David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:08pm
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Ordine della Santissima A
Ordine della Santissima Annunziata: one of the greatest chivalric orders of all times, comparable to the Habsburg's Golden Fleece, the Order of the Garter and the Supreme Order of Christ. While very exclusive, the collar was bestowed upon high ranking generals.
Established in 1362 by Amedeo VI of Savoy ("the Green Count"). While the founder had originally conceived an overall number of 15 members to honour the 15 "delights" of the Blessed Virgin (14 knights plus the Grand Master), in 1869 King Vittorio Emanuele II raised the number of knights from 14 to 20; but the Grand Master, the princes of his royal blood, clergymen and foreigners were supposed to be calculated as an extra to this fixed number. Untill the fall of monarchy, the Knighthood of the Holy Annunciation equalled nobility, and gave right to the title of "Excellency" and "Cousin of the King", with precedence, in all ceremonies, over the highest offices of state. The Annunziata's collar could be conferred on non-nobles, but not on non-catholics: this because of its deeply religious origins, and since the knights had many religious duties. Each collar exists in two versions: a greater one (to be used on New Year's Day, on Annunciation Day, on national holidays and in all solemn court cerimonies) and a smaller (for all other occasions). Collars were to be returned to the King after the death of a Knight. Nevertheless, during last decades many collars went missing, as the Duce's (Benito Mussolini) one. Although the medallion is worn suspended to a golden collar, a ribbon to be used on uniforms was indeed instituted by Royal Decree in 1924: it is purple (better: amaranthine) and bears a small golden badge (four-leaved clover-shaped) depicting the Annunciation "en miniature".
During the monarchy, this was to be placed above all other merits and awards. After the fall of monarchy the Italian Republican Government obviously denied acknowledgement of this order, which was never discontinued, being dynastic patrimony of the existing House of Savoy, and ist still, though very seldom, conferred.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:30pm
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Das Kolonialabzeichen
Das Kolonialabzeichen. The Colonial Badge, also called Elephantenorden (Elephant's Order). Awarded to all German colonials who, during the 1st WW and in the former German colonies, were acting or serving on behalf of the colonies.
This silvered badge made of copper or aluminium has on the obverse a palm tree and an elephant. The lower part of the badge is covered with oak leaves and around the upper rim are the place names "S?DSEE * AFRIKA * KIAUTSCHOU" referring to the larger areas where German colonies were situated. The pin backed reverse has only the text "GES. GESCH?TZT NR. 33992" (Legally protected Nr. 33992).
This official decoration was instituted in October 1921 and was to be purchased by the recipient. By 21 November 1936 some 8,000 were issued and it is safe to assume that few later awards took place.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:34pm
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Iron Cross
Iron Cross. Originally created in 1813 by King Fredrick III during Prussia's period of 'blood and iron' -- their struggle for survival against Napoleon. The award was to supersede all other bravery awards and only during times of war. The Iron Cross was re-issued during the Franco-Prussina war (1870-71). The 1914 Iron Cross was established in three classes: second class, first class (shown above), and Grand Cross. The Grand Cross was of the same design, but physically larger and worn at the neck. In 1916, the grand cross was augmented with a breast star, which was bestowed upon only one recipient - Field Marshall Von Hindenburg. The second class and Grand Cross are suspended from a black and white ribbon, while the first class is a pinback badge worn on the left side of the uniform. The second class cross was usually only worn in dress uniform - at all other times it was represented by its ribbon looped through the second buttonhole of the tunic. There were approximately 218,000 awards of the first class during WWI, and over 5,000,000 of the second class. There were only five recipients of the Grand Cross, including Hindenburg, and of course, the Kaiser himself.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:36pm
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Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Red Eagle. In the 1700s, the Order of the Brandenburger Red Eagle, passed in the Prussian Orders system, eventually settling just below the Pour le M?rite in prestige. Prior to the First World War, the Order of the Red Eagle (with Grand Cross, & 4 classes ) was awarded to recognize valor in combat or excellence in military leadership. It was, as with the Order of the Crown and other Prussian orders, both a military and a civil award, with the addition of crossed swords to indicate a military award.
The 1st Class badge differed from the lower classes in that it was a white enameled maltese cross with red and gold eagles between the arms. The lower classes' badge was the flat-ended St. George style cross, without eagles.
During World War I, award of the Red Eagle Order was limited somewhat in order to preserve its prestige. The 3rd and 4th classas were awarded only 116 times. (Click here to see a 4th Class cross, w/o swords and with the order's peacetime ribbon). Manfred von Richtofen, the famed "Red Baron," received the third class of the order with both crown and swords- an unusually high honor for a mere captain, even if he was a hero and a baron.
There was also a medal of the order, which could be awarded to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:36pm
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Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown. Instituted in 1861, the Order of the Crown was Prussia's lowest ranking order of chivalry, although it still held considerable status. As with most European orders of the time, it could only be awarded to commissioned officers (or civilians of approximately equivalent status), but there was a medal associated with the order which could be earned by non- commissioned officers and enlisted men. This order was not frequently awarded for combat actions during the war, although awards "with swords" were made in great numbers to military personnel, for general merit. Shown above is the 4th class badge, with gilt cross arms. The higher grades had white enamel arms.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:36pm
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The Prussian Pilot's Badg
The Prussian Pilot's Badge. While the Pilot's Badge was more of skills insignia and not strictly an awardIt was not automatic that a new pilot would be issued his badge upon completion of flight training. During the war, a man was expected to have completed some actual combat flying before his Pilot's Badge would be awarded. Many pilots flew active combat missions without having been 'awarded' their Pilot's Badge.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:37pm
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The Prussian Observers Ba
The Prussian Observers Badge, like the Pilot's Badge described above, the Observer's Badge was not strictly an achievement award. Observers training was longer and more rigorous than pilot training, so the Observer's Badge carried a status somewhat akin to an achievement award. It features an enameled Prussian "signal flag" in the center, surrounded by a red border, and fixed to abackground piece with a "starburst" design with a spray of laurels and oakleaves. The Prussian crown surmounts the design. German aviation obervers were almost always officers while during the early war years, pilot were frequently enlisted personnnel and ordered where to go and how to fly by the officer. The Kingdom of Bavaria had a coresponding badge for its own observers and is not shown here.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:37pm
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German Army Wound Badge
German Army Wound Badge. During the summer of 1918, almost 4 years after the start of the war, the German Army authorized the design and distribution of an official badge that could be worn by those military personnel wounded during the war. The badge came in three grades "black" for 1 or 2 wounds, "silver" for 3-5, and in "gold" for those that permanently crippled or disfigured or having been wounded more than 5 or more times. The Army design features a "Stahlhelm" or steel helmet in the center, surrounded by a spray of oakleaves. The Navy authorized a similar design at the same time, but with a large fouled anchor in the center instead of a helmet.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:39pm
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The Order of the Golden F
The Order of the Golden Fleece - One of the most ancient of chivilaric knighthood orders. The Order was of such limited membership as to lie outside this study, but is included here for identification.
- Established in 1430 by Duke Phillip III of Burgundy, the Order came be an Austrian Order (or more properly, a Habsburg Order) when Maximillian of Habsburg (husband of Marie, Phillip's granddaughter) became Sovereign of the Order. Membership was always stricly limited, and usually only extended to members of the Imperial family and the highest of the nobility in Austria and abroad. As with other ancient knighthood orders, this Order comes in only one grade. The badge, a gold 'fleece' suspended from a highly stylized "B" (for Burgundy) was worn from the neck on a scarlet ribbon.
Following the split in the Habsburg house into Spanish and Austrian branches, there came to be both an Austrian Order and a Spanish Order. Both are still in existence today. One had to be Catholic and of good character to receive it. Except for Imperial archdukes and foreign nobility it was usually only given late in life as a reward for a lifetime of service to the Imperial family.
The last Habsburg emperor, Karl (1916-1918), awarded seven knighthoods to the order after he was removed as Emperor and before his death in 1922. Karl's grandson, Otto, presides as Sovereign of the Order today.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:40pm
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The Austrian Imperial Leo
The Austrian Imperial Leopold Order - Established by Emperor Francis I in 1808 in honor of his father, Leopold, who reigned as Emperor for only two years. The Order was intended to provide the Empire with an order that was a bit more 'available' than the existing senior orders (see above) at the time.
The Knights Grand Cross were also addressed by the Emperor (as Grand Master of the Order) as "Cousin" as with Grand Cross members of the St. Stephen Order. Collars and insignia were returnable upon death of the member, the collar to the Grand Master and the insignia to the Registar.
The badge consists of a red enameled cross, with white enamel edging. In the medallion at the center of the cross are the initials FJA, in gold, on a red enamel background. In the ribband is the text "INTEGRITATE ET MERITO". The ribbon of the Order is red with two thin white edge stripes. There were three grades: Knight Grand Cross, (19th cent. engraving of obverse, and reverse) Knight Commander and Knight Ordinary.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:42pm
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Milit
Milit?r-Verdienstkreuz (Cross for Military Merit) Awarded to officers, in peace time, for distinguished service through zeal and perseverance, in war time for valour and fine leadership. The cross, in white enamel with red enamel borders, was originally instituted on 21 October 1849 by Emperor Franz Joseph I and in 1860 the "Kriegsdekoration" (War Decoration), a gilded laurel wreath appearing between the arms of the cross, was added for distinction in action. On 23 September 1914 the decoration was reorganized into three classes :
1st Class becoming a breast pin cross (only for general officers
commanding at least an army corps),
2nd Class a neck badge
3rd Class a breast badge.
On 13 December 1916 crossed gilt swords to be attached on the ribbon were instituted while from 1 August 1917 onwards, subsequent awards of the 3rd Class could be identified by trapeze shaped, gilt bars. The obverse medaillon of the cross bears the word "VER / DIENST" (Merit), the reverse is in plain white enamel.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:45pm
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Austrian Pilots Badge
Austrian Pilots Badge: This is the Austro-Hungarian Army pilots badge worn during the early and mid-war years. The badge is of two-piece construction and features gilting and enammeling and is one of the prettiest of WWI avaition badges. In the center is an eagle flying over the landscape and looking for prey. The leaves represent a spray of oakleaves. Several German pilots flying with Austrian units and passing Austrian flight qualifications and examinations wore this badge. Manfred von Richtofen was one of these, and during the early part of his carreer flew observation planes on the Russian front.
Following the death of Franz Joseph in 1916, and the ascension of his nephew Karl to the imperial throne, the design of Austrian pilots badges was changed. The new badge, had Karl's cypher in the shield at the bottom and two crowns at the top.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:47pm
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The Turkish War Medal
The Turkish War Medal of 1915. This medal is referred to by a number of informal names. Commonwealth nations often call it the "Gallipoli Star" even though it was not a campaign medal specifically for that battle. Another informal name is the "Iron Crescent," as it functioned similarly to Prussia's Iron Cross. The medal was given from 1915 until the end of the war, for acts of bravery or merit in action. Recipients of the Imtiaz and Liyakat medal were automatically eligible for this medal. The medal is a star-shaped pin back badge of white metal (not iron), with a raised crescent around the bottom center, and the "Toughra" or monogram of the Sultan in the center. The flat surfaces of the badge were finished in a thin opaque red enamel. The War Medal was worn pinned to the tunic in a manner similar to the Iron Cross, and not suspended from a ribbon. There was a ribbon (red with white side stripes) which was worn in the second button hole (like the Iron Cross 2nd Class) when the star itself was not worn.
Because the medal was frequently awarded to German and Austrian personnel who served with the Turkish forces during WW1, many unofficial variants were made in Germany and elsewhere, of varying quality, but usually of higher quality than the originals. This difference in quality had led some early authors to speculate that there were two classes of the War Medal -- poor quality copies for enlisted men, nicer copies for officers. In fact there was only one class.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:48pm
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The Osmanie Order
The Osmanie Order, Order of the Ottoman Empire, was founded in 1861. Although not the highest ranking Ottoman order, it was the highest one that most officers of the Great War were likely to see. This Order was also bestowed on British officers (before the Ottoman diplomatic shift towards Germany) for service to the Ottoman empire in Egypt and the Sudan. It consisted of a seven-pointed star in silver with green enamel, and silver rays between the points. The center medallion was red enameled gilt or gold, with a raised crescent around the bottom, and an ornate calligraphic inscription. The badge was suspended by a device in the form of a crescent and star, and used a ribbon of bright green with red border stripes. Military awards of this order bore a pair of crossed sabers superimposed over the star shaped portion of the badge. The Order came in four classes.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:49pm
Rating: 10
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The Order of Medjid
The Order of Medjid, founded in 1852, was the lowest ranking Ottoman order, but nonetheless was considered prestigious. It was frequently awarded to German officers who served in Turkey during WW1. The Order was also bestowed on British subjects well prior to the war for service in Egypt and in the Crimean War. The badge consisted of a silver seven-pointed star, with small crescents and stars between the rays. In the center was a gold (or gilt) medallion with the Sultan's "Toughra," surrounded by a red-enameled gold ring with the words "Zeal, Devotion, Loyalty" in arabic script. The badge is suspended by a red-enameled crescent and star device, on a red ribbon with green borders. The Order came in five classes.
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