fbpx
Wikipedia

War Merit Cross

November 02, 2023

For other uses, see War Merit Cross (disambiguation).

The War Merit Cross (German: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A "de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 by the Bundeswehr for its veterans.[1]

War Merit Cross
Kriegsverdienstkreuz (German)
Obverse of the War Merit Cross, 2nd Class
TypeMedal, neck order
Awarded forMeritorious service
Country Germany
Presented bythe Führer
EligibilityGerman military and civilian personnel
Campaign(s)World War II
Established1939 (1939)
Last awarded1945
Precedence
Next (higher)Iron Cross
RelatedWar Merit Medal

History edit

 
The German War Merit Cross (1939–45)

This award was created by Adolf Hitler in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars (similar medal but with a different ribbon). The award was graded in the same manner as the Iron Cross: War Merit Cross Second Class, War Merit Cross First Class, and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross.[2] The award had two variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service "not in direct connection with combat", and without swords given to civilians for meritorious service in "furtherance of the war effort". Recipients had to have the lower grade of the award before getting the next level.[3][4]

The wearing of Nazi era decorations was banned in Germany after the war, as was any display of the swastika. Veterans awarded the War Merit Cross were therefore unable to wear it, either in uniform or – publicly – on civilian dress. In 1957 the Federal Republic of Germany authorised alternative 'de-nazified' replacement versions of World War II period war decorations. These could be worn both on Bundeswehr uniform and in civilian dress. The new version of the War Merit Cross replaced the swastika on the obverse central disc of the cross with the date "1939" (as on the reverse disc of the original version), the reverse disc being blank. The wearing of Nazi era decorations in any form continued to be banned in the German Democratic Republic until German reunification in 1990.

Criteria edit

The ribbon of the War Merit Cross was in red-white-black-white-red; that was, the red and black colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross. The ribbon for the War Merit Medal was similar, but with a narrow vertical red strip in the center of the black field.[5] Soldiers who earned the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords wore a small crossed-swords device on the ribbon. The War Merit Cross 1st Class was a pin-backed medal worn on the pocket of the tunic (like the Iron Cross 1st Class). The ribbon of the War Merit Cross 2nd Class could be worn like the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class (through the second buttonhole).[3] Nonetheless combat soldiers tended to hold the War Merit Cross in low regard, referring to its wearers as being in 'Iron Cross Training'.[6] The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was a neck order and worn the same way as the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.[7]

There was one extra grade of the War Merit Cross, which was created at the suggestion of Albert Speer: The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold (German: Goldenes Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes), but this was never officially placed on the list of national awards as it came about in late 1944 and there was no time to officially promulgate the award before the war ended. The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold (without swords) was awarded 'on paper' to two recipients on 20 April 1945: Franz Hahne and Karl-Otto Saur.[8]

The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was considered to be ranked higher than the German Cross in silver, but below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.[7] A total of 118 awards of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with swords, and 137 awards without swords were awarded.[7] Considering the relative rarity of the award compared with the grades of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, it took on "extra meaning" it did not necessarily deserve, as it ranked below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.[7] For example, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring made a concerted effort to get Hitler to award him this order, much to Hitler's annoyance. In response, Hitler outlined a series of criteria governing the awarding of this decoration and the philosophy of such awards, and directed that "prominent party comrades" were not to be awarded with the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross (or similar decorations), and withdrew the proposed awards of this order to Gauleiter Erich Koch and Herbert Backe. Directing his comments at Göring personally, Hitler ordered that such attempts to gain this award be stopped.[7][9] Also, six persons received two Knights Crosses of the War Merit Cross (each one with and without Swords): Walter Brugmann, Julius Dorpmüller, Karl-Otto Saur, Albin Sawatzki, Walter Schreiber, and Walter Rohlandt.

Main article: War Merit Medal

Closely related to the War Merit Cross was the War Merit Medal (German: Kriegsverdienstmedaille), designated on 19 August 1940 for civilians to recognize outstanding service in the war effort.[10] It was usually awarded to those workers in factories who significantly exceeded work quotas. The War Merit Medal was awarded to Germans and non-Germans, to men and women. An estimated 4.9 million medals were awarded by the end of the war in Europe.[10]

Notable recipients edit

Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross edit

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

War Merit Cross edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Angolia 1987, pp. 300–305.
  2. ^ Angolia 1987, pp. 300–305, 336.
  3. ^ a b Angolia 1987, p. 300.
  4. ^ Ailsby 1987, pp. 75, 76.
  5. ^ Angolia 1987, pp. 300, 301, 336, 337.
  6. ^ Angolia 1987, p. 302.
  7. ^ a b c d e Angolia 1987, p. 308.
  8. ^ Angolia 1987, pp. 309, 310.
  9. ^ Ailsby 1987, p. 79.
  10. ^ a b Angolia 1987, p. 306.

References edit

  • Ailsby, Christopher (1987). Combat Medals of the Third Reich. Harpercollins. ISBN 978-0850598223.
  • Angolia, John (1987). For Führer and Fatherland: Military Awards of the Third Reich. R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 0912138149.

Further reading edit

  • Lumsden, Robin (2001). Medals and Decorations of Hitler's Germany. Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-178-1.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Kriegsverdienstkreuz (1939) at Wikimedia Commons

November 02, 2023
merit, cross, other, uses, disambiguation, german, kriegsverdienstkreuz, state, decoration, nazi, germany, during, world, conflict, issued, four, degrees, equivalent, civil, award, nazified, version, reissued, 1957, bundeswehr, veterans, kriegsverdienstkreuz, . For other uses see War Merit Cross disambiguation The War Merit Cross German Kriegsverdienstkreuz was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award A de Nazified version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 by the Bundeswehr for its veterans 1 War Merit CrossKriegsverdienstkreuz German Obverse of the War Merit Cross 2nd ClassTypeMedal neck orderAwarded forMeritorious serviceCountry GermanyPresented bythe FuhrerEligibilityGerman military and civilian personnelCampaign s World War IIEstablished1939 1939 Last awarded1945Ribbon barPrecedenceNext higher Iron CrossRelatedWar Merit Medal Contents 1 History 2 Criteria 3 Notable recipients 3 1 Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross 3 2 War Merit Cross 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory edit nbsp The German War Merit Cross 1939 45 This award was created by Adolf Hitler in October 1939 as a successor to the non combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars similar medal but with a different ribbon The award was graded in the same manner as the Iron Cross War Merit Cross Second Class War Merit Cross First Class and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross 2 The award had two variants with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service not in direct connection with combat and without swords given to civilians for meritorious service in furtherance of the war effort Recipients had to have the lower grade of the award before getting the next level 3 4 The wearing of Nazi era decorations was banned in Germany after the war as was any display of the swastika Veterans awarded the War Merit Cross were therefore unable to wear it either in uniform or publicly on civilian dress In 1957 the Federal Republic of Germany authorised alternative de nazified replacement versions of World War II period war decorations These could be worn both on Bundeswehr uniform and in civilian dress The new version of the War Merit Cross replaced the swastika on the obverse central disc of the cross with the date 1939 as on the reverse disc of the original version the reverse disc being blank The wearing of Nazi era decorations in any form continued to be banned in the German Democratic Republic until German reunification in 1990 Criteria editThe ribbon of the War Merit Cross was in red white black white red that was the red and black colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross The ribbon for the War Merit Medal was similar but with a narrow vertical red strip in the center of the black field 5 Soldiers who earned the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords wore a small crossed swords device on the ribbon The War Merit Cross 1st Class was a pin backed medal worn on the pocket of the tunic like the Iron Cross 1st Class The ribbon of the War Merit Cross 2nd Class could be worn like the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class through the second buttonhole 3 Nonetheless combat soldiers tended to hold the War Merit Cross in low regard referring to its wearers as being in Iron Cross Training 6 The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was a neck order and worn the same way as the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross 7 There was one extra grade of the War Merit Cross which was created at the suggestion of Albert Speer The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold German Goldenes Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes but this was never officially placed on the list of national awards as it came about in late 1944 and there was no time to officially promulgate the award before the war ended The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold without swords was awarded on paper to two recipients on 20 April 1945 Franz Hahne and Karl Otto Saur 8 The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was considered to be ranked higher than the German Cross in silver but below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross 7 A total of 118 awards of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with swords and 137 awards without swords were awarded 7 Considering the relative rarity of the award compared with the grades of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross it took on extra meaning it did not necessarily deserve as it ranked below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross 7 For example Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring made a concerted effort to get Hitler to award him this order much to Hitler s annoyance In response Hitler outlined a series of criteria governing the awarding of this decoration and the philosophy of such awards and directed that prominent party comrades were not to be awarded with the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross or similar decorations and withdrew the proposed awards of this order to Gauleiter Erich Koch and Herbert Backe Directing his comments at Goring personally Hitler ordered that such attempts to gain this award be stopped 7 9 Also six persons received two Knights Crosses of the War Merit Cross each one with and without Swords Walter Brugmann Julius Dorpmuller Karl Otto Saur Albin Sawatzki Walter Schreiber and Walter Rohlandt Main article War Merit Medal Closely related to the War Merit Cross was the War Merit Medal German Kriegsverdienstmedaille designated on 19 August 1940 for civilians to recognize outstanding service in the war effort 10 It was usually awarded to those workers in factories who significantly exceeded work quotas The War Merit Medal was awarded to Germans and non Germans to men and women An estimated 4 9 million medals were awarded by the end of the war in Europe 10 Notable recipients editKnights Cross of the War Merit Cross edit Gottlob Berger Wernher von Braun Walter Brugmann 2 time Knights Cross Kurt Daluege Georg Johannes Rickhey Walter Dornberger Julius Dorpmuller 2 time Knights Cross Franz Xaver Dorsch Franz Ritter von Epp Karl Hermann Frank Hans Georg von Friedeburg Wolf Heinrich Graf von Helldorff Hans Juttner Ernst Kaltenbrunner Hans Kammler Wilhelm Kube Posthumous Willy Messerschmitt Theo Morell Heinrich Muller Wilhelm Murr Franz Neuhausen Wilhelm Ohnesorge Franz von Papen Oswald Pohl Ferdinand Porsche Fritz Reinhardt Karl Otto Saur 2 time Knights Cross amp Knights Cross in Gold Walter Schreiber 2 time Knights Cross Otto Stapf Edmund Veesenmayer Walter Warlimont Otto Winkelmann War Merit Cross edit Alfred Ingemar Berndt 1st class Josef Blosche 2nd class with Swords Karl Bohm 2nd class Philipp Bouhler 1st class Hans Busch 2nd class Friedrich Buchardt 1st class with Swords Gunther Burstyn 1st class with Swords Adolf Butenandt 1st class Karlfried Graf Durckheim 2nd class Karl von Eberstein 1st class with Swords Adolf Eichmann 1st class with Swords Wilhelm Burgdorf 1st Class with Swords Reinhard Gehlen 1st class with Swords Ernst Girzick 2nd class Eugen Hadamovsky 1st class Karl Hanke 1st class Adolf Heusinger 1st class with Swords Reinhard Heydrich Posthumous 1st class with Swords Franz Josef Huber 1st class with Swords Friedrich Jeckeln 1st class with Swords Josias Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont 2nd class with Swords William Joyce 1st class Hasso von Manteuffel 2nd class Dr Josef Mengele 2nd class with Swords Wilhelm Mohnke 2nd class with Swords Arthur Nebe 1st class with Swords Egon von Neindorff 1st class with Swords Gustav Adolf Scheel 1st class with Swords Walter Schellenberg 1st class with Swords Kurt Schmidt 1st class with Swords Karl Eberhard Schongarth 1st class with Swords Hermann Senkowsky 1st class Josef Spacil 1st class with Swords Rudolf Toussaint 1st class with Swords Siegfried Uiberreither 1st class Notes edit Angolia 1987 pp 300 305 Angolia 1987 pp 300 305 336 a b Angolia 1987 p 300 Ailsby 1987 pp 75 76 Angolia 1987 pp 300 301 336 337 Angolia 1987 p 302 a b c d e Angolia 1987 p 308 Angolia 1987 pp 309 310 Ailsby 1987 p 79 a b Angolia 1987 p 306 References editAilsby Christopher 1987 Combat Medals of the Third Reich Harpercollins ISBN 978 0850598223 Angolia John 1987 For Fuhrer and Fatherland Military Awards of the Third Reich R James Bender Publishing ISBN 0912138149 Further reading editLumsden Robin 2001 Medals and Decorations of Hitler s Germany Airlife Publishing ISBN 1 84037 178 1 External links edit nbsp Media related to Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1939 at Wikimedia Commons Portals nbsp Arts nbsp Germany nbsp Numismatics nbsp Visual arts nbsp World War II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title War Merit Cross amp oldid 1182795682, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.