what happened to hitler's iron cross

He was taken away for emergency training in the use of rifles and Panzerfaust anti-tank weapons, some bigger than himself. 1 Was the award first or second (and is there any paperwork to prove it)? Tony Paterson reports, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Runners were often the bravest men in a company. Even if he had secretly wanted to, the young Alfred could not go home. dailyinfo[28]=' 19673 Leading Aircraftman Samuel Ambrose TICKNER Meritorious Service Medal No. dailyinfo[10]=' 14780 Member Ida Styles HUGHES (Oxford) Womens Royal Air Force who died 10/03/1919 OXFORD (ROSE HILL) CEMETERY United Kingdom ' Much appreciated. i also had to give back his teeth. dailyinfo[19]=' 9228 Corporal George F. PARRY 2nd Bn. Hugo Gutmann lived and worked in St. Louis, Missouri as a typewriter salesman. Royal Marine Light Infantry who died 17/03/1918 BELLAVISTA OLD BRITISH CEMETERY Peru ' Two of them joined him in 1940 after the victory over France and the Low Countries for a nostalgic tour of their old haunts in Flanders. Hitler's virulent anti-Semitism and obsessive pursuit of Aryan . for tasks in the most difficult situation and at great danger to himself. dailyinfo[7]=' Lieutenant Thomas Sydney Ough DEALY Australian Flying Corps who died 07/03/1918 STONYHURST COLLEGE BURIAL GROUND United Kingdom ' Hitler received the Iron Cross Second Class for gallant conduct during the fighting at Wytschaete on 1 Dec 1914. Unlike some dictators, who have military honors bestowed upon them after the fact, or simply have them invented for them, Hitler only wore his Iron Cross, Wound Badge in Black (for numerous wounds sustained under fire), and his Nazi Party Badge. [31] There he would stay until the camp dissolved January 1919. Royal Engineers who died 31/01/1919 COLOGNE SOUTHERN CEMETERY Germany ' Still, it was not until years later, as he experienced the polyglot metropolis of Vienna, that his thoughts became more and more rabid, influenced by such people as Viennas anti-Semitic mayor, Karl Lueger. Photo by iron cross CC BY SA 3.0. The 29-year-old naval lieutenant won the Knight Cross on June 17, 1945 more than a month after VE Day for helping to clear the Baltic Sea of anti-ship mines following the Axis capitulation. He also destroyed around 150 enemy anti-aircraft or artillery positions, 4 armored trains and enumerable other ground targets including bridges. Hitler appeared. 2 Is it accurate to claim that a first was rare for non commissioned officers and men? dailyinfo[15]=' SS/342 Able Seaman Henry George SMITH (RFR/CH/B/5534). He may have left Vienna to evade conscription into the Austrian Army. Inside the Reich Chancellory garden, they formed a line and waited for Hitler. from RHQ to units in the front line trenches, when other forms of communication had broken down, as happened, for example, during the major battles in the Fromelles sector at which Hitler is presumed to have been present. The horrible and deplorable things that happened in the 1930's and 40's, Lutzer argues, are happening again in the country the fought so hard against Nazism. They laughed at "Adi" for his aversion to smutty stories, and traded their jam rations for his tobacco. I think Weber has this wrong, but it makes a good story. dailyinfo[17]=' PLY/3566 Private Samuel ROBINSON H.M.S. The recipient of an EKI had to already have been awarded an EKII before he could be entitled to an EKI. I've not ready Weber's book but if post #2 is a fair summary, anyone who implies despatch runners on either side had a cozy job away from the front line is probably not even worthy of having the front cover opened. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like According to the Nazi Creed, what group was the most superior?, According to the Nazi Creed, what group was the most inferior?, How did the Nazis believe they could "save the world"? In that case the EKI citation must be fiction according to your view! "[69] He was left with no option but to follow orders and go to Freudenthal in German-annexed Sudetenland to fight on in what is now the Czech Republic. This unit was responsible for numerous WW2 atrocities. Discussions on Axis awards and decorations. Like Dr. Bloch, former lieutenant Gutmann was allowed to leave Germany in 1939, first stopping in Belgium, but successfully emigrating to the U.S.A. in 1940, ahead of the German invasion of Western Europe. 4th Bn. Bluecher German Navy who died 29/01/1915 CANNOCK CHASE GERMAN MILITARY CEMETERY United Kingdom ' Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (1925) Volume One - A Reckoning Chapter V: The World War They began at the Brgerbru Keller, a beer hall in the Bavarian city of Munich. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHitler1999 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFKershaw2000 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFKershaw1998 (, Cross of Military Merit, Third Class with Swords, "World War I 1918 British soldier allegedly spares the life of an injured Adolf Hitler", "Michael Morpurgo on the soldier who could have stopped a world war with one shot", "Did British soldier spare Hitler's life in WWI? dailyinfo[8]=' 13277 Labourer Klaas NERO South African Native Labour Corps who died 08/03/1917 PUGU ROAD 1914-1918 MEMORIAL Tanzania ' "She was afraid I might come to harm on the journey, but my father was in favour so I went." [35], In June 1919 he was moved to the demobilization office of the 2nd Infantry Regiment. [21] According to Weber, this rare award was commonly awarded to those posted to regimental headquarters, such as Hitler, who had contact with more senior officers than did combat soldiers. Iron Cross 1st class (1957). The Nazis just happened to be in Germany and their soldiers were the German military. Looking for anything militarily related to the names of COSST, DENSLEY, DUREPAIRE, SHOPLAND and UPTON. On March 19, 1945, he ordered a massive scorched-earth campaign throughout Germany so that absolutely nothing of value would be left for the victors. "I didn't think it was insane to send children into battle. The Iron Cross predates nazi Germany and the Anti-Defamation League does not consider the Iron Cross as a hate symbol but it is still popular with modern day white supremacist groups. According to various sources, the youngest Recipient of the "Iron Cross 2nd Class" of the Third Reich, was the 12 year old Alfred Czech. Hitler guided the steps of their rearmament, thanks to his retentive memory and interest in technical questions. Sign up for a new account in our community. 17 Feb 2005, 04:18, Post by Christian W. 29 Jan 2005, 14:34, Post After ordering the preparations for the attack on Poland, he scrutinised all the staff prepared for the first three days of operations down to the regimental level. The police had a warrant for his arrest. During this time Hitler impressed Mayr. Gutmann put Hitler's name forward and this is the official citation: As a runner, his coolness and dash in both trench and open warfare have, been exemplary, and invariably he has shown himself ready to volunteer. By all accounts, Hitler was a good soldier, and he found happiness in both the experience of army life and war. Whether this still held true 100 years later I don't know. The group drank champagne, stuffed themselves with food and tried to dance to the only gramophone record they had left. Thereafter, he was ordered to the depot in Munich. i told him to surf the web, the stuff will turn up, with a really high price. (waits for Upton to produce a picture of a Gefreiter tricked out like a Christmas tree). [18] The history of the List Regiment hailed this brilliant defense as the "personification of the German Army on the Western Front". Royal Welsh Fusiliers who died 11/03/1915 FAUQUISSART MILITARY CEMETERY, LAVENTIE France ' [44], In 1937, Hitler was made aware of a particular Fortunino Matania painting[47] by Dr Otto Schwend, a member of his staff. According to Ian Kershaw in Volume 1 of his biography of Hitler the reasons for Hitler not being promoted beyond the rank of corporal intrigued many people, and soon after World War II a group of American army officers located and interviewed some of Hitler's former superiors. The question is, what happened to them after Hitler killed himself? MORE:- "[62] The rapidly expanding armed forces enlisted many new officers and men from the Hitler Youth. (b) It lost 75% of its iron and 26% of its coal to France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania, was forced to paycompensation of 6 billion pounds. For a strange intelligence was directing the destruction of all civilization from the icy depths of space. (First and Second Class) Hugo Gutmann, later known as Henry G. Grant (19 November 1880 - 22 June 1962), was a German Jewish army officer, notable for being one of Adolf Hitler 's superior officers in World War I. Whilst there have been recent stories to suggest that Hitler was mainly a rear area runner and spent less time as a front line runner than he would have had you believe (which would probably explain his survival between 1914-18), the trouble is there are so many negative comments made about Hitler generally and his WW1 service, that it is difficult to weed out the truth from a sensational headline. [57][58], Six days after being sworn in as Chancellor in 1933, Hitler met with the German military leaders, declaring that his first priority was rearmament. dailyinfo[2]=' 8020 Serjeant Charles POOLE "C" Coy. They concluded that the matter of Hitler's citizenship was simply not raised; thus he was allowed to enter the Bavarian Army. [A 6] Around this time the German military command released an edict that the army's main priority was to "carry out, in conjunction with the police, stricter surveillance of the population so that the ignition of any new unrest can be discovered and extinguished. Not my view, Weber's. That's not really true Martin - on the normal field uniform under most circumstances only the ribband would be worn, but if the soldier had other decorations designed to be worn on the chest the medal itself would be mounted with them, eg: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWI-German-Bavarian-Freikorps-Iron-Cross-Group-3-Medals-/151097085920?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item232e168fe0#ht_1196wt_1251. I'm not aware of any complete lists of recipients for the EK1, so hard to say if it was rare for ORs. The job had to be done by Axmann. dailyinfo[5]=' 12147 Private Harry COOK 8th Bn. When told that Kilmister, who has been known to wear Iron Crosses and hats from the German air force, defends himself by saying he's just collecting artifacts of war history, Draiman replied, "I . dailyinfo[27]=' 5778 Private William CUMMINGS 6th Bn. Unfortunately for Hitler (and perhaps the world), his mother developed breast cancer in 1907. I didn't do it for Hitler. The British penetrated 500 yards into the List Regiment and at one point 6 despatch runners including AH guided the reinforcements across the open ground to engage their enemy. else { document.write(fontstart+"No major events today"+fontend); } By 1925, 35-year-old Adolf Hitler was already a war veteran, leader of a political party, orchestrator of a failed coup, and a prisoner in a German prison. The interviewees describe Hitler in his last moments as the Soviet Army invaded Germany in 1945, detailing everything from the claustrophobic quarters of the Fhrer's underground bunker, to his. He became a miner, married and sent countless applications to the authorities seeking permission to emigrate to West Germany. Studio portraits seem to show a preference for buttonhole ribbon or ribbon bars. [30], On 19 November 1918, Hitler was discharged from the Pasewalk hospital and returned to Munich. The EK1 was worn on the uniform and has a centre pin and clasp at the back. Many if the stories of how Hitler won his EK1 all seem to be hearsay or invention, stories that made wonderful copy in the Ministry of Propaganda some 20 years later. and Gen. Hos. Photo by Kim Traynor CC BY-SA 3.0, The prescribed medicine for any woman suffering from late-stage breast cancer at the time involved the use of iodoform, an extremely painful and corrosive treatment. British Telecommunications archive records also have no telephones registered to that address in 1938.[55]. Also, as to cosying up to officers, in the German army at the time officers hardly spoke to soldiers who were not senior NCO's. [77], After the end of the war, the only decorations Hitler regularly wore were the Wound Badge and First Class Iron Cross. I had assumed that Hitler's award of the Iron Cross First Class was established. In 1914, he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, for bravery at the front during the first Battle of Ypres (Belgium). Mr Czech's father was among them. He has directed me to send you his best thanks for your friendly gift which is so rich in memories. I also told him his Reichsmarks were no good anymore, boy, did he have a fit!!!!!!!!! dailyinfo[22]=' 25368 Quartermaster Serjeant Leonard Henry CADE Meritorious Service Medal 12th Coy. New Zealand Engineers who died 13/03/1918 ST. POL COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION France ' Portrait of Adolf Hitler. [23] He begged not to be evacuated,[24] but was sent for almost two months to the Red Cross hospital at Beelitz in Brandenburg. The Poles finally let him go after he took the advice of a friend and joined the Polish Communist party. Hitler's circle of comrades also served at headquarters. Thank you, and all who have added to the thread. Hitler . [4] On the evidence of a report by the Bavarian authorities in 1924, which questioned how Hitler was allowed to serve in the Bavarian Army, Hitler almost certainly was enlisted through an error on the part of the government. The house in Leonding in Austria where Hitler spent his early adolescence (photo taken in July 2012). He died in San Diego in 1962. Alfred Czech emigrated in 1964. Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1974-082-44 / CC-BY-SA 3.0. [64] Hindenburg died the following day. Between air-raids, the mostly female population emerged from their cellars to form long queues for food. WW1 ordnance mainly hand and rifle grenades. He threw away his Iron Cross before he was captured in Czecho-slovakia in 1945. oh yeah! dailyinfo[9]=' Boy SALEH HAJI S.S. TANGISTAN (Swansea).Indian Merchant Service who died 09/03/1915 BOMBAY 1914-1918 MEMORIAL, MUMBAI India ' He lowered his rifle, Hitler nodded in thanks, and made his way back to his line. Amazingly, Dr. Bloch was not the only Jewish person who played a role in the life of Adolf Hitler. In this political turmoil, Berlin sent in the military called the "White Guards of Capitalism" by the communists. Weren't you afraid when you rescued the soldiers?". . Schwend had been a medical officer during the First Battle of Ypres in 1914. He called the day he was given the medal, "the greatest day of my life." In all Hitler won six medals for bravery. During the wave of intense anti-Semitism taking place around the time of Kristallnacht in 1938, Gutmann was arrested by the Gestapo. It was supposed to be an award which made no distinction of social rank - the general and the grenadier both playing their parts in the outcome of battle. The Jungvolk's members were aged 10 to 14. [52][53] The story further states that the phone was answered by a nine-year-old child called William Whateley. "[68] He abolished the War Ministry and took Blomberg's other title, Commander-in-Chief, for himself. A former educator, he values curiosity and diligent research. Collecting the uniforms, arms, accoutrements and medals primarily of the Commonwealth countries from WW1, as well as being a member of the Great War living history group The Vickers Machine Gunners Society 1914-45. Hello! war, both became pioneering test pilots and were awarded the Iron Cross for service to the Third Reich. A younger brother, Edmund, had died of measles in 1900. Fewer messages went by foot or bicycle and more by telephone. [73] Hitler's leadership became increasingly disconnected from reality as the war turned against Germany, with the military's defensive strategies often hindered by his slow decision making and frequent directives to hold untenable positions. They gave two reasons. Hitler was twice decorated for bravery. Too bad nobody mentioned mexico. I have recently read that it was second. Messages were carried by relays of runners, with each runner covering a stretch with which he was intimately acquainted (given that messages often had to be carried in the dark). On his second he rescued four more. Next we'll be saying that Goering was never a fighter ace. Weber refers to Hitler as 'Private Hitler' throughout'Hitler's First War': as a'Gefreiter' he was notan NCO, and not the equivalent ofa Corporal (Weber tells us). That evening, while Hitler remained in his bunker bedroom, his mistress, Eva Braun, led other members of the Nazi leader's entourage up to the Reich Chancellory rooms above-ground for a party. cannot make out the maker, but the RZM tag is still attached!!! He's was my neighbour, now most of his stuff is on sale on ebay. General Alfred Jodl wrote that Hitler's "astounding technical and tactical vision led him also to become the creator of modern weaponry for the army". Also, just to stress, I am critical of the slant of the article in http://www.historyextra.com/oup/new-evidence-uncovers-hitlers-real-first-world-war-story, not of the GWF poster who provided the link. The rump population that was left during the Cold War era was still being discriminated against in the 1980s. I. On 1 August 1934, a new law stated that on Hindenburg's death the presidency would be abolished, and its powers merged with those of the Chancellor. Alfred Czech was Adolf Hitler's "youngest hero". "My mother was dead against the idea," he said. Middlesex Regiment who died 25/02/1921 LADYWELL CEMETERY United Kingdom ' It sits, neatly framed, above a budgerigar cage in his living-room. He managed to survive the rigours of a prisoner-of-war camp in what was then Czechoslovakia. By that time, Goldenau had already been taken by the Soviet troops. With little regard for his own safety, and in the face of heavy Soviet . Weber does not contend that Hitler wasn't brave, and risked his life at times, but he does contest Hitler's claim that his job was the most dangerous. Hitler was awarded Germany's highest award for bravery - the Iron Cross. He fully deserves to be awarded the Iron Cross First Class", Source- Corporal Hitler and The Great War, F.J. Williams. The citation was probably merited, but many soldiers who were as brave as Hitler or more so were not awarded the EKI because they were not in the same position as he was, Weber's argument goes. Unfortunately I returned it to the library yesterday, and my memory being what it is. Hitler was awarded the EKI near the beginning of the war and the EKII near the end of it. Just finished reading "Hitler's First War" by Thomas Weber. "I was only 12, but the Fhrer shook my hand, then he pinched my left cheek. After the ceremony of award, only the ribbon was worn in a buttonhole, the medal itself being kept in its presentation case. Related to this topic, does anyone know the background of this photograph, reproduced here from the web for comment. When she died on December 21, 1907, Hitler (whom Bloch called the saddest man he had ever seen upon her death) expressed his gratitude towards Bloch, telling him that I will always be forever thankful to you., Eduard Bloch. Hitler after World War One. Sixty years on, Alfred Czech has no regrets about his part in the war.. Mainly, the period during World War I when Hitler served as a Gefreiter (lance corporal[A 1]) in the Bavarian Army, and the era of World War II when Hitler served as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) through his position as Fhrer of Nazi Germany. by chrisccoyle 04 Feb 2005, 05:35, Post Hitler received the Iron Cross, First Class, during the spring or summer of 1918 for his outstanding service as a courier during the great offensive of 1918, and in particular for his personal capture of a French officer and about 15 men, whom he suddenly encountered during a mission, and as a result of his quick thinking and decisive action . (a) Germany lost its overseas colonies, and 13 per cent of its territories. [A 3] var month=mydate.getMonth()+1 Though Klara Hitlers last days were agonizing, Bloch did everything he could to help her. On November 8-9, 1923, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempt to overthrow the German government. At one stage, 6 despatch runners were given the same message in the hope that 1 would get through. Arriving on 21 November, he was assigned to 7th Company of the 1st Replacement Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment. dailyinfo[16]=' 22659 Serjeant George SNELL Military Medal "T" Bty. Chamberlain promised to phone Tandey in person on his return, which apparently he did. After the ceremony, the boys, with their new Iron Crosses pinned to their tunics, were told to accompany the Nazi leader into his bunker. The Cadbury Research Centre, which holds copies of Chamberlain's papers and diaries, has no references relating to Tandey from the records of the 1938 meeting. '," Mr Czech said. " After the ceremony of award, only the ribbon was worn in a buttonhole, the medal itself being kept in its presentation case. by Douglas 5 17 Feb 2005, 14:50, Post He stated that his impression of Hitler was of a boy who lived within himself a dreamer. (Salonika) Territorial Force Nursing Service who died 01/03/1918 KNOWLE (SS. [He] fully. Ten days later, the head of what was meant to be Germany's Thousand-Year Reich, retired to a back room in his bunker and put a bullet through his head. Gutmann, however, kept his pension, most likely due to the influence of his former corporal, Adolf Hitler. The British Army was close to Hamburg and the Americans had reached the river Elbe. German soldiers who had been awarded the Iron Cross. Nowadays he lives off his pension and is the father of 10 children and grandfather to no less than 20 grandchildren. The man responsible for awarding the Iron Cross to Hitler? He was sent for almost two months to the Red Cross hospital at Beelitz in Brandenburg, and was awarded the Wound Badge in black on 18 May 1918. Most of the buildings had been reduced to bombed-out shells. Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H1216-0500-002 / CC-BY-SA. Hitler received the Iron Cross Second Class for gallant conduct during the fighting at Wytschaete on 1 Dec. 1914. After touchdown, the young Alfred was introduced to other Jungvolk children and teenagers who had performed acts of bravery in the belief that a final victory for Germany was only weeks away. [20] Hitler's First Class Iron Cross was recommended by Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann, a Jewish adjutant in the List Regiment. by Douglas 5 15 Feb 2005, 00:15, Post As head of state, Hitler became supreme commander of all armed forces. The video was recorded while i was visiting Ypres. From that day onward, Hitler would be known as Fhrer and Reich Chancellor. "Even at 12, I was an enthusiastic supporter of Hitler," Mr Czech said. The attending physician was Eduard Bloch, who did everything that the medicine of the time, and that was available, permitted. But they could not have been more different and neither woman had a good word to say for the other. From this point forward he personally directed the war against the Soviet Union, while his military commanders facing the Western Allies retained a degree of autonomy. . Hitler was too infirm to pin the Iron Crosses on the boys' tunics himself. dailyinfo[21]=' L/32287 Driver John Frampton GAZE "O" Bty. I think you may be confusing EKI and EKII. dailyinfo[25]=' 262952 Private Archibald Stanley BURGNEAY 8th Bn. As we know, Hitler had been awarded with Iron Cross 2nd and 1st class during WWI. [28] Hitler was outraged by the subsequent Treaty of Versailles (1919), which forced Germany to accept responsibility for starting the war, deprived Germany of various territories, demilitarised the Rhineland (which the Allies occupied), and imposed economically damaging sanctions. [56] This means that he was in Germany on the presumed date of the alleged event. As a result of these significant setbacks, many German officers concluded that defeat. Iron Cross, , German Eiserne Kreuz, Prussian military decoration instituted in 1813 by Frederick William III for distinguished service in the Prussian War of Liberation. The German Army was still a highly class ridden structure. Use of the decoration was revived by William I for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, recreated in 1914 for World War I, and last revived by Adolf Hitler on Sept. 1, 1939, the same day that German forces invaded Poland. Fascination with WW2 germany, yes. The EKII was the lesser award and was worn as a medal ribbon on the uniform. Next we'll be saying that Goering was never a fighter ace. Nobody is saying that Hitler was not brave, and no one is saying that he was on first name terms with the colonel, as some people seem to be suggesting. Hitler was born in 1889 in Braunau, Austria. Hitler's Iron Maidens - Women Awarded the Iron Cross in Combat Mark Felton Productions 1.84M subscribers Subscribe 1.6M views 1 year ago The story of women in the German armed forces who. In Central Asia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are at each other's throats, Kazakhstan is moving away from Russia and is moving closer to Europe, and there are EU peacekeepers and watch dogs in Nargorno-Karabakh because Russia is incapable of defending Trad Chistrian Armenians in their enclave or even Armenia proper.