Military Medal of Honor 1st Class (Prussia)
The 1st Class Military Medal of Honor was a high Prussian honor for NCOs and men . Until 1864 it was the highest that the Kingdom of Prussia had to award. It was awarded in different versions from 1793 to 1918.
Foundation, endowment
On June 14, 1793, King Friedrich Wilhelm II donated a two-tier medal for military merits with the Supreme Cabinet Order with the following text: "Since I have noted with particular pleasure on various occasions that in the warlike actions that have taken place, NCOs and commons also each other in a way that denotes a true sense of honor and unmistakable personal bravery, I have sought a means by which such people can be rewarded, distinguished and encouraged in a way that is most appropriate to their comparatively better qualities and their status as warriors. " The first level in gold was initially intended for non-commissioned officers, the second level in silver for men.
His successor, King Friedrich Wilhelm III. renewed the foundation on September 30, 1806 for a " Merit Medal for Militaires " in two classes and abolished the distinction between NCOs and men.
For cost reasons, the first class gold medal was changed on September 30, 1814 to a silver cross based on the model of the 3rd class red eagle order , which in turn was inspired by the Russian St. George's Cross . The round medal shape of the silver 2nd class was retained.
On February 27, 1864, a new foundation was made by King Wilhelm I. At the same time, the Golden Military Merit Cross was introduced as the next higher level.
Award Regulations
The 1st Class Military Medal of Honor was a medal of merit or bravery for NCOs and men. According to the regulation of King Friedrich Wilhelm III. of September 30, 1806, the only one who could receive the medal of merit was " someone who has distinguished himself through a particularly brave act. It must not have been possible to do so by greed or any other ignoble intention, but the deed must only be for the benefit of the service." or the comrade. As a rule, no man walking in rank and file during the action can make claims to the badge of honor, unless he has personally distinguished himself in a very excellent way. "In the royal cabinet order of March 24, 1807 it was added that " whoever takes a general prisoner captures a cannon or a flag, regardless of whether he already has the silver medal or not, the gold medal of merit and the associated one Allowance, but the one who makes another officer of a lesser degree a prisoner should receive the silver medal ".
The Iron Cross Foundation in 1813 suspended its award for the duration of the war . That is why the military decorations were only awarded to Russian soldiers between 1813 and 1817.
The Military Medal of Honor 1st Class from 1864 was awarded for outstanding bravery in war from sergeant downwards, also to men. The possession of the next lower military badge of honor 2nd class was not a requirement. The award could not be awarded posthumously and had to be returned after the owner's death. Like every other Prussian military award, the 1st Class Military Decoration could only be awarded once to one person. The Iron Cross Foundations in 1870 and 1914 interrupted its awards during the Franco-German War and the First World War .
description
The 1st Class Military Medal from 1793 is a solid gold medal with a diameter of 30 mm. It bears the three-line writing VERDIENST - UM DEN - STAAT on the front. On the back there are the initials FWR II for "Friedericus Wilhelmus II Rex", surrounded by a laurel wreath. The medal was worn on a black ribbon.
The 1st Class Military Medal from 1806 is similar to the previous version. On the back there are the initials FWR III for "Friedericus Wilhelmus III Rex". Two white side stripes were added to the black ribbon, corresponding to the colors of the Prussian flag. This became the template for the ribbon of the Iron Cross.
The following military decorations, 1st class from 1814 on, consist of a silver cross with an eyelet, a ribbon ring and a ribbon. There are three historical versions of this:
The first version from 1814-1848 has a width of 35 mm and a height of 40 mm. In contrast to later versions, the ring eyelet is parallel, similar to the Russian Cross of St. George. The cross bears the three-line writing VERDIENST - UM DEN - STAAT on the front in the center shield. The center shield on the back contains the ornate initials FW for "Friedrich Wilhelm". Above is a Prussian royal crown. The band is black with two white stripes. Except for the ribbon color, it was identical to the civil general badge of honor.
The second version from 1848-1864 is similar to the first version. The dimensions are slightly larger with a width of 38 mm and a height of 46 mm. This change was caused by an adaptation to the shape of the Red Eagle Order fourth class from 1846. At 35 mm, the band is slightly wider than the Iron Cross 2nd Class.
The third version from 1864 - 1918 bears the two-line lettering KRIEGS - MERDIENST on the front in the middle shield and underneath two tied laurel branches. The center shield on the back contains the ornate initials WR ("Wilhelmus Rex"). Above is a Prussian royal crown. The tape is the same as the previous version. For non-combatants (e.g. military officials) the cross was awarded on a white ribbon with black stripes. The shape of the third version of the Military Medal of Honor 1st Class is identical to the Golden Military Merit Cross .
Manufacturing
The crosses of the first version were made by the jewelery workshop Gebrüder Wagner in Berlin from 12-lot silver (750/1000). They are made hollow with a weight of 10 - 12 g. From the end of November 1828, the crosses were made in 15-solder silver (937.5 / 1000) at the Friedrich Wilhelm Hanff jeweler in Berlin. Since there were no military awards at that time, but crosses were only issued in the form of general decorations, 1st class (with a different ribbon), this deviation is less relevant here.
Some of the crosses of the third version from 1864 bear the maker's mark AW for Emil August Wagner on the medallion cylinder or W for Johann Wagner & Sohn on the edge of the lower cross arm, each without hallmarks. The crosses are made with a hollow bead. Their weight is about 14 g.
Awards
The 1st Class Military Medal of Honor was awarded from 1806 to 1918. During the Franco-German War of 1870/71 and the First World War, the award was suspended due to the Iron Cross foundations in 1870 and 1914, respectively. The following table gives an overview of the number of awards.
| Award year | version | number | Remarks |
| 1813 | gold medal version 2 | 20th | 12 of them to Russians and 8 to Prussians, the latter retrospectively for the Russian campaign of 1812 |
| 1814 | silver cross version 1 | 8th | all to Russians |
| 1815 | silver cross version 1 | 2 | all to Russians |
| 1816 | silver cross version 1 | 1 | Subsequent award to a Russian fireworker |
| 1817 | silver cross version 1 | 1 | Subsequent award to a Russian guard hussar |
| 1848-1849 | silver cross version 2 | 12 | for the suppression of the revolution |
| 1860 | silver cross version 2 | 2 | |
| 1863 | silver cross version 2 | 1 | |
| 1864 | silver cross version 3 | 191 | for the German-Danish war |
| 1866 | silver cross version 3 | 415 | for the German-German war |
| 1867 | silver cross version 3 | 29 | |
| 1902 | silver cross version 3 | 52 | for Russian soldiers during the Boxer Rebellion |
| 1895-1906 | silver cross version 3 | 201 | for the colonial wars |
Privileges
The holders of the 1st class military badge of honor received a monthly honorary salary of 1 thaler (3 marks from 1871). Initially this corresponded to the pay of a private for a week. They were also exempt from class tax (Law No. 8128 of May 25, 1873).
In the royal ordinance of September 30, 1806, it was also regulated that a holder of the military badge of honor was not allowed to be hit with a stick, but should at most be punished with "fingers". In an offense that was usually punished by running the gauntlet , he lost the award along with the honorary salary. The names of the owners were posted on boards in the garrison churches of the regiments and battalions.
Others
The shape of the 1st class military badge was the model for the design of the Bundeswehr badge from 1980.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Elke Bannicke-Tewes, Lothar Tewes: 200 years of Prussian decorations "Merit for the State". Part I: 1793-1847 . In: money trend. International coin magazine . No. 4/93 , 1993, pp. 8-20 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Klaus D. Patzwall: The Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross . Militair-Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 1986, ISBN 3-931533-15-8 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Mike Estelmann: The Wars of Liberation as reflected in Prussian awards. A historical and statistical overview. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde eV, accessed on November 1, 2019 .
- ^ Frank Wernitz: The Iron Cross: 1813 - 1870 - 1914 | History and meaning of an award . tape 1 . Verlag Militaria, 2013, ISBN 3-902526-58-0 , p. 69 .
- ↑ Eric Case Ludvigsen: Prussian and Other Imperial German Award Statistics - Baden to Württemberg . PGCJ Publication, Hawthorne NJ 2009.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k A. M. Schulze Ising: The Prussian Military Decoration of Honor 1st Class. Imperial German Orders, Medals & Decorations, December 1, 1999, accessed November 1, 2019 .
- ↑ Elke Bannicke-Tewes, Lothar Tewes: 200 years of Prussian decorations "Merit for the State". Part II: 1847-1918 . In: money trend. International coin magazine . No. 3/95 , 1995, pp. 6-23 .
- ↑ Arco Weihs: Military Decoration of Honor 1st Class 1864. Retrieved on November 1, 2019 .