this was adjusted to 9 marks . It existed in the form until October 1923. From April 1925 to August 1939 an honorary salary of 9 Reichsmarks was paid. From August 1939 it was increased to 20 Reichsmarks. In the Federal Republic of Germany, an honorary salary of 25 Deutsche Mark was granted from October 1956 (retroactively from August 1957) . This was increased to 50 Deutsche Mark in 1986.
  • Military honor through the presentation handle
  • Mourning parade at the death of the owner

Up until the middle of the 20th century, honorary pay meant a noticeable material contribution. Initially it was roughly the same as the monthly salary of a private , around 1940 it was just about the weekly wage of a regular soldier (rifleman, pioneer, etc.). In the later years of the Federal Republic of Germany, honorary pay was only of symbolic importance.

reception

The award was relatively unknown in the German army at the time it was awarded, and some officers did not know what it meant and how it was worn. A survey from 1933/34 showed that about a third of the owners who were still alive were not aware that they were entitled to honorary pay.

On the initiative of Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke and Franz-Josef Ophaus, the " Comradeship of the Holders of the Golden Military Merit Cross " was founded on July 1, 1934 for mutual support and as an interest group. Bruno Fischer was chairman for many years. After their ban after the Second World War, the association " Order of the Military Merit Cross eV " was re-established on August 18, 1956 . Its members were accepted into the " Order of Knight Cross Bearers of the Iron Cross " after the club's activities ended in the mid-1970s .

The National Socialists promoted and wooed the holders of the golden Military Merit Cross, as they embodied propaganda ideals such as “heroism” and “simple origin” in their eyes. This was shown in improvements in honorary pay, publications, honorary certificates and preferred employment in the civil service, v. a. at the police, customs, justice, Reichsbahn and post office. There were plans to publish the owner's reports on the facts in the form of a series of booklets, but this did not materialize.

literature

  • Louis Schneider : The Military Medal . Hayn, Berlin 1868, urn : nbn: de: hbz: 061: 1-104636 .
  • Franz Josef Ophaus : The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross. Publisher Karl Siegismund. Berlin 1936. (The pour le merite of the German NCO)
  • Klaus D. Patzwall (Ed.): The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross. Militair-Verlag Patzwall. Norderstedt 1986. (Sources and representations on the history of orders and decorations, Volume 2)
  • Willi Geile: The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross. His awards broken down by regiment. (= Statistical elaborations on Germany's phaleristics . Volume II.) PHV. Offenbach 1997. ISBN 3-932543-01-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Klaus D. Patzwall: The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross . Militair-Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 1986, ISBN 3-931533-15-8 .
  2. ^ A b c S. T. Previtera: Prussian Blue - A History of the Order Pour le Merite . Winidore Press, 2005, ISBN 0-9673070-2-3 .
  3. ↑ a b C. von Winterfeld: History of the Prussian campaigns of 1866 . Döring, Potsdam 1867, p. 525 ( Digitale-sammlungen.de ).
  4. ^ A b c Franz Josef Ophaus: The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross (The pour le merite of the German NCO) . Verlag Karl Siegismund, Berlin 1936.
  5. ^ Terry C. Treadwell, Alan C. Wood: German knights of the air, 1914-1918: the holders of the Orden Pour le Mérite . Barnes & Noble Books, 1998, ISBN 0-7607-0790-1 , pp. 96 .
  6. ^ Jörg Nimmergut: German medals and decorations until 1945, addendum: Anhalt-German Empire, register . Central Office for Scientific Order Studies, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-00-001396-2 , p. 119 .
  7. ↑ Ordinance on the payment of honorary wages for winners of the highest war awards of the First World War of August 6, 1957 . In: Federal Law Gazette . No. 42 . Bonn August 12, 1957.
  8. ↑ a b Willi Geile: The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross. His awards broken down by regiment. (=  Statistical elaborations on Germany's phaleristics . Volume II ). PHV, Offenbach 1997, ISBN 3-932543-01-7 .
  9. ^ A b c Bruno Fischer: Book of Honor of the Order of the Military Merit Cross eV and the history of the order community . The Order Collection, 1960, p. 16 .
  10. ↑ Johannes-Paul Kögler: Honor as a portable symbol: On the political, social and cultural-historical significance of orders and decorations using the example of the Kingdom of Hanover 1814-1866 . Tectum Wissenschaftsverlag, 2018, ISBN 3-8288-4165-1 , p. 97 .
  11. ↑ a b c d B. Nickel: From the deeds of the brave. 100 combat reports from holders of the Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross . Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1939.
  12. ↑ Thomas Garke-Rothbart: "... vital for our business ...": Georg von Holtzbrinck as a publishing entrepreneur in the Third Reich . Walter de Gruyter, 2009, ISBN 3-598-44124-X , p. 79 .