State Flag (Landesflagge), 1896-1935

Kingdom of Württemberg

Königreich Württemberg
Royal Standard (Königsstandarte), 1894-1918

Orders

Order of the Württemberg Crown

Orden der Württembergischen Krone
The Order of the Württemberg Crown was founded by King Wilhelm I of Württemberg on September 23, 1818. It was a general merit order for service to the state and to the crown. Originally, there were three classes - Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander's Cross (Komturkreuz) and Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz). Awards with swords for merit before the enemy were authorized on September 19, 1870. Also in 1870, the Knight's Cross was split into a Knight's Cross 1st Class and a Knight's Cross 2nd Class, with a further distinction - "with Crown" - authorized for the 1st Class. In 1886, the Knight's Cross 1st Class was renamed the Honor Knight's Cross (Ehrenritterkreuz) and the Knight's Cross 2nd Class was renamed simply Knight's Cross. In 1892, the order was revised again: a pinback Honor Cross (Ehrenkreuz) was created, ranking below the Commander's Cross and replacing the Honor Knight's Cross (formerly 1st Class) with Crown. Further, the Honor Knight's Cross was renamed "Knight's Cross with Lions" (Ritterkreuz mit Löwen). Additionally, the Golden Civil Merit Medal, the highest grade of the kingdom's civil merit medals, was converted into the Golden Merit Medal of the Order (Goldene Verdienstmedaille des Ordens).

Exact award numbers are not known. Dr. K.-G. Klietmann cites certain numbers for World War I awards with swords in his book Pour le Mérite und Tapferkeitsmedaille, but Neal O'Connor in his Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in World War I and the Men Who Earned Them: Volume IV - The Aviation Awards of the Kingdom of Württemberg stated that he suspected the numbers might only have covered native Württembergers. In any event, these numbers were: Großkreuz mit Schwertern (6), Komturkreuz mit Stern mit Schwertern (6), Komturkreuz mit Schwertern (60), Ehrenkreuz mit Schwertern (101), Ritterkreuz mit Löwen und Schwertern (53) and Ritterkreuz mit Schwertern (182). Prominent recipients of the Ritterkreuz mit Schwertern include Fedor von Bock and Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, both of whom rose to Field Marshal and commanded army groups in World War II, and Alexander von Falkenhausen, who served as military governor of occupied Belgium in World War II and was involved in the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. Von Bock and von Falkenhausen were also Pour le Mérite recipients and Ritter von Leeb was also a recipient of Bavaria's Militär-Max Joseph-Orden.
Commander's Cross with Swords
Komturkreuz mit Schwertern

Photo credit: Hermann-Historica oHG, Munich/Germany
Honor Cross with Swords
Ehrenkreuz mit Schwertern

 
Photo credit: UBS
Knight's Cross with Lions and Swords
Ritterkreuz mit Löwen und Schwertern

 
Photo credit: UBS
Knight's Cross with Swords
Ritterkreuz mit Schwertern

Photo credit: Hermann-Historica oHG, Munich/Germany

Military Merit Order

Militär-Verdienstorden
Württemberg's Military Merit Order is one of the older of the purely military orders of the German states. It was founded on February 11, 1759 by Duke Carl Eugen zu Württemberg as the Militär-Carls-Orden, and renamed the Militär-Verdienstorden on November 11, 1806. Saxony's Militär-St. Heinrich-Orden was founded in 1736, while Prussia's Order Pour le Mérite in its form as a military order dates from 1740. Austria's Militär-Maria Theresien-Orden predates the Württemberg order by a year and a half, dating from June 1757. Bavaria's Militär-Max Joseph-Orden was founded in 1797 and Baden's Militär-Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstorden in 1807. The order came in three classes - Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander's Cross (Kommandeurkreuz) and Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz). A revision to the order statutes on September 25, 1914 made two major changes to the appearance of the order: first, a crown which had been worn above the badge of the Grand Cross and Commander's Cross, and from 1870 the Knight's Cross, was discontinued. Second,the blue ribbon in use for the order since 1818 was changed to the version used during the Napoleonic Wars, a yellow ribbon with a black stripe near each edge. Since this ribbon was also used for the Military Merit Medals, in November 1917 two devices were authorized for ribbon bars: a gilt and green enameled wreath for the order and a gilt wreath for the golden Military Merit Medal. No wreath would indicate the silver Military Merit Medal.

As noted above with the Order of the Württemberg Crown, there are problems with ascertaining exact award numbers for the Military Merit Order. There are several sources, most of which differ, and many lists are only of native Württembergers and those non-natives decorated while serving in Württemberg units. Possibly the best estimate is provided by the late aviation historian Neal O'Connor with a year-by-year and grade-by-grade breakdown in an appendix to his Volume IV, based on research by the late Eric Ludvigsen. Total awards from 1799 to 1919 were: Großkreuz (95), Kommandeurkreuz (214) and Ritterkreuz (3,128), with World War I awards as follows: Großkreuz (19), Kommandeurkreuz (19) and Ritterkreuz (2,183).

Among some of the more famous recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Württemberg Military Merit Order were the famed World War I aviators Oswald Boelcke and Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, and another World War I aviator whose fame would come later as a Luftwaffe field marshal in World War II, Hugo Sperrle. One of Württemberg's most famoust junior officers of the war, a recipient of the Military Merit Order and Prussia's Pour le Mérite, would also achieve even greater, indeed perhaps immortal fame as a Field Marshal in World War II – Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox. Wilhelm Heye, a general staff officer who served as Chief of Staff of Army Group Duke Albrecht of Württemberg and later rose to the highest position in the Army in the Weimar Republic, received both the Pour le Mérite with Oakleaves and the Württemberg Military Merit Order. Perhaps more notorious than famous among recipients was SS-Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger, who would head the SS Central Office (SS-Hauptamt) during World War II. Two World War I naval officers who received the order, Nikolaus Burggraf und Graf zu Dohna-Schlodien and Karl August Nerger, also share another distinction. They are apparently the only two officers (other than some high-ranking generals and princes) to receive all five of the highest strictly military orders of the German states, from Baden, Bavaria, Prussia, Saxony and Württemberg.
Knight's Cross
Ritterkreuz


Click on images above for larger pictures

Photo credit: Uwe Bretzendorfer

Friedrich Order

Friedrichs-Orden
The Friedrichs-Orden was Württemberg's basic order for civil and military merit, filling roughly the same niche that the Order of the Zähringen Lion filled in Baden and the Albrechts-Orden did in Saxony. It was founded on January 11, 1830 by King Wilhelm I. As with the Order of the Württemberg Crown, swords were authorized on September 19, 1870 as a distinction for merit before the enemy. Originally a one-class order, in 1856 it was divided into a regular system of classes - Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander 1st Class (Komturkreuz I. Klasse, distinguished by the addition of a breast star), Commander 2nd Class (Komturkreuz II. Klasse), and Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz). The Grand Cross could additionally be awarded with a crown. In 1886, the Knight's Cross was divided into a Knight 1st Class (Ritterkreuz I. Klasse) and Knight 2nd Class (Ritterkreuz II. Klasse). In 1892, a Merit Medal of the Order (Verdienstmedaille des Ordens) was established.

Dr. K.-G. Klietmann in Pour le Mérite und Tapferkeitsmedaille gives the following numbers for awards with swords in World War I: Großkreuz mit der Krone mit Schwertern (11), Großkreuz mit Schwertern (12), Komturkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern (19), Komturkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern (49), Ritterkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern (1,766), and Ritterkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern (5,111). Whether this includes all awards or only native Württembergers and soldiers in Württemberg units is unknown.

As with all Württemberg orders, the grade of award was based primarily on the rank of the recipient. For officers, the Friedrichs-Orden with Swords was essentially the kingdom's equivalent of the Prussian Iron Cross. Among junior officers, the Ritterkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern was typically awarded to Oberleutnante and Leutnante (and their naval equivalents), while the Ritterkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern went to majors (and their naval equivalents) and those in the grade of Hauptmann (captain) and its equivalents (Rittmeister in the cavalry and Kapitänleutnant in the navy).

Note: No reverse images are shown below for the Komturkreuz, Ritterkreuz I. Klasse, and Ritterkreuz II. Klasse as the obverse and reverse are essentially the same. Only the Großkreuz had a different reverse.
Grand Cross with Swords
Großkreuz mit Schwertern


Reverse of the cross above
  

Reverse of the star above

Photo credit: UBS
Commander's Cross with Swords
Komturkreuz mit Schwertern

Photo credit: Uwe Bretzendorfer
Breast Star to the Commander's Cross 1st Class with Swords
Bruststern zum Komturkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern


Reverse of the cross above
Photo credit: UBS
Knight 1st Class with Swords
Ritterkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern

Another example with box of issue from the Württemberg Royal Mint
Photo credit: Uwe Bretzendorfer
Knight 2nd Class with Swords
Ritterkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern

Photo credit: Charles Caudle

Decorations

Golden Military Merit Medal

Goldene Militärverdienstmedaille
The Golden Military Merit Medal was founded in 1800. Until 1806, it was an award for officers. In 1806, non-commissioned officers were made eligible. In 1818, the Golden Military Merit Medal was made a decoration solely for non-commissioned officers and the Silver Military Merit Medal described below was only for regular enlisted soldiers. At some point around the beginning of World War I, officers were again made eligible for the Golden Military Merit Medal. During the war, according to Dr. Klietmann's statistics, there were 4,234 awards of the Golden Military Merit Medal, of which 1,832 were to officers, almost entirely Leutnante and Oberleutnante. As noted above under the Military Merit Order, in November 1917 a golden wreath was authorized when just the ribbon was worn to distinguish the Golden Military Merit Medal from the Military Merit Order and the Silver Military Merit Medal.
Photo credit: Hermann-Historica oHG, Munich/Germany

Silver Military Merit Medal

Silberne Militärverdienstmedaille
The Silver Military Merit Medal was the kingdom's basic bravery medal for enlisted soldiers. It was founded on May 30, 1794, and was thus one of the oldest enlisted bravery decorations in the world. Austria's Bravery Medal and Russia's Medal "For Bravery" in 1789, and Prussia's Golden Military Merit Medal in 1793, predated it. Bavaria's Golden Military Merit Medal came a few months later, on October 30, 1794. Saxony's Golden Military Merit Medal arrived in 1796. The Golden Medal was still relatively prestigious, but by World War I the Silver Military Merit Medal was roughly equivalent to Prussia's Iron Cross 2nd Class. It was awarded over 201,000 times during the course of the war.

Merit Cross with Swords

Verdienstkreuz mit Schwertern
King Wilhelm II founded the Merit Cross on July 2, 1900 as an award for merit of all types. It ranked ahead of other decorations and just after orders. Swords were authorized on January 29, 1915, with the requirement that the recipient already have the Iron Cross and be a native Württemberger (although this latter requirement was waived on occasion). Klietmann states that there were 2,284 awards of the Merit Cross with Swords during World War I.
Reverse of the cross above
Photo credit: Uwe Bretzendorfer

Wilhelm Cross

Wilhelmskreuz
The Wilhelm Cross was established on September 13, 1915 in four classes/divisions: the Wilhelm Cross (for merit in war in the homeland), the Wilhelm Cross (for other merit), the Wilhelm Cross with Swords, and the Wilhelm Cross with Swords and Crown. The Wilhelm Cross ranked after orders but ahead of the Merit Cross and all other Württemberg decorations. The two versions of the Wilhelm Cross without Swords were for civilian merit in connection with the war effort or otherwise, while the Wilhelm Cross with Swords was intended to reward non-combat merit by Württemberg soldiers. The Wilhelm Cross with Swords and Crown was a higher grade of the Wilhelm Cross with Swords and, like the Iron Cross 1st Class was a pin-back decoration. Dr. Klietmann gives the following award numbers: Wilhelm Cross without swords (1,943), Wilhelm Cross with Swords (5,329), and Wilhelm Cross with Swords and Crown (108).

Wilhelm Cross with Swords and Crown

Wilhelmskreuz mit Schwertern und Krone
Photo credit: Hermann-Historica oHG, Munich/Germany

Wilhelm Cross with Swords

Wilhelmskreuz mit Schwertern
Photo credit: JF

Charlotte Cross

Charlottenkreuz
The Charlotte Cross was a decoration primarily for war aid. It was founded by King Wilhelm II on January 5, 1916 "for persons without regard to class or gender who have done great service in the field or in the homeland in the care of the wounded and sick or in the area of general war aid."
Photo credit: Uwe Bretzendorfer

Medal Bars

  • A six-medal bar with the Iron Cross, 2nd Class; the Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern; the Württemberg Military Merit Order and the Friedrich Order, Knight 1st Class with Swords; the Bavarian Order of Military Merit, 4th Class with Swords; and the Saxe-Meiningen Cross for Merit in War. (Photo credit: Charles Caudle)
 
  • A three-medal bar with the Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords, the Iron Cross, 2nd Class and the Württemberg Friedrichs-Orden, Knight 2nd Class with Swords. The recipient was likely a lieutenant from Bavaria.
 
  • A three-medal bar with the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, and the Golden and Silver Military Merit Medals. This bar is of the less-fancy construction more common for poorer NCOs. The Golden Military Merit Medal on the bar is a silver-gilt copy, as the actual awarded medals were always gold (although the purity decreased as the war progressed).
 
  • A three-medal bar with the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, the Silver Military Merit Medal, and the World War One Honor Cross for Combatants, a typical combination for a decorated Württemberg enlisted man.

Links

Rainer Keilbach's Photo Album of Württemberg medal bars


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