Bavarian bravery medal
The Bavarian Medal for Bravery was donated under the official designation Military Merit Medal on October 30, 1794 by Elector Carl Theodor von Bayern as a reward for outstanding, brave combat action by Bavarian NCOs and men . It was Bavaria's highest honor for bravery for non-officers. From the beginning her common name was "Bavarian Bravery Medal", which she officially received from March 2, 1918. After the end of the monarchy and the conclusion of the awards, the religious order continued to exist as a corporation under public law .
Order decoration
On the obverse, the oldest variant shows the portrait of the founder , turned to the right, in a cuirass with baroque hairstyle and the inscription CARL THEOD. PF. B. RH. HIB CHVRFVERST . The back is adorned with a crowned lion with a sword turned to the left and an oval coat of arms from the Electoral Palatinate Bavaria, as well as the circumferential motto OF BRAVERY .
From February 1799, the medal was awarded with the image of the new Elector Maximilian IV. Joseph in baroque hairstyle and robe with the inscription MAX. JOS. CHVRF. ZV PFALZBAIERN . Otherwise the medal remained unchanged.
The order underwent a major visual redesign in 1806 after Bavaria was elevated to the Kingdom of Bavaria . The elector had now become King Maximilian I Joseph and accordingly the inscription of the medal changed to MAXIMILIAN JOSEPH KOENIG VON BAIERN ; In addition, the king now had himself turned to the left and depicted with a contemporary hairstyle and clothing. Likewise, the Palatinate Bavarian lion's shield on the back was transformed into a royal Bavarian one and the heraldic animal now wore a royal crown instead of an electoral hat.
With nuances in the inscription (sometimes KÖNIG instead of KOENIG), in the die cut or in the hanging, the bravery medal remained unchanged in its current appearance until the end of the awards. In this form, the medal - especially its lion side - entered the Bavarian people's consciousness and has become a part of Bavarian history . The stamp of the last model, issued in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870/71 and in World War I , was made by the medalist Johann Adam Ries (1813–1889). The originals on loan bear his signature on the front.
The award was worn on a black, white and blue ribbon on the left chest, but mostly in such a way that the more attractive and much more popular back with the crowned lion was visible. The medal is depicted almost everywhere, even on the official publications, membership cards and letterheads of the order.
The order and its award
The medal was the highest Bavarian order of bravery for non-officers and was awarded in a gold and a silver level, both of which enjoyed the same high reputation. According to Article VI. of the statutes, the silver decoration should reward "brave deeds" and the gold decoration "the most excellent of all" . According to these statutes, "such a badge of honor can only be given to those who have personally committed a valiant act, where the man on an occasion in front of the enemy, for the promotion of the service, for the good decision of an enterprise, for the rescue of a comrade in danger, victory sign or ärarischen good has contributed and such a fact has been confirmed by credible witnesses. " Moreover, were asked and high ethical standards, because according to the same article ceremonies were excluded for such acts from the outset, the " stupid arrogance or Raubgierde to reason " have .
Article VII of the foundation decree expressly states that the medals of both levels are to be awarded sparingly, "so that the value of the same is not degraded by mutual agreement."
Due to the war, the gold medal was no longer made of gold from 1917, but of gold-plated silver.
With the decree of King Ludwig III. On March 2, 1918, the name "Bavarian Military Merit Medal" , which was hardly in use anyway, was abolished and the previously popular name "Bavarian Medal for Bravery" was also officially introduced. Since then, the official title has been the “Order of the Bavarian Medal for Bravery” . Under this name, the medal was included in the list of the highest German war medals in the " Law on Titles, Orders and Decorations " in 1957, the holders of which were entitled to a monthly state honorary salary . In addition, when the medal bearer died, the Bundeswehr sent an honorary delegation who held a wake at the coffin and carried the medal on a pillow at the funeral.
In the old army until 1918 as well as in the Reichswehr , in the Wehrmacht and still in the Bundeswehr , the service regulations stipulated that the guard guards of the barracks had to make a testimony of honor in front of the bearers of the Bavarian Bravery Medal if they had the medal - even on the Civilian clothes - wore visible.
Every year on October 13th, a soul mass was held in Munich for the deceased members of the Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order , which expressly included the deceased bearers of the Bavarian Medal of Bravery. The Max Joseph Order for officers and the Medal of Bravery for non-officers were absolutely equivalent in each of their award areas. Both decorations had the same ribbon for clarity. For military doctors - also on the same band - a special form was created in 1914 as the highest personal award for bravery, the Bavarian Military Medical Order .
The Free State of Bavaria awarded the last Bavarian Bravery Medal in March 1920 for a valiant act in the First World War .
As the legal successor to the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Free State still feels obliged to the high order and its bearers. The Bavarian Prime Minister therefore entrusted Tank Brigade 12 “Upper Palatinate” with the maintenance of the tradition for the Bavarian Medal of Bravery on July 4th, 2002 . The troop association also built a related memorial with a historical exhibition in the traditional rooms of the Leopold Barracks in Amberg . It can be viewed there.
Others
The gold medal of bravery of Sergeant Johann Horn was attached to the flag of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Regiment "Prince Karl of Bavaria" by virtue of a special permit and remained the only personal award that ever adorned a Bavarian standard.
Many of the award facts between 1794 and 1871 were published in 1898 in the three-volume work of the Bavarian War Archive, Der Bayerische Soldat im Felde . The awards of the First World War are all described in detail in the memorial of Bavaria's Golden Book of Honor. Bavarian War Archives. Munich 1928.
After the awards were stopped, the order of the Bavarian Medal for Bravery continued to exist as a semi-public corporation under public law until the death of the last holder at the end of the 20th century . The order issued its own magazine and used its own stationery. All porters also received an ID with a photo, as they enjoyed the highest social standing and various perks, such as free rides on public transport and the like. Ä.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald all surviving holders received the Medal of Honor on 27 August 1939 character as lieutenant of the Landwehr awarded.
Despite the end of the monarchy, there was always a close relationship between the order holders and the Bavarian royal house, especially with Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria , who repeatedly invited and met the veterans. There is a photo of the Crown Prince on his 85th birthday in 1954, in the midst of the invited holders of the Bavarian Medal for Bravery.
During the National Socialist era, the order's leadership tried to maintain the greatest possible political neutrality. Party uniforms were frowned upon at religious assemblies, and even forbidden by resolution on the photos of membership cards. Neither in the order newspaper nor on other objects of the order (ID cards, badges, letters, publications) was a Nazi emblem ever used. Nevertheless, the National Socialist Hans Zöberlein advanced to the position of President of the Order in that epoch, which contributed to the spiritual infiltration in his sense, but did not change the basic political neutrality according to the statutes.
In 1969, at the foundation's 175th anniversary, 760 bearers of the high decoration were still alive and a commemorative publication was issued. The medal holder Hugo Schmitt was president of the order at that time.
Known owner
President Hans Zöberlein achieved great popularity as a book author. In 1931 he had published his world war experiences in the form of a novel under the title Der Glaube an Deutschland and described in it - albeit with Nazi coloring - very realistically and vividly his war years and the circumstances under which he acquired the gold Bavarian bravery medal. With over 800,000 copies sold, the book quickly became a bestseller and was filmed in 1934 under the title Shock Troop 1917 . As an unadorned and realistic film about the First World War, the strip fell victim to censorship and was only allowed to be shown mutilated and considerably shortened. President Zöberlein was involved in the recording in an advisory capacity, Ludwig Schmid-Wildy directed and played the leading role together with Beppo Brem . The battle scenes are known in specialist circles as the best that were ever recreated about the First World War. The film has just recently been restored to its original version and is available on DVD.
Another well-known holder of the order was Hans Baur , Adolf Hitler's private pilot, who in 1957 published his memoir, I flew Mighty of the Earth , which was published several times and translated into English . In it, the aviator begins by telling how he received the Bavarian Bravery Medal in the First World War.
The famous Bavarian fighter pilot Max von Müller , who died in 1918, was initially awarded both levels of the medal as a sergeant, and after his promotion to officer he was also awarded the Military Max Joseph Order and the Prussian Pour le Mérite .
The two priests, Domkapitular Johannes Kraus von Eichstätt (1890–1974) and Workers Association President Leopold Schwarz von Munich (1897–1961) became known as cooperating Nazi opponents in active resistance against the regime. Both were holders of the Bavarian Bravery Medal Leopold Schwarz himself published his war experiences under the title Twenty Years Later (Ketteler-Verlag, Munich, 1936), and the biography Priest in the People - Leopold Schwarz (Ludwig Börst, Tyrolia Verlag Munich, 1938 ) appeared about him ). The acquisition of the medal of bravery is described in detail in both books.
Richard Rother , also a holder of the Bravery Medal, was a famous sculptor and wood cutter, as well as one of the most famous German bookplate designers.
Award numbers according to the official anniversary publication, 1969
(The numbers in various phaleristic works partly differ.)
Campaigns from 1794 to 1801 (with additional permits until 1804)
- 34 gold medals
- 141 silver medals
Campaigns 1805-1809
- 180 gold medals
- 944 silver medals
Campaigns from 1812 to 1815 (with additional permits until 1834)
- 72 gold medals
- 243 silver medals
Federal campaign against Denmark in 1849
- 5 gold medals
- 13 silver medals
German-German War 1866
- 29 gold medals
- 93 silver medals
Franco-German War 1870/71
- 212 gold medals
- 800 silver medals
Boxer Rebellion in China 1900/01
- 7 silver medals
Herero battles in South-West Africa 1904
- 3 silver medals
First World War
- 998 gold medals
- 2839 silver medals
According to the Bavarian War Archives , a total of 1474 gold and 4868 silver Bavarian Bravery Medals were awarded with various subsequent grants in the 19th century, calculated from the first awards on April 10, 1795 to the last award in March 1920.
literature
- The Bavarian soldier in the field. 3 volumes, Bavarian War Archives, Munich 1898.
- Bavaria's Golden Book of Honor. Bavarian War Archives, Verlag Joseph Hyronimus, Munich, 1928; Reprint at PHV-Verlag, Offenbach 2000, ISBN 3-934743-15-3 .
- The Bavarian Orders and Medals. Georg Schreiber, Prestel-Verlag, Munich 1964.
- 175 years of the Order of the Bavarian Medal for Bravery. Festschrift, Presidium, Munich 1969.
- Johannes-Paul Kögler: “You have nothing left for old fighters here.” Interior views of the order of the Bavarian Medal of Bravery. In: Orders and Medals. The magazine for friends of phaleristics , publisher: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde , issue 122, 21st year, Gäufelden 2019. ISSN 1438-3772.
Web links
- Bavaria's golden book of honor 1914–1918
- Website for the Order of the Bavarian Medal for Bravery, with photos
- Web memorial page about the medal holder Franz Huber from Rosenheim, one of the last winners in his region.
- Illustrated website for the 200th foundation festival of the Military Max Joseph Order, 2009, on which emissaries of the 12th Panzer Brigade represented the Bavarian Medal of Bravery.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The honorary salary already existed in the interwar period : http://geschichte.digitale-sammlungen.de
- ↑ On the continuation of the tradition of the Bavarian Bravery Medal by Panzerbrigade 12 of the Bundeswehr
- ↑ On the continuation of the tradition of the Bavarian Bravery Medal by the Bundeswehr
- ↑ Bavaria's Golden Book of Honor, with all award matters from the First World War, can be accessed directly online at this link
- ↑ Two contemporary cinema posters for the film Shock Troop 1917 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Illustrated memorial page for Max Ritter von Müller
- ↑ Ludwig Brandl: KRAUS, Johannes. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 18, Bautz, Herzberg 2001, ISBN 3-88309-086-7 , Sp. 813-824.
- ^ Web memorial page about the artist Richard Rother, one of the last surviving bearers of the Bavarian Bravery Medal when he died in 1980. ( Memento of the original from June 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (no longer available July 2, 2012)
- ^ KG Klietmann: Pour le Mérite and Medal of Bravery . The Order Collection, Berlin 1966.
