When I was stationed in Germany in the 90's, I had the rare and unbelievable opportunity to meet a tank veteran of the 501st Abteilung. He was in the 501st from the beginning and managed to survive serving with the unit during its campaigns in North Africa, Russia, the retreat through Poland and finally in Germany itself. We got to be friends and as having served in Desert Storm myself, we could relate as combat veterans through our similar desert experience. One thing that he mentioned to me during our discussions was that one of the reasons soldiers made sure they wore certain medals at all times was due to the fact that at times the bearer of certain awards rated special privileges. One example he relayed to me was that higher awards at times rated higher priority for medical aid if they were wounded. He also stated that during the unit's evacuation from North Africa, wounded soldiers with certain awards were evacuated ahead of others. He was both a respected local business owner and professor so I had little reason to doubt him as I know certain awards in the Soviet Union provided certain benefits after WWII. I hope this helps and thank you for the very informative video.
My great grandfather was awarded the iron cross 1st class, he was very proud to have it, and was almost shot for refusing to give it up to a American when he surrendered
@@drownindesigner served in the 7th panzer division under rommel in the invasion of France, earned the second class for Partaking in rommels 200 mile push. Was transferred to the eastern front where he served until August of 44 when he went to fight the Americans
The Germans also had medals and ribbons to commemorate taking part in certain events like the Anschluss or construction of the Atlantic wall. I could be remembering this wrong but I think even forced labourers where eligible for receiving that one
The KvK (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was even awarded to jewish concentration camp inmates. A lot of hidden history out there. How is it that you risk jail in european countries for things that israeli history prof Yehuda Bauer (who works with Yad Vashem) states since atleast 1992 ? In my pov germany is still occupied and being genocided. Also interesting: Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military (Modern War Studies), 2002 by Bryan Mark Rigg.
The following books are interesting and a good start: Macciavelli: The prince (1532) Gustave Le Bon: Psychology of the Masses (1895) Vladimir Lenin: What to be done Lenin (1902) [just in the progress of reading it but so far i can recommend it] WALTER LIPPMANN: PUBLIC OPINION (1921) Theodore N. Kaufman: Germany must perish (1941) Earnest Hooton: Hooton Plan (1943) Louis Nizer: What to do with germany (1944) Legions of Death by Rupert Butler, 1983, p.236-237 (Torture of Rudolf Hess) Dr. Michael F. Connors: Dealing in Hate. The Development of Anti-German Propaganda. (1966, 1979, 1996) Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military (Modern War Studies) (2002) Taken by Force: Rape and American GIs in Europe in World War II (2007) Professor R. M. Douglas: "Orderly And Humane" (2013) The London Cage: The Secret History of Britain's World War II Interrogation Centre (2017) Miriam Gebhardt: Crimes Unspoken: The Rape of German Women at the End of the Second World War (2017) Elie Wiesel Night (especially he differences between the french and english to the german version, he got the nobel peace price on behalf of the german goverment for it though) Books by Alfred-Maurice de Zayas on this topic in general are quite interesting. The brittish torture camp in Bad Nenndorf is also quite interesting as is the story of Shlomo Morel. There were other, simmilar camps but informations are hard to find and to my understanding classified for "national security" and "national interest" reasons (the uk even destroyed archives they had to make public about that time although they had to make it public by their own law). Supposedly the "german white book" is also factual (for me hard to tell but enemies of the nazis said so). A very interesting read and it includes the US involvment since 1939 and before. I don`t talk about the holocaust.
My Great uncle won the Knights Cross in the Luftwaffe. Also the German cross in gold. Anton Rudolph Piffer. He defended Germany against Allied bombing but died over Normandy in 1944. I am very proud to be related to him.
You can read about his exploits on the web After being eventually shot down he won the Knights cross posthumously. The family story goes that my great grandmother in grief took down the picture of Hitler Austrians had to have up replacing it with the Catholic Cross. She was betrayed to the Gestapo but avoided punishment because of her sons hero status. His brothers story is also intense. Fighting on the Russian front he was captured during the Stalingrad battles and survived a Soviet gulag being exchanged and 'rescued' by America. The same people his brother was shooting down! He wont have a bad word spoken about America. US troops also lived with the family after VE and apparently were very decent and respectful. I blame Hitler and Georing for wasting the lives of talented brave young people and making enemies of those who should have been friends. To the lost. Never forget
@@catharperfect7036 It was strange growing up in England with this ancestral history. My Grandmother used to show me photos of him getting into his 190 'Black 4' he flew with JD 1 out of Holland and developed the technique of attacking bomber formations head on to break them up and confuse the gunners. Imagine doing that. Nuts
I came here thinking it would just be a guide to medals, instead got tons of info in regards to modern portrayals and their actual value to soldiers. Excellent video and analysis, subscribed
I teach classes on various subjects of the Third Reich here in WY, CO and KS and I am delighted and impressed by your presentation. You researched well your material and explained it in detail. I am honored to be able to watch this video and subscribe to your channel. Thank you for your hard work and attention to detail and history!
This video should be named "History of german Combat Awards". The title does not give the impression of such an in depth video. I thought i would be watching something like a top ten list. A suprisingly great video, nice!
I thought I knew everything about these awards, but I was suprised with the numerals on the General Assault Badge and Tank Badge. Sometimes these small but also major things slip under the radar. Great video!
I wonder how "superior" Knight's Cross holders felt compared to Iron Cross holders, and whether the allure of the Knight's Cross was a strong incentive to become an officer, especially after the class divisions of the old Imperial German army. Great video and channel!
The gulf between EKI and EKII and the Ritterkreuz was indeed a large one - so large in fact that the German Cross in Gold was created to bridge the gap. The EKII was so widely awarded that it was close to being little more than an indication of competence and perhaps also combat service. Propaganda depictions of German troops almost invariably show them with an EKII ribbon in a buttonhole, the suggestion being that those without it were not fully soldiers. The EKI was rarer but not that rare - a combat officer or senior NCO who did not have it was perhaps regarded as not fully proved or lacking in some way. The Ritterkreuz was more often awarded to officers but could be awarded to NCOs and even privates. Men eager for military glory were sometimes referred to as having "sore throats". In the film "Cross of Iron" Stransky's coveting of the Iron Cross is hard to understand - the EKII was almost an automatic award if you weren't hopelessly incompetent or cowardly (but perhaps Stransky is) and the EKI was not much rarer. It was the Ritterkreuz that was really coveted. German troops sometimes feared being commanded by someone with a "sore throat" as they might undertake risky military operations in their quest for glory, and get their men killed.
@@stevekaczynski3793 A bit far fetched. A lot of soldriers awarded with the Ritterkreuz said their comrades were just as brave as them. The medal held in highest esteem was the Nahkampfspange
P.s. could you recommend any source for information regarding the German equestrian badge as I've not had much luck finding any myself? Thanks for the great content👍
There is one grade of the Iron Cross you left out;The Star Of The Grand Cross Of The Iron Cross. This was only awarded to two people throughout history Gebhard Von Blucher and Paul Von Hindenburg. The Third Reich did make their own variant but it was only a prototype. The US army put it up on display in the Museum of West Point Military Academy in New York.
17:51 - A Sonderführer. They were specialists of NCO or officer grade but without command responsibility. They were often language interpreters, veterinarians, engineers etc.
@@HandGrenadeDivision The guy in the photo was a Z level Sonderführer and they were equivalent to the Wehrmacht rank of Leutnant. The photo was taken between 1940 and 1942. During that period Z level ones were given shoulder straps that resembled those of Leutnants, but with a chevron pattern in the cloth. After that date they reverted to a narrow shoulder strap that had been the uniform pattern prior to 1940 - the German attitude was that Sonderführers should be encouraged to gain actual officers' commissions but not have uniforms that actually suggested they had officer status.
EXCELLENT presentation. For a long time, I have admired the uniform of the German military of WWII. Especially the officers. This video taught me more than any other, by far, about the uniform, and especially the decorations. Please do one, if able, about the rank insignia for all. Heer, Luftwaffe, Kreigsmarine, SA, and others. Include the colors and their meanings. I know it's a lot to ask, but I had to, since THIS video was so well done, and explained! Again, FANTASTIC job. I know it likely took a good while to do. It was worth it!
Beautifully and expertly made. Very poignant and interesting. Would be interested in seeing perhaps a briefer look at Italian decorations but truly great work.
Absolutely admire your videos,your animated soldiers donning uniforms in the previous video about Schutzstaffel gave me a sense of nostalgia,if you will. The animated soldiers looked eerily similar to the paramedic training videos we were shown years back, Anyway,its refreshing to see videos so simple and elaborate like yours,subscribed
Superb presentation with no agenda either way that I saw, please don't stop uploading young man as you're offering the world a more accurate and honest view than many of the so-called eminent historians. Best wishes 🙏 #OurHistory ☘️
A break down of the Imperial Japanese Army rank Structure would be an excellent video and a follow up on the Italian Army which would be a complete guide on the axis
Very good video and totally agree with you. From what I've read, probably not as much as you but still, I think that most soldiers thought that their awards were prestigious and they felt honored to receive them. And that's quite normal. People want to be appreciated. It's a normal human thing. Even considering the regime. I think that Napoleon said something like: "Give me enough medals and I'll conquer any fortress''. And he of course is right. Keep it up with the nice work!
The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds was awarded largely to air force fighter pilots and a few to 'very senior army commanders'. *sad Rommel noises*
An excellent though troubling video for me. Separating good soldiering from evil Nazism is not easy. The challenge for armies since 1945 has been to create the first without the second. The challenge for historians is to examine the first without glorifying or ignoring the second. I think you hit the spot but worry many viewers will see it as nazi war porn.
I was friends with Jerry spear and and the rest of the reenacting members of GD when Jerry came up with the idea and made it happen, he took alot of pride and making an old soldier happy, he was a US Army soldier so he knew what those awards meant . RIP Jerry
The medaks were given for service not favors or just participation. The higher and rarer a medal, the honor it recognizes It is noteworthy the men were celebrated - AAD thus is the case for both deaths and heroism they portray. In like manner WE ought to bring to mind our heroic men this Veterans Day. Thanks for the video..
Great video! :) As always, you do an amazing job covering neglected stories of the German side. While it’s a minor topic and sources might be hard to find, would it be possible to cover a bit more on the intentional defacement of badges you mentioned? How common was it, how it became a “standard” for signifying what it did, how was it seen by those that still believed in the cause? I imagine wandering around with a sign saying:”this shit is lost boys” could lead to unwanted attention from the more zealous parts of command
Those are all great questions and observations, sadly I can only say I have the same questions. I think many little details like that may be lost forever as the ranks of the men who fought the war trickle down to nothing. But - and Jason Mark would probably agree - you never know what nugget you will find on a deep dive through an archive. So much out there to be discovered.
Was it deliberate defacement, though, or the result of wear and tear, a hit by a shell or grenade splinter etc.? I imagine those other explanations would give a deliberate defacer a certain amount of plausible deniability.
Deliberately defacing a military decoration might be heavily punished in a place like the Third Reich. A parallel from Britain in WW1 was Siegfried Sassoon throwing away the ribbon of his Military Cross as a protest against the war (apparently he did not throw away the medal itself, as is sometimes stated). He was sent to a hospital for the shell-shocked but he risked being court-martialled.
Just had a look at your channel - you have a new subscriber, and hopefully some of the friends I recommended your channel to will also subscribe. Very nice content. Thanks for taking the time to comment here.
This was a great video, I love it. My only problem was that you missed a few medals. Maybe your gonna make a part 2? That would be amazing. Wehrmacht Long Service Awards 1.(4 years) 2.(12 years) 3.(18 years) 4.(25 years) Pre War Territorial commemoration Medals 1. Anschluss Medal, Austria 2. Sudetenland Medal, Czechoslovakia 3. Memel Land Medal, Lithuania Campaign Medals 1. German Italio Afrika Medal, Made by the Italian government to those who serviced in North Africa Campaign 2. West Wall Medal, For those who helped Create and served on the Siegfried defence line on the German western boarder and those who helped make the Atlantic Wall for D-Day
@@HandGrenadeDivision Touché my friend, still they were Worth covering. Part 2 maybe? Also I fucking dare you to do a video covering all of Herman Goerings medals/awards. That man had more decorations then a Christmas tree.
Most soldiers hold their decorations in high regard and combat awards the most. Even though the USSR was as murderous and evil as the Nazis, I’ve never heard of any soul searching by former Soviet soldiers over their combat decorations. The Iron Cross is over 200 years old, it was first awarded in 1813 during the Napoleonic wars and it was only awarded by the Nazi government for 5 1/2 years. No military in the world has completely clean hands or a perfect record. It would be just as ridiculous for the United States to get rid of the Medal of Honor because it was awarded to US soldiers for bravery during the Indian Wars.
The Iron cross always comes back in times of war for example after the Napoleonic wars it dissapeared and then came back for the Franco Prussian war the German military still uses it on vehicles and i bet in the next big war it will come back as an award
Earlier post-war German Movies showed much better the real relation German soldiers had towards their Awards and those of their fellow soldiers. The movie 08/15 Teil 2 is a fine example.
Disparaging names for medals given by recipients probably do not tell the whole story - they still seem to have worn them with pride. The Eastern Front Medal was nicknamed the "Order of the Frozen Meat" but it was awarded to Germans who made it through the 1941-2 winter on the Russian Front, and it seems to have been if anything more valued than wound badges and perhaps even the EKII. In "Cross Of Iron", Steiner wears his badges even while disparaging the Iron Cross.
Bernhard Trautmann was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, and then served as a paratrooper. He served first in Occupied Poland. He fought on the Eastern Front for three years, earning five medals, including an Iron Cross. Later in the war, he was transferred to the Western Front, where he was captured by the British as the war drew to a close. As a volunteer soldier, he was classified a category "C" prisoner by the authorities, meaning he was regarded as a Nazi. One of only 90 of his original 1,000-man regiment to survive the war, he was transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire. Trautmann refused an offer of repatriation, and following his release in 1948, settled in Lancashire, combining farm work with playing goalkeeper for a local football team, St Helens Town. Performances for St Helens gained Trautmann a reputation as an outstanding goalkeeper, resulting in interest from Football League clubs. In October 1949, he signed for Manchester City, a club playing in the country's highest level of football, the First Division. The club's decision to sign a former Axis paratrooper sparked protests, and 20,000 people attended a demonstration. Over time, he gained acceptance through his performances in the City goal, playing in all but five of the club's next 250 matches.
Awesome video. Think the award that Germans were awarded for their participation in the Spanish Civil War should have been included, but that may have been outside the scope of the video title.
18:05 - A German drawing prepared early in 1943 presenting generals fighting to the death in the Stalingrad pocket. In reality Paulus and 22 generals went into captivity.
It is interesting that only in the Napoleonic Wars did gallantry awards come in among the military. Prior to that elite commanders might receive membership of some order, like the Garter or the Golden Fleece, but nothing for the less exalted. As though only when mass armies came in was it decided that incentives were needed.
They literally collected pictures of people who recieving the Ritterkreutz like baseball cards. If that doesn't tell you about Germany's militarism, I don't know what will.
Paintings and drawings of generals and Ritterkreuz holders by the artist Wolfgang Willrich were also popular and may have been shrunk to similar card form.
People that actively seek combat awards usually don't live too long. Valor recipients don't try to "win" medals they're usually trying to keep themselves their fellow troops alive. If their actions were noted and they receive an award great, if not them and their fellow troops are alive and I assure you that's better than any combat award.
Great video, the Germans (et all) had a focus on kampfkraft and always focused on rewarding battle prowess. One of the main reasons the Germans remained loyal to Hitler and the Nazi regime was the awards they received, albeit no exclusively. The story of the broken infantry assault badge is interesting but I knew another version: it was made to symbolise the Stalingrad house-to-house close combat being that much harder, and winning an assault badge in Stalingrad was a higher award than receiving it anywhere else. Te combative nature of the German soldier is mentioned at the beginning of the [awful] book Rommel, by Desmong Young, when a group of German officers was bored somewhere around 1917, so they decided to attack the British trench in front of them and capture some prisoners. Back in their own trench, they made a trophy about the exploit saying something like "winners of the trench raid from whatever day".
Just as most people agree that the national socialist ('Nazi') ideology was very bad, most of those people also agree that German uniforms and German military awards were the best designed and best looking. I alway marvel at how nearly all the German awards look so good together because their position on the uniform and the colors and forms used were well-thought out and designed. Compare this with how a (nearly) full set of British military medals look like when worn together. It's a mass (mess) of rather indistinct looking colors of ribbons and metal. On the other hand, British officers still wear bright red flashy dinner jackets on formal occasions that give their medals a bit more shine and partially make up for the generally indistinct design of those medals.
There is a well known strong negative correlation between coolness of uniform and winning of wars. Leaders moustaches also cause problems but I think the graph might be an inverted U.
at 21:20 I am glad that you said the THREE services of the Wehrmacht. People often think the "Wehrmacht" was only the German army, "non-SS", when in fact it's the entire German armed forces. The Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe etc. were part OF the Wehrmacht
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Hitler declares war on the USA - Reichstag Speech of December 11, 1941 [german/ english subtitles]](/img/n.gif)
When I was stationed in Germany in the 90's, I had the rare and unbelievable opportunity to meet a tank veteran of the 501st Abteilung. He was in the 501st from the beginning and managed to survive serving with the unit during its campaigns in North Africa, Russia, the retreat through Poland and finally in Germany itself. We got to be friends and as having served in Desert Storm myself, we could relate as combat veterans through our similar desert experience.
One thing that he mentioned to me during our discussions was that one of the reasons soldiers made sure they wore certain medals at all times was due to the fact that at times the bearer of certain awards rated special privileges. One example he relayed to me was that higher awards at times rated higher priority for medical aid if they were wounded. He also stated that during the unit's evacuation from North Africa, wounded soldiers with certain awards were evacuated ahead of others. He was both a respected local business owner and professor so I had little reason to doubt him as I know certain awards in the Soviet Union provided certain benefits after WWII.
I hope this helps and thank you for the very informative video.
My great grandfather was awarded the iron cross 1st class, he was very proud to have it, and was almost shot for refusing to give it up to a American when he surrendered
Does he still have it
@@hadiissa2897 yeah, well I do. He left it to me after he passed in 2011 at 85
Anything more you know about him?
@@drownindesigner served in the 7th panzer division under rommel in the invasion of France, earned the second class for Partaking in rommels 200 mile push. Was transferred to the eastern front where he served until August of 44 when he went to fight the Americans
@@philswift8311 interesting. I respect your grandfather.
20:18 that broken badge fact is actually incredibly interesting and sincere.
The Germans also had medals and ribbons to commemorate taking part in certain events like the Anschluss or construction of the Atlantic wall. I could be remembering this wrong but I think even forced labourers where eligible for receiving that one
The Germans also had a decoration recognizing their service of personnel during the Spanish Civil War.
Dont forget the Mutters (Mothers) Cross where German women were awarded for each child they gave birth to in the service of the reich.
The KvK (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was even awarded to jewish concentration camp inmates.
A lot of hidden history out there.
How is it that you risk jail in european countries for things that israeli history prof Yehuda Bauer (who works with Yad Vashem)
states since atleast 1992 ?
In my pov germany is still occupied and being genocided.
Also interesting:
Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military (Modern War Studies), 2002 by Bryan Mark Rigg.
The following books are interesting and a good start:
Macciavelli: The prince (1532)
Gustave Le Bon: Psychology of the Masses (1895)
Vladimir Lenin: What to be done Lenin (1902)
[just in the progress of reading it but so far i can recommend it]
WALTER LIPPMANN: PUBLIC OPINION (1921)
Theodore N. Kaufman: Germany must perish (1941)
Earnest Hooton: Hooton Plan (1943)
Louis Nizer: What to do with germany (1944)
Legions of Death by Rupert Butler, 1983, p.236-237 (Torture of Rudolf Hess)
Dr. Michael F. Connors: Dealing in Hate. The Development of Anti-German Propaganda. (1966, 1979, 1996)
Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military (Modern War Studies)
(2002)
Taken by Force: Rape and American GIs in Europe in World War II (2007)
Professor R. M. Douglas: "Orderly And Humane" (2013)
The London Cage: The Secret History of Britain's World War II Interrogation Centre (2017)
Miriam Gebhardt: Crimes Unspoken: The Rape of German Women at the End of the Second World War (2017)
Elie Wiesel Night (especially he differences between the french and english to the german version, he got the nobel peace price on behalf of the german goverment for it though)
Books by Alfred-Maurice de Zayas on this topic in general are quite interesting.
The brittish torture camp in Bad Nenndorf is also quite interesting as is the story of Shlomo Morel.
There were other, simmilar camps but informations are hard to find and to my understanding classified for "national security" and "national interest" reasons (the uk even destroyed archives they had to make public about that time although they had to make it public by their own law).
Supposedly the "german white book" is also factual (for me hard to tell but enemies of the nazis said so). A very interesting read and it includes the US involvment since 1939 and before.
I don`t talk about the holocaust.
@@mrd7067 I also know very interesting book:
SS im Einsatz: Eine Dokumentation ueber die Verbrechen der SS. Berlin: Deutscher Militaer. 1967. :)
No German veteran should be ashamed of his medals I respect them ex British disabled service man.
I was just about to go to bed, guess I'll have to further postpone that.
My Great uncle won the Knights Cross in the Luftwaffe. Also the German cross in gold. Anton Rudolph Piffer. He defended Germany against Allied bombing but died over Normandy in 1944. I am very proud to be related to him.
Rudolph PIfler
I am also aware that many US and allied airmen lost their lives in these engagements and i am sorry for this. War is hell.
You can read about his exploits on the web After being eventually shot down he won the Knights cross posthumously. The family story goes that my great grandmother in grief took down the picture of Hitler Austrians had to have up replacing it with the Catholic Cross. She was betrayed to the Gestapo but avoided punishment because of her sons hero status. His brothers story is also intense. Fighting on the Russian front he was captured during the Stalingrad battles and survived a Soviet gulag being exchanged and 'rescued' by America. The same people his brother was shooting down! He wont have a bad word spoken about America. US troops also lived with the family after VE and apparently were very decent and respectful. I blame Hitler and Georing for wasting the lives of talented brave young people and making enemies of those who should have been friends. To the lost. Never forget
@@catharperfect7036 It was strange growing up in England with this ancestral history. My Grandmother used to show me photos of him getting into his 190 'Black 4' he flew with JD 1 out of Holland and developed the technique of attacking bomber formations head on to break them up and confuse the gunners. Imagine doing that. Nuts
You got great content here that not many people touch on, thank you so much
I came here thinking it would just be a guide to medals, instead got tons of info in regards to modern portrayals and their actual value to soldiers. Excellent video and analysis, subscribed
2 years later and I’m right in the same scenario.
The mere exsistance of this channel gives me hope
What a great name.
@@sgtmayhem7567 what does it mean?
Hope for what
@@badmonkey2222 For the perseverance of truth. What response are you trying to get?
One of the best channels on these kind of topics
I teach classes on various subjects of the Third Reich here in WY, CO and KS and I am delighted and impressed by your presentation. You researched well your material and explained it in detail. I am honored to be able to watch this video and subscribe to your channel. Thank you for your hard work and attention to detail and history!
Any soldier worth his salt whether a German or otherwise is proud of his awards.
These Hollywood movie scenes are nothing but propaganda.
Great video!
Very cool! This channel is so underrated
Really we should have reintroduced the iron cross, it has much more history than just WW2
SO HAPPY YOU UPLOADED!!!
This video should be named "History of german Combat Awards". The title does not give the impression of such an in depth video. I thought i would be watching something like a top ten list. A suprisingly great video, nice!
this is an insanely underrated ww2 channel
I thought I knew everything about these awards, but I was suprised with the numerals on the General Assault Badge and Tank Badge. Sometimes these small but also major things slip under the radar. Great video!
I wonder how "superior" Knight's Cross holders felt compared to Iron Cross holders, and whether the allure of the Knight's Cross was a strong incentive to become an officer, especially after the class divisions of the old Imperial German army.
Great video and channel!
The gulf between EKI and EKII and the Ritterkreuz was indeed a large one - so large in fact that the German Cross in Gold was created to bridge the gap. The EKII was so widely awarded that it was close to being little more than an indication of competence and perhaps also combat service. Propaganda depictions of German troops almost invariably show them with an EKII ribbon in a buttonhole, the suggestion being that those without it were not fully soldiers. The EKI was rarer but not that rare - a combat officer or senior NCO who did not have it was perhaps regarded as not fully proved or lacking in some way.
The Ritterkreuz was more often awarded to officers but could be awarded to NCOs and even privates. Men eager for military glory were sometimes referred to as having "sore throats". In the film "Cross of Iron" Stransky's coveting of the Iron Cross is hard to understand - the EKII was almost an automatic award if you weren't hopelessly incompetent or cowardly (but perhaps Stransky is) and the EKI was not much rarer. It was the Ritterkreuz that was really coveted. German troops sometimes feared being commanded by someone with a "sore throat" as they might undertake risky military operations in their quest for glory, and get their men killed.
@@stevekaczynski3793 A bit far fetched. A lot of soldriers awarded with the Ritterkreuz said their comrades were just as brave as them. The medal held in highest esteem was the Nahkampfspange
This video is so good compared to all the others I’ve seen, you went into detail about each badge and what it meant to the soldiers
Thank you for clarification. I’m sad to learn the German cross in gold I was given by a veteran was so rare. I wish I still had it.
Damnit. Bedtime can wait...
Ah well. This is always a treat.
Just got back from work and this is just what I needed, keep up the fantastic work Kamerad!!! 👍
P.s. could you recommend any source for information regarding the German equestrian badge as I've not had much luck finding any myself?
Thanks for the great content👍
This answered almost every question I had!
I would love to see a similar video like this but instead cover unusual or uncommon awards/insignia of the German Army.
Outstanding stuff - well researched, well presented, and a great choice of music. Top notch. Cheers.
There is one grade of the Iron Cross you left out;The Star Of The Grand Cross Of The Iron Cross. This was only awarded to two people throughout history Gebhard Von Blucher and Paul Von Hindenburg. The Third Reich did make their own variant but it was only a prototype. The US army put it up on display in the Museum of West Point Military Academy in New York.
By God you hit another homer run with this video
17:51 - A Sonderführer. They were specialists of NCO or officer grade but without command responsibility. They were often language interpreters, veterinarians, engineers etc.
Yes, I touched on these in my very first video, but perhaps that would be an appropriate subject to explore in more depth at some point in the future.
@@HandGrenadeDivision The guy in the photo was a Z level Sonderführer and they were equivalent to the Wehrmacht rank of Leutnant. The photo was taken between 1940 and 1942. During that period Z level ones were given shoulder straps that resembled those of Leutnants, but with a chevron pattern in the cloth. After that date they reverted to a narrow shoulder strap that had been the uniform pattern prior to 1940 - the German attitude was that Sonderführers should be encouraged to gain actual officers' commissions but not have uniforms that actually suggested they had officer status.
EXCELLENT presentation. For a long time, I have admired the uniform of the German military of WWII. Especially the officers. This video taught me more than any other, by far, about the uniform, and especially the decorations.
Please do one, if able, about the rank insignia for all. Heer, Luftwaffe, Kreigsmarine, SA, and others. Include the colors and their meanings. I know it's a lot to ask, but I had to, since THIS video was so well done, and explained! Again, FANTASTIC job. I know it likely took a good while to do. It was worth it!
Beautifully and expertly made. Very poignant and interesting. Would be interested in seeing perhaps a briefer look at Italian decorations but truly great work.
Absolutely admire your videos,your animated soldiers donning uniforms in the previous video about Schutzstaffel gave me a sense of nostalgia,if you will.
The animated soldiers looked eerily similar to the paramedic training videos we were shown years back,
Anyway,its refreshing to see videos so simple and elaborate like yours,subscribed
Hands down best video on you channel so far
Very good reference film that explains an often confused area of awards.
Superb presentation with no agenda either way that I saw, please don't stop uploading young man as you're offering the world a more accurate and honest view than many of the so-called eminent historians. Best wishes 🙏 #OurHistory ☘️
A break down of the Imperial Japanese Army rank Structure would be an excellent video and a follow up on the Italian Army which would be a complete guide on the axis
Very good video and totally agree with you. From what I've read, probably not as much as you but still, I think that most soldiers thought that their awards were prestigious and they felt honored to receive them. And that's quite normal. People want to be appreciated. It's a normal human thing. Even considering the regime. I think that Napoleon said something like: "Give me enough medals and I'll conquer any fortress''. And he of course is right.
Keep it up with the nice work!
Glad to see an upload!
This channel deserves more than 20mil subs
A brilliant analysis. Congratulations on an important historical piece .
The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds was awarded largely to air force fighter pilots and a few to 'very senior army commanders'.
*sad Rommel noises*
Rommel was a field marshal, as senior an army commander as you can get.
I died at the "die Deutschen Wochenschau" intro. Lovely
An excellent though troubling video for me. Separating good soldiering from evil Nazism is not easy. The challenge for armies since 1945 has been to create the first without the second. The challenge for historians is to examine the first without glorifying or ignoring the second. I think you hit the spot but worry many viewers will see it as nazi war porn.
This has been one of, if not the best educational program I have enjoyed so far. Thank you!
Brilliant effort mate! I really enjoyed this episode. Well done.
Absolutely fantastic primer on this. Your video work and research are amazing.
Brilliant work, very informative.
Really good information, great video!
I enjoyed the presentation, keep up the good work.
I was friends with Jerry spear and and the rest of the reenacting members of GD when Jerry came up with the idea and made it happen, he took alot of pride and making an old soldier happy, he was a US Army soldier so he knew what those awards meant . RIP Jerry
The medaks were given for service not favors or just participation.
The higher and rarer a medal, the honor it recognizes
It is noteworthy the men were celebrated - AAD thus is the case for both deaths and heroism they portray.
In like manner WE ought to bring to mind our heroic men this Veterans Day.
Thanks for the video..
Excellent video as always.
Well presented! Good info!
Great video! :) As always, you do an amazing job covering neglected stories of the German side. While it’s a minor topic and sources might be hard to find, would it be possible to cover a bit more on the intentional defacement of badges you mentioned? How common was it, how it became a “standard” for signifying what it did, how was it seen by those that still believed in the cause? I imagine wandering around with a sign saying:”this shit is lost boys” could lead to unwanted attention from the more zealous parts of command
Those are all great questions and observations, sadly I can only say I have the same questions. I think many little details like that may be lost forever as the ranks of the men who fought the war trickle down to nothing. But - and Jason Mark would probably agree - you never know what nugget you will find on a deep dive through an archive. So much out there to be discovered.
HandGrenadeDivision thank you for answering :)
Was it deliberate defacement, though, or the result of wear and tear, a hit by a shell or grenade splinter etc.? I imagine those other explanations would give a deliberate defacer a certain amount of plausible deniability.
Deliberately defacing a military decoration might be heavily punished in a place like the Third Reich. A parallel from Britain in WW1 was Siegfried Sassoon throwing away the ribbon of his Military Cross as a protest against the war (apparently he did not throw away the medal itself, as is sometimes stated). He was sent to a hospital for the shell-shocked but he risked being court-martialled.
Watching this after finding an old lockbox filled with letters and awards from that time which belonged to my grandpa.
Great video really informative!
Just had a look at your channel - you have a new subscriber, and hopefully some of the friends I recommended your channel to will also subscribe. Very nice content. Thanks for taking the time to comment here.
Excellent and very useful reminder - thank you!
This was a great video, I love it. My only problem was that you missed a few medals. Maybe your gonna make a part 2? That would be amazing.
Wehrmacht Long Service Awards
1.(4 years)
2.(12 years)
3.(18 years)
4.(25 years)
Pre War Territorial commemoration Medals
1. Anschluss Medal, Austria
2. Sudetenland Medal, Czechoslovakia
3. Memel Land Medal, Lithuania
Campaign Medals
1. German Italio Afrika Medal, Made by the Italian government to those who serviced in North Africa Campaign
2. West Wall Medal, For those who helped Create and served on the Siegfried defence line on the German western boarder and those who helped make the Atlantic Wall for D-Day
None of those were combat medals, except the Africa medal - but it wasn't German. :-) I appreciate the feedback and kind words.
@@HandGrenadeDivision Touché my friend, still they were Worth covering. Part 2 maybe? Also I fucking dare you to do a video covering all of Herman Goerings medals/awards. That man had more decorations then a Christmas tree.
This channel is excellent and your content is amazing. Keep it up!
I wish this had more views, this channel needs more subs and views
Most soldiers hold their decorations in high regard and combat awards the most. Even though the USSR was as murderous and evil as the Nazis, I’ve never heard of any soul searching by former Soviet soldiers over their combat decorations. The Iron Cross is over 200 years old, it was first awarded in 1813 during the Napoleonic wars and it was only awarded by the Nazi government for 5 1/2 years. No military in the world has completely clean hands or a perfect record. It would be just as ridiculous for the United States to get rid of the Medal of Honor because it was awarded to US soldiers for bravery during the Indian Wars.
The Iron cross always comes back in times of war for example after the Napoleonic wars it dissapeared and then came back for the Franco Prussian war the German military still uses it on vehicles and i bet in the next big war it will come back as an award
Tolles video, kameraden! Fahren sie mit dieser erstaunlichen Arbeit fort!
completely and totally awesome presentation. Thank you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Great Job on the video.
I love this channel, great content
Great video as always
Thanks for the info. The possible breaking of badges for certain reasons is fascinating.
Outstandingly done, thank you.
Earlier post-war German Movies showed much better the real relation German soldiers had towards their Awards and those of their fellow soldiers. The movie 08/15 Teil 2 is a fine example.
Outstanding video thanks.
You shed some light on things that I didn't know yet again! I need to catch up!
Disparaging names for medals given by recipients probably do not tell the whole story - they still seem to have worn them with pride. The Eastern Front Medal was nicknamed the "Order of the Frozen Meat" but it was awarded to Germans who made it through the 1941-2 winter on the Russian Front, and it seems to have been if anything more valued than wound badges and perhaps even the EKII.
In "Cross Of Iron", Steiner wears his badges even while disparaging the Iron Cross.
Bernhard Trautmann was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964.
Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, and then served as a paratrooper. He served first in Occupied Poland. He fought on the Eastern Front for three years, earning five medals, including an Iron Cross. Later in the war, he was transferred to the Western Front, where he was captured by the British as the war drew to a close. As a volunteer soldier, he was classified a category "C" prisoner by the authorities, meaning he was regarded as a Nazi. One of only 90 of his original 1,000-man regiment to survive the war, he was transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire. Trautmann refused an offer of repatriation, and following his release in 1948, settled in Lancashire, combining farm work with playing goalkeeper for a local football team, St Helens Town.
Performances for St Helens gained Trautmann a reputation as an outstanding goalkeeper, resulting in interest from Football League clubs. In October 1949, he signed for Manchester City, a club playing in the country's highest level of football, the First Division. The club's decision to sign a former Axis paratrooper sparked protests, and 20,000 people attended a demonstration. Over time, he gained acceptance through his performances in the City goal, playing in all but five of the club's next 250 matches.
Awesome video. Think the award that Germans were awarded for their participation in the Spanish Civil War should have been included, but that may have been outside the scope of the video title.
Great video. Would you ever consider doing SA ranks, i know its a bit niche but iv always found them to be really intresting.
It's outside my area of interest, to be honest, so I doubt I could do the subject justice. Better someone passionate about it gives it a go.
Outstanding
Wonderful video. More of this, please.
18:05 - A German drawing prepared early in 1943 presenting generals fighting to the death in the Stalingrad pocket. In reality Paulus and 22 generals went into captivity.
Well done! I enjoy your videos!
Great video, thank you. A Veteran.
This was a lot of work! Good job. Thanks for posting.
Napoleon said "with trinkets men are led" he also created the Legion of Honor (1804)
It is interesting that only in the Napoleonic Wars did gallantry awards come in among the military. Prior to that elite commanders might receive membership of some order, like the Garter or the Golden Fleece, but nothing for the less exalted. As though only when mass armies came in was it decided that incentives were needed.
They literally collected pictures of people who recieving the Ritterkreutz like baseball cards.
If that doesn't tell you about Germany's militarism, I don't know what will.
I remember in the army, we had to memorize MOH recipients. It’s a warrior thing
Paintings and drawings of generals and Ritterkreuz holders by the artist Wolfgang Willrich were also popular and may have been shrunk to similar card form.
We dont have a Strong Army, what does this tell you?
@@kommissarvalkyre2054 That a big part of the German spirit was killed off in that war.
They deserved the fame, the Ritterkreuz was awarded for exceptional combat performance. Overpaid professional sportmen are a terrible idol.
great video, 10/10
Very good idea with DDW intro
This is very good stuff!
People that actively seek combat awards usually don't live too long. Valor recipients don't try to "win" medals they're usually trying to keep themselves their fellow troops alive. If their actions were noted and they receive an award great, if not them and their fellow troops are alive and I assure you that's better than any combat award.
Im 3 years late, but it's still a great video in 2023
Your videos are gold
Great video, the Germans (et all) had a focus on kampfkraft and always focused on rewarding battle prowess. One of the main reasons the Germans remained loyal to Hitler and the Nazi regime was the awards they received, albeit no exclusively.
The story of the broken infantry assault badge is interesting but I knew another version: it was made to symbolise the Stalingrad house-to-house close combat being that much harder, and winning an assault badge in Stalingrad was a higher award than receiving it anywhere else.
Te combative nature of the German soldier is mentioned at the beginning of the [awful] book Rommel, by Desmong Young, when a group of German officers was bored somewhere around 1917, so they decided to attack the British trench in front of them and capture some prisoners. Back in their own trench, they made a trophy about the exploit saying something like "winners of the trench raid from whatever day".
Ok this is serious history. Time to subscribe
Woot! New video!
Good stuff!!
Just as most people agree that the national socialist ('Nazi') ideology was very bad, most of those people also agree that German uniforms and German military awards were the best designed and best looking.
I alway marvel at how nearly all the German awards look so good together because their position on the uniform and the colors and forms used were well-thought out and designed.
Compare this with how a (nearly) full set of British military medals look like when worn together. It's a mass (mess) of rather indistinct looking colors of ribbons and metal.
On the other hand, British officers still wear bright red flashy dinner jackets on formal occasions that give their medals a bit more shine and partially make up for the generally indistinct design of those medals.
There is a well known strong negative correlation between coolness of uniform and winning of wars. Leaders moustaches also cause problems but I think the graph might be an inverted U.
Whoever designed the German awards had great artistic design.
ottoman medals of WW1 were manufactured in germany. so they do have a tradition
Excellent video!!!
Excellent, just excellent..... If you could do a review on the exact details of the originals - weight, size, features etc - then that would be superb
at 21:20 I am glad that you said the THREE services of the Wehrmacht. People often think the "Wehrmacht" was only the German army, "non-SS", when in fact it's the entire German armed forces. The Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe etc. were part OF the Wehrmacht
that kind of detailed knowledge is exactly what I hope to showcase with the channel, and appeal to those like you that share an interest in it
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