Rescue Medal (1933)

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Obverse of the rescue medal ( replica )
Lapel of the rescue medal
The commemorative medal for rescue from danger. The only difference to the medal on the ribbon was the missing eyelet and the larger diameter
In the size comparison with the east medal on the right, it becomes clear how small the rescue medal was at the time
Award certificate commemorative medal Rescue from danger

The Rescue Medal (1933) was donated on June 22, 1933 by ordinance by the then Reich President Paul von Hindenburg . The law on titles, medals and decorations of April 7, 1933 then stipulated that the rescue medal could only be awarded by the Reich President. Thus, the award of rescue medals by the individual countries of the empire was prohibited. The award took place with a certificate signed by the Reich President. The design of the medal came from the sculptor Hermann Müller-Erfurt . On July 10, 1937, the previous regulation on the rescue medal was revised by Adolf Hitler . From 1933 to 1945 the following were awarded in the German Reich for the rescue of people from danger:

  • Public commendation
  • Rescue medal on the ribbon: diameter 25.5 mm with 7.92 grams and the
  • Commemorative medal for rescue from danger (not portable): diameter 50 mm with the same layout.

Ordinance on awarding awards for saving people from mortal danger (rescue medals)

On the basis of § 3 of the law on titles, medals and decorations of July 1, 1937 (Reichsgesetzblatt Part I, page 725) I decree: The ordinance on the award of awards for the rescue of people from danger to life (rescue medals) of June 22, 1933 (Reichsgesetzblatt Teilk I, page 411) is replaced by the following:

  • § 1: For a rescue from danger to life that is resolutely and successfully carried out at the risk of one's own life, the rescuer is awarded the rescue medal on ribbon or the commemorative medal for rescue from danger that is not intended to be worn. An act of salvation is not to be regarded as the salvation of individual, specific people, but also the salvation of an indefinite group of people from an obviously great danger to life and health.
  • § 2: The rescue medal on the ribbon is awarded if the rescuer at the rescue service found himself in particularly serious danger. The commemorative medal for rescuing from danger is awarded if the rescuer has found himself in serious mortal danger at the rescue service. The rescue medal on a ribbon and the commemorative medal for rescue from danger are only awarded once to the same rescuer. The award of the rescue medal on the ribbon excludes a later award of the commemorative medal for rescue from danger.
  • § 3: The award of the rescue or commemorative medal is subject to the condition that the rescue act is completed independently by the rescuer to a certain extent and that he appears worthy of such an award according to his whole personality.
  • § 4: The rescue medal on ribbon and the commemorative medal for rescue from danger are awards for rescue acts of general willingness to sacrifice. As a rule, therefore, they are not awarded if people who are entrusted with protecting the lives of others have committed their own lives to rescue those who are under protection, but have only acted within the limits of their duty. However, one of the two medals can exceptionally be awarded to such persons in exceptional circumstances and a rescue activity that significantly exceeds the average level of their obligation.
  • § 5: In the case of young rescuers, the award of the rescue medal on the ribbon is suspended until they reach the age of 18. You will first receive a commendation. The commendation is given on my behalf by the responsible higher administrative authority. The commemorative medal for rescue from danger is awarded regardless of the age of the rescuer.
  • § 6: The higher administrative authority in whose area the rescuer lives is responsible for the suggestions for awarding the rescue or commemorative medal. The Reich Minister of War is responsible for suggestions for awarding the rescue medal or commemorative medal to soldiers of the Wehrmacht. The Reichsarbeitsführer is responsible for suggestions for the awarding of the rescue or commemorative medal to members of the Reich Labor Service. The Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for proposals to award the rescue or commemorative medal to foreigners and for rescue acts that have been carried out abroad.
  • § 7: If the rescuer has his place of residence abroad, the responsibility of the higher administrative authority is based on the rescue location. In the case of rescue acts on the high seas, the home port of the ship from which the rescuer carried out the rescue act establishes the responsibility of the higher administrative authority.
  • § 8: The entrusted receives a certificate signed by me about the award of the rescue medal on the ribbon. The recipient of the commemorative medal for rescue from danger is given a certificate of the award of the medal, completed by the State Secretary and Head of the Presidential Chancellery.
  • § 9: The rescue medal on the ribbon and the commemorative medal become the property of the borrower. His surviving dependents are not obliged to return them.
  • § 10: The Rescue Medal on Ribbon and the Commemorative Medal for Rescue from Danger are generally only awarded for rescue acts that were performed after April 9, 1933.
  • § 11: The implementation regulations are issued by me.
  • Berchtesgaden, July 10, 1937, The Führer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, The Reich Minister of the Interior Frick.

Implementing ordinance on the awarding of awards for saving people from mortal danger (rescue medals)

  • I. General
    • § 1: About every life saving for which
      • a) the awarding of the rescue medal on the ribbon,
      • b) the award of the commemorative medal for rescue from danger or
      • c) the issuing of a public commendation, possibly with the simultaneous granting of a monetary reward,

comes into question, the higher administrative authority has to report to the State Secretary and Head of the Presidential Chancellery as quickly as possible.

    • § 2: The necessary investigations are to be carried out ex officio immediately. Investigations are no longer to be initiated if the rescue act was more than two years ago.
    • § 3: The higher administrative authority in whose area the rescuer lives is responsible for reporting. If the rescuer does not live in Germany, the responsibility of the higher administrative authority is based on the rescue location, but in the case of rescue acts carried out on the high seas from a German ship, the home port of the ship.
    • § 4: The investigations are to be directed in particular to whether all requirements for the award are met. Rescuers and rescued persons as well as other witnesses of the rescue act can be heard in detail. The negotiations must be accompanied by a simple sketch showing the location and course of the rescue act. In the event of a rescue from the risk of water, the distances and depths must be indicated by numbers on the plan sketch. In addition, such cases must be accompanied by an expert opinion from the responsible water police authority, which must particularly comment on the degree of danger to life of the rescuer.
    • § 5: Each rescue act must be reported individually using the form below. According to this, collective reports are not to be submitted. The report must give a clear and exhaustive description of the rescue act and contain a specific proposal. The justification for the proposal must result from the description of the rescue act. The report must also contain the first and last name, date and place of birth, status, profession or trade, place of residence and home of the rescuer, his nationality, and the day and place of the rescue act. The report must state the circumstances that are important for assessing the personality of the rescuer and his worthiness. The investigation negotiations are to be attached to the report in a booklet with numbers.
  • II. Rescue Medals
    • § 6: In cases in which the award of the commemorative medal for rescue from danger is proposed, the rescuer must be asked whether he is willing to accept the medal. In those cases in which the award of the rescue medal on the ribbon is proposed, the rescuer must be asked whether he is willing to accept this medal in the event that he should only be awarded the commemorative medal for rescue from danger.
    • § 7: If I approve the award of the rescue medal on the ribbon for young rescuers, the body that submitted the proposal must first praise the rescuer on my behalf and inform him that he will be given the rescue medal on the ribbon, if he has reached the age of 18 and has managed well within himself until then. The State Secretary and Head of the Presidential Chancellery must be informed no later than three months before they turn 18 as to whether these requirements are met. The rescue medal on the ribbon should be given to the young rescuer, if possible, on his / her birthday (at least 18 years of age).
    • § 8: A report is to be refrained from in cases in which the rescuer has been legally sentenced to the loss of civil rights or to imprisonment of one year or more for acts against the state. In addition, the fact of a criminal conviction does not automatically exclude the award of the rescue or commemorative medal for rescue from danger if the crime was not particularly serious and was not the result of a dishonorable conviction or if it was a long time ago and the convicted person has been since then has performed flawlessly.
    • § 9: The rescue and commemorative medals are handed out in my name by the higher administrative authority. In the case of civil servants, employees and workers in the public service and members of the Wehrmacht and the Reich Labor Service, the medals are handed out through official channels.
    • § 10: The state secretary and head of the presidential chancellery initiates the public announcement of the award of the rescue medal on ribbon and the commemorative medal for rescue from danger.
  • III. Public commendation and monetary reward
    • § 11: In cases in which the prerequisites for the award of the Rescue Medal on Ribbon or the Commemorative Medal for Rescue from Danger are not met, but the behavior of the rescuer deserves an award, the rescuer is given the public commendation. The public commendation is made on my behalf by the higher administrative authority. She also arranges for the announcement in her official gazettes. The provisions of Section 9 (2) apply accordingly.
    • § 12: In addition to the public commendation, the rescuer can be granted a cash reward in appropriate cases. The monetary reward is set by the State Secretary and Head of the Presidential Chancellery and paid by the higher administrative authority. The higher administrative authority must request the reimbursement of the amounts paid out by the higher administrative authority as required, but no later than every year by the end of the accounting year, by submitting a proof of claim to the paying agent of the presidential chancellery. The provisions of Section 9 (2) apply accordingly.
    • § 13: The cash reward is to be paid to the recipient in full, i. H. to be paid post-free and free of charge. It is granted regardless of the compensation for any physical or material damage suffered.
  • IV. Transitional and final provisions
    • § 14: Insofar as the higher administrative authorities still have funds for monetary rewards for the financial year 1937, these funds are to be used as before until the end of the current financial year.
    • § 15: The forms according to the annex can be obtained from the Reichsdruckerei and billed annually by January 15th. Existing old forms can be used up until January 1, 1937.
    • § 16: The implementation instructions of the federal states that have been in force since then are repealed with immediate effect.
  • The Führer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, the Reich Minister of the Interior Frick.

Appearance

The silver-plated rescue medal has a diameter of 25.5 mm and is therefore very small in contrast to other medals from this era. Their weight was approx. 7.9 grams (without the strap). On its obverse, the medal shows the embossed Prussian eagle, a reference to the rescue medal donated previously under Friedrich Wilhelm III. in the year 1833. In the center of the eagle's chest is an upside-down swastika, also in silver, which either rests on a kind of shield or lies on the eagle's plumage. The back of the coin shows in the center the lettering held in capital letters: FÜR RETTUNG AUS GEFAHR. This lettering is framed by twelve oak leaves.

Ribbon and way of wearing

The rescue medal was worn on an orange-colored, white-edged ribbon on the left side of the chest, with the ribbon colors also being used according to the old pattern from 1833.

Value of the rescue medal as a ribbon medal

Among the medals and decorations that have been awarded on the ribbon for the medal, the rescue medal only takes 32nd place (out of 43) despite its high status. Abstract:

  • 30th place: South West Africa commemorative coin, colonial commemorative coin, China commemorative coin
  • 31st place: Silesian probation badge, Carinthian cross, Tyrolean provincial medal
  • 32nd place: Rescue medal (on ribbon)
  • 33rd place: Service award of the Wehrmacht
  • 34th place: Service awards of the NSDAP
  • 35th place: German Olympic medal of honor

Award practice

The rescue medal was not awarded for rescue activities (e.g. rescue of the wounded under enemy fire) in connection with frontline missions by Wehrmacht soldiers, Waffen SS and police units as well as other associations. As a rule, if not already awarded, the Iron Cross 2nd class was awarded for these missions, in special cases the 1st class or, in accordance with the foundation ordinance of the rescue medal, the commemorative medal for rescue from danger. For the civilian population on the home front, on the other hand, rescue acts that became necessary as a result of the war (e.g. rescuing buried victims after bombing or rescuing the injured from burning houses) were also not awarded the rescue medal. For these people, the War Merit Cross (1939) Class II was awarded with or without swords. In the course of the war, especially from 1943/1944, the rescue medal lost more and more importance in favor of the aforementioned "war awards".

Others

The sole production of both rescue medals was carried out by the former Zeughaus Berlin (abbreviation: PR.M.BLN = Prussian Mint Berlin). According to the law on titles, medals and decorations of July 26, 1957, wearing the award in the Federal Republic of Germany is only permitted without National Socialist emblems. With the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany and the accession of the new federal states in 1990, the majority of all federal states have created their own life-saving decorations. In contrast to previous awards, they are national awards. Nine out of sixteen federal states still use the orange and white ribbon for the rescue medal. They are the following:

literature

  • Heinrich Doehle : The awards of the Greater German Reich. Berlin 1945.
  • Jörg Nimmergut : German medals and decorations until 1945. Volume 4. Württemberg II - German Empire. Central Office for Scientific Order Studies, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-00-001396-2 .
  • Ordinance on awarding awards for salvation from mortal danger, Reichsgesetzblatt of July 10, 1937, page 813
  • Implementing Ordinance, Reichsgesetzblatt of July 21, 1937, page 911

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jörg Nimmergut, German Orders and Medals, Volume IV, page: 1926
  2. ↑ Jörg Nimmergut, German Order and Badge of Honor Volume IV, page: 1927 Upper section
  3. ↑ Jörg Nimmergut, German Orders and Medals, Volume IV, page: 1927
  4. ^ Jörg Nimmergut : German medals and decorations until 1945. Volume 4. Württemberg II - German Empire. Central Office for Scientific Order Studies, page 1928, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-00-001396-2 .