David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:21pm
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Distinguished Service Cro
The Distinguished Service Cross Second only to the Medal of Honor for Army personnel, this decoration was created by executive order on January 2 1918 and authorized by Congress on July 9, 1918. It is awarded to "a person who while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor; while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing or foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades." During World War I, approximately 100 awards of an early variation of this medal known as the "French" or "first" style were also given. In this form, the arms of the cross were ornamented with oak leaves, the eagle was mounted on a diamond-shaped plaque, and the scroll bore the words "E Pluribus Unum", rather than the present-day "For Valor".
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:21pm
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Citation Star (Silver Sta
Citation Star (Silver Star) On July 9, 1918, an Act of Congress authorized the wearing of a small (3/16") silver star upon the ribbon of a campaign medal by Army personnel. This was to indicate "a citation for gallantry in action, published in orders issued from the headquarters of a general officer, not warranting the award of a Medal of Honor or Distinguished Service Cross". World War I veterans who had received this award wore the device on the WWI Victory Medal. This was originally known in the Army as the "citation star", but was established as the Silver Star Medal in 1932. At this time, holders of a citation star were issued the new medal.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:30pm
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Deutsche Ehrendenkm
Deutsche Ehrendenkm?nze des Weltkrieges der Deutschen Ehrenlegion.
(German Honorary World War Commemorative Medal of the German Legion of Honour.) Awarded by the "Council of the Order" of the Union of Nationalist Soldiers to men or women who, during the 1st WW and after dutifully served the Fatherland.
This bronze medal, either gilded or coppered. Noteworthy is the portayal of the winged Victory crowning a German soldier on the obverse. The reverse shows the Iron Cross 1st Class with oak leaves around the lower rim of the medal. Along the upper edge of the medal is the text "F?RS VATERLAND" (For the Fatherland) in Gothic lettering. The ribbon is formed with the then German national colours.
For frontline troops a combat emblem was created for attachment to the ribbon : a gilt oak leaf wreath with a sword across.
This medal was first proposed in the autumn of 1917 but it took till 1921 before the "Council of the Order", which was to effect the actual awarding, was formed. Recipients had to pay for their medal themselves and could, if they so wished, be entered in the German Legion of Honour. This organization was divided in "Ritterschaften" (knight groups) and its members could call themselves "Ritter der Deutschen Ehrenlegion" (Knight of the German Legion of Honour).
Early in the Nazi era, by a decree of 15 May 1934, awards like these were forbidden and the German Legion of Honour joined the Kyffh?user-Bund (the official veterans' organization) soon after.
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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 12:32pm
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Das Baltenkreuz
Das Baltenkreuz (Baltic Cross) Awarded to the members of the Baltic militia (Landeswehr) and the German volunteer units in the Baltic area that, before 1 July 1919, had been for at least 3 months "under fire" (i.e. on active service and having participated in fighting) in the Baltic countries.
It is a black oxydized metal cross with a gilt 'Hochmeister" of the German Knighthood Order cross, ending in lilies, on top of it. The reverse is plain.
There was only one "class" of this award, but it could be worn as either a breast pin or from a white ribbon with a central blue band and blue stripes near the ribbon's edge. This gives rise to some notations as the ribbon-hung issue being a "2nd Class", similar to the Iron Cross, but there was only the one class.
The Baltic cross was instituted in the summer of 1919 by the "Baltische Nationalausschu?" in commemoration of the Baltic liberation fights in 1918-19 (in S?dlivland and Kurland). This Nationalausschu? was the political representation of the German Baltic population in Latvia at the time. In total 21,839 crosses were issued. It was only on 16 May 1933 that the Baltic Cross was officially recognized as an offical German award.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:34pm
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Order of the Black Eagle
Order of the Black Eagle, was the highest chivalric order in Prussia. Founded in 1701 by Friedrich I, the Black Eagle Order was not awarded for merit in the same sense as the Pour le M?rite, but was a "Collar" order with very limited membership, granted by the King of Prussia.
The Black Eagle figures into the Great War very little, since it was granted only to royalty and high heads of state, such as Kaiser Wilhelm, his sons, and Field Marshall von Hindenburg. We include it here for two reasons: (1) You may see it worn at the neck in formal pose photographs of the men named above, and wonder if it was a variant of the Pour le M?rite (it isn't), and (2) The strong similarity of the design with the more familiar Pour le M?rite (Prussia's highest gallantry award) can easily be seen.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:35pm
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Pour le M
Pour le M?rite. The "Blue Max" is among the most famous decorations of all time. It was Prussia's highest military award, given not for individual acts of gallantry, but for repeated and continual gallantry in action. Although the Pour le M?rite has a civilian version (still awarded to this day), it is almost considered to be an entirely different decoration. The award could be made with a golden oak leaves device on the suspension ring - a distinction added for exceptional merit, usually to recipients of high rank. There was also a Grand Cross of the order, but it was not used during World War I. There were 1,687 awarded during the First World War, 122 with oak leaves. The Pour le M?rite was different than many bravery awards in that it could not be awarded posthumously. The recipient needed to be alive. Many German servicemen died while the paperwork for their Blue Max was being considered and as such were never 'credited' with the award even though they might have been had they lived. Also, unlike other awards, the Pour le M?rite was to be worn whenever the recipient was in uniform and not just on dress occasions. For that reason, many Blue Max crosses show signs of considerable wear and tear.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:35pm
Rating: 10
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Royal Hohenzollern House
Royal Hohenzollern House Order, as its name implies, was not so much a Prussian order as an order of the Prussian ruling family, the Hohenzollerns. Nonetheless, this order earned an important place in the heirarchy of Prussian military awards of the First World War. The knight's cross of this order became a bridge to the considerable gap between the Iron Cross, first class, and the Pour le Merite for recognizing heroism., while the Crown Order and Red Eagle (logical choices) remained fairly exclusive.
There was also a "member's cross" of the order which was available to non-commissioned officers, but was rarely awarded. When awarded for duty in a combat unit or for combat operations, the decoration had swords between the arms of the cross. There were over 8,000 awards made during World War I, the vast majority of them knight's crosses.
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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 12:37pm
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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 12:39pm
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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 Military Order of Mar
The Military Order of Maria Theresa. Founded by the Empress Maria Theresa on 22 June 1757 as a reward for merit for senior military officers. The order was to be granted as a reward for acts of military valor and to perpetuate the memory of the brave officers receiving it. An officer had to command in a battle or a unit in a winning action to be eligible for the higher grades. For even the lowest class (Knight) an officer had to perform highly significant feats of valor and extreme devotion to duty, to be considered for the Order . With such strict requirements, the Order was sparingly awarded. As with many high orders the decoration was to be returned to the Chancellery of the Order on the death of the holder.
Like most Austrian Orders, it came in three classes or grades:
Knights Grand Cross: worn from the neck, or on an equal-striped red/white/red sash for more formal occasions. Included a breast star. Image of Franz Josef wearing Grand Cross.
Knights Commander: cross worn from the neck.
Knights: cross worn on left breast, suspended from its ribbon. Since the mid 1800s, the ribbons of Austrian awards were folded in a distictive triangular (dreiecks) shape. It was peculiarly Austrian but also copied by some nations under her cultural or military influence.
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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 12:41pm
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The Austrian Order of the
The Austrian Order of the Iron Crown - This was the the most commonly awarded Austrian Order during the Great War era. During the latter part of the war, the Order of the Iron Crown functioned as an officer's bravery award. Unlike most orders, it came to be awarded more than once to the same recipient -- taking on more the characteristics of a bravery - medal - than a chivalric - Order-.
Originally an Italian Order (the Coronne de Fer), the Iron Crown came into Austrian use when Austria resumed control of Northern Italy in 1815 following the defeat of Napoleon's forces. Like many other chivalric orders, there was originally to be limited membership: 20 First Class, 30 Second and 50 Third Class, but the number greatly increased with time. Even though Austria lost most all her Italian territories in the various "little" wars between 1859-70 , Austria retained use of the Iron Crown as an "all purpose" order.
The First Class emblem was larger than the other two and worn in ceremonial occasions on a golden yellow sash with two thin blue stripes near the edges, shown here in a 19th cent. engraving.The Second Class emblem was larger than the Knight's and worn from the neck, as seen here. The Third Class, or Knight's, was worn on the breast from the yellow and blue ribbon.
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