Souville badge (Souville button)
The Souville badge (Souville button) of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 88, was one of the few badges of honor awarded at the troop level in the German Army and was awarded by the Reserve Infantry Regiment 88 for their honorable participation in the bloody battles at Souville ( Battle of Verdun ), awarded in August 1916.
prehistory
In addition to the general medals and decorations , the desire for special decorations for the specific combat missions of the individual units arose, especially during the First World War , at corps, division and regimental level.
This custom was widespread in Austria and Hungary and corresponded to the needs of the fighting troops. These decorations and badges were in the Imperial Army usually worn on the field cap and therefore were called "cap badge." They were awarded - often with a certificate - for certain campaigns or battles and usually also showed the name of the unit that awarded the badge and in whose ranks one had participated in the battles.
In contrast to Austria, Germany was much more reluctant to create such decorations at the level of military units and only very few were officially donated or approved. However, there was also a "gray area" in which commanders of troop units simply spent or at least tolerated such decorations - without higher permission. This often happened with those German troops that were deployed together with Austrian associations and had come to know and appreciate the “cap badges”.
These troop decorations were usually more highly regarded by the soldiers at the front than certain official ones, which after a certain period of time everyone who had behaved reasonably well received.
During the First World War there were at least three such German decorations at troop level that were officially awarded. These are the badge of the "Karpaten-Korps", the "Souville-Spange" of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 81, as well as the "Souville-Knopf" of the Hanau Reserve Infantry Regiment 88, about which this article reports.
Occasion and foundation
In the Battle of Verdun , the 21st (Hessian) Reserve Division launched an attack on the Souville nose (Nez de Souville) on August 1, 1916, after two days of artillery preparation. The division included u. a. the Reserve Infantry Regiment 81 (from Frankfurt am Main ) and the Reserve Infantry Regiment 88 from Hanau. The Souville-Nase is a small ridge bounded by the Souville Gorge (Ravin des Fontaines) to the west and the Lager Gorge (not a French name) to the east. In this small area, no more than 1 km² in size, the last major German efforts as part of the Verdun offensive were to take place in order to straighten a dangerous curve in the frozen front line.
The Hessian regiments stood ready on August 1st on the Fumin Ridge and in the Souville Gorge (eastern slope). The French entrenchments were on the slope of the Souville nose, carved into the stone and thus provided with a natural cover. The storm itself was led by the reserve infantry regiments 81 and 88, the flank cover took over, among other things, the Fusilier regiment 80. After drum fire on the opposing positions, the storm troops of the RIR 81 and 88 left their starting point at 10 o'clock and attacked. They advanced through the Fumin and Mountain Forest and the Souville Gorge to the Souville Nose. With the help of flamethrowers it was possible to cross the camp gorge and after a total of about 30 minutes the target had already been reached; the gain in terrain was more than 900 m. By the afternoon there were 629 French prisoners. The attack was short but fierce and the regiments had to tenaciously defend their captured positions for more than two days. They suffered higher losses than during the attack itself. After fierce defensive battles in the newly conquered area, especially on August 2nd and 3rd, the 21st Reserve Division remained in combat at Souville until August 28, 1916 and was finally due to complete Exhaustion replaced.
According to their own information, the Hessians had around 1,150 dead and the unbelievable number of around 5,400 wounded and missing, which corresponds to a rate of around 60%. In memory of these costly battles - the most terrible and bloodiest to which the troop unit was exposed in the First World War - the "Souville button" was donated at regimental level of the RIR 88. The authorization to carry was entered in the military passport; The button was only allowed to be worn by those in the regiment who had actually taken part in the storm. It was designed to be worn on the left armpit flap of the uniform. It is no longer possible to determine the level of the hierarchy in which approval was sought. It is certain, however, that the badge of honor had an official character at regimental level. The sister regiment RIR 81 donated a similar badge, the "Souville clasp" , which was worn on the lower left side of the chest. This was also awarded with a certificate and sometimes even entered as an award in the military passport.
Appearance
The button is circular, slightly curved and made of gray war metal. On the outside it has a circumferential point edge and then a circumferential, raised edge line towards the center. Within this edge line, the circular, all-round lettering in large block letters:
" • BERGWALD-SOUVILLENASE • " and a small iron cross
In the center above and below a small decorative ornament and in between the two-line lettering:
- " .RIR "
- " • 88 • "
On the back there is an eyelet for sewing onto the uniform.
Dimensions
The badge has a diameter of 2 cm. The length of the needle is 5.7 cm.
Carrying method
The "Souville button" was not only a regimental commemorative decoration, but it also had a completely normal function; it replaced the usual left shoulder piece button on its owners and was sewn there instead.
However, there are also badges with a back needle, like the one shown in the article. This variant may already have been available during the award period to enable better visibility by plugging it in if necessary. However, it is also conceivable that some owners had the button eyelets subsequently removed and a needle attached in order to be able to attach the badges to civilian clothing after leaving military service.
literature
- Von Hagens / von Holwede / Veidt: "From three war years of the 21st Reserve Division" , Herborn 1918
- Association of the former Res. Inf.-Regt. 88 Hanau: "Regimental history of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 88" , Hanau 1932.
- "Two unknown commemorative badges from 1916", Edgar STEPHAN in Zeitschrift für Heereskunde, issue 408, publisher of the German Society for Heereskunde eV, Ingolstadt
