I have never heard of that. Do you have a cite?
No unfortunately I don’t, and I don’t even recall what book it was from. I’ll keep looking. However, the Wiki article indicates my recollection is wrong.
However, Hitler was in Munich when he joined the army so that is how he ended up in the Bavarian Army, which was under the command of the Kaiser as from the start of the Great War so effectively it was part of the German Army.
They were handing them out like candy to friends in the last few days; but before that it was a variable award for either gallantry or service. From 2 - 5 million were given out, but only about 200k 1st class ( which was Hitler’s ).
However, the German Army alone had 11 million under arms; and as the Central Powers were fighting against twice as many of the Adversary, there were plenty of opportunities for gallantry. And of course, many like Hitler held two, both 1st and 2nd class, which further deflates the numbers.
It would be the *Pour le Mérite *that equalled a VC; although many a chap in war getting a minor order could have got the higher order for the same action: depends on the luck of the draw.
Thanks Claverhouse… However, now I wonder what Hitler ever did to merit a medal- even second class Iron Cross. I have never seen a citation for gallantry in action for him (not that I have ever looked) so I wonder what happened.
I know that Sepp Dietrich overclaimed his Great War history- his biographer could never find evidence of his claim for Iron Cross 1st Class- but if Hitler had done the same surely it would have been exposed. His service history must have been examined to the nth degree.
Sorry for the thread drift.
Sepp Dietrich, by the way, is an example of somebody who was promoted during WWI. Like Hitler, he volunteered in 1914, but unlike Hitler, he made it to senior NCO (Vizewachtmeister) by 1918.
Well, he joined the Bavarian Army in 1911 and was invalided out a month later after falling from a horse. He rejoined at the outbreak of the war in the artillery, joined the Storm Troopers and won the Iron Cross Second Class. He finished in the Tank Corps (in a captured British tank) but the history is murky.
He certainly achieved many awards in the Second World War.
Where did you read that Dietrich’s war decorations from WWI were controversial? Unlike WWII, the German army retreated in an orderly fashion and the records usually survived (albeit not to this day). It would have been difficult to make fraudulent claims about war medals.
The SS- A New History by Adrian Weale. I think I bought the English version in Norway.
About promotion: casualties on the Western Front were high-so there would be a demand for senior NCOs. I once read of a German unit that had all of its commissioned officers killed (a sergeant had to assume command). So Cpl. Hitler must have had some issues-no promotion? I wonder why.
As I wrote earlier, there were relatively (i. e. compared to the armies in other countries) few available ranks in the German military to begin with and those who were promoted were carefully chosen, even during times of war. That’s also true for the officer corps. For instance, if a career officer held the rank of second lieutenant at the beginning of WWI (and still in his early to mid twenties), he typically would only make it to captain by the end of the war, even if he proved to be very capable and courageous (see for instance Erwin Rommel). This also means that already by the end of 1914, a lot of company commanders were lieutenants, many of them reserve officers. The German military was very reluctant to grant anybody who didn’t have the desired educational and especially social background access to the officer corps. Being promoted “through the ranks” from enlisted to officer was extremely rare and only for those with long and distinguished career as senior NCOs before the war.
With regards to Hitler, I guess they just didn’t think that he would be a good leader of men and they wouldn’t promote him just because for length of service.
I haven’t read Thomas Weber’s book either, but based on what was written about it (there were several articles in German newspapers), I have a vague suspicion that this is right on the money.
He received the Iron Cross Second Class in December 1914 when he and another soldier spotted a wounded officer out in the open and went out to carry him back to safety. He received the Iron Cross First Class in August 1918 when he captured a French outpost; Hitler was alone but he convinced the French soldiers that they were surrounded and they surrendered.
Approximately 4,000,000 Iron Crosses Second Class and 145,000 Iron Crosses First Class were awarded in World War I. The exact numbers aren’t know because the records were destroyed during World War II. All of the First Class awards represent duplicate recipients; you had to have been awarded a Iron Cross Second Class in order to be awarded a First Class.
There was also a Iron Cross Grand Class, which was only awarded to Generals and a Star of the Grand Class, which was only awarded twice; once to Field Marshal Blucher in 1813 and once to Field Marshal Hindenburg in 1918.
Well, the British Army, however less of the nobility, contrary to appearance, was even more aristocratic and class-conscious before WWI than others — partially because it was also the aristocracy and gentry solely in control of the government and institutions for a few centuries — and the few who rose from the ranks such as Hector MacDonald and Wullie Robertson were the exceptions that tested the rule: they got around this during that war by declaring the new officers for the New Armies ( ‘new’ not signifying a change, but additional ) ‘Temporary Gentlemen’.
And on the understanding they would revert to where they were happiest after the war.
Whilst the SS were the first force ( they were not actually army ) to encourage mingling between officers and men [ no separate eating arrangements ] : the WWI German Army did this to a greater extent than other armies in the trenches. Even the French, 120 odd years after the Revolution was still run by the Aristocracy, being catholic in the religious sense rather than the all-embracing sense.
I’d say that the German Army before WWI was the most conservative and socially-closed of them all. There was no equivalent of Wully Robertson in the Germany Army. I’m not aware of even a single case in German military history before 1914 in which an individual from a (1) humble background and (2) without a good education (for which there were very formal requirements) entered the service as a common soldier and made it to commissioned officer (a notable exception from this rule would be some technical specialties in fortification and armament).
Well, Hector MacDonald shot himself, remember.
As for Prussia, depends how far back you go; Frederick promoted non-nobles when he had a war going on; but afterwards closed it to the aristocracy ( to bribe them to keep the system running ). Of course the Prussian gentry were poor compared to the English or the French anyway ( as was the state ); and they didn’t have the English private school system ( some military schools, yes ). Still I’ve read of some who rose from the ranks from the Napoleonic wars on. Plus 2000 odd jews became German officers in WWI, and they couldn’t have been aristocrats unless Rothschilds.
Here’s a wiki on British Temporary Gentlemen, I have no idea why it is under a user-name.
We are not necessarily talking about nobility. After the Napoleonic era, commoners were basically accepted as officers, but they had to come from “respected” families (usually meaning: affluent) and have a good education. Applicants from the nobility on the other hand could be dirt poor and not-so-well-educated.
My Great Grandfather was a Captain, I believe. He didn’t live long enough to be gassed, however.
Citizenship is not an issue, provided they have a Green Card and can otherwise legally work in the United States. That’s a bit different than anybody. Also, non citizens are preclud3d from jobs that require a security clearance.
Like it was yesterday…