Hello again probonopublico! and thanks for the question;
From my research I have found that Adolf Hitler was first awarded the
Iron Cross Second Class on December 2nd 1914 and on the same day was
promoted to the rank of Corporal. It seems he was awarded the Iron
Cross Second Class for saving the life of a wounded officer, although
there are no real details of this incident.
The award of Iron Cross First Class was awarded to Hitler on the
recomendation of Hugo Gutmann (Hitlers commanding officer who was
ironically also a Jew) Gutmann later gave his version of the course
that led to the award of the Iron Cross (first class) to Hitler: An
important message was to be sent from the regimental staff the the
front lines. The telephone was out of order, so Gutmann promised
Hitler and another orderly the Iron Cross 1st class if they could
deliver the message safely. From my research I have found that
normally this action would not merit the Iron Cross 1st class, “and
this is in someway backed up by the fact that the regimental commander
was absent between July 26 and August 4. In his absence the regiment
was commanded by Freiherr von Godin who was a stranger to the regiment
and thus hardly able to appraise the justice of awarding
lance-corporal Adolf Hitler the honour.”
“......myths that later circulated in The Third Reich of his having
singlehandedly taken a group of French soldiers prisoner” were false.
http://holocaust-info.dk/shm/2_uk.htm
Throughout my research I have found no evidence that Hitler was not
entitled to these awards but it seems strange that there is very
little information regarding the 2nd class award. One point to bear
in mind is that the it was a prerequisite for a soldier already to
hold the 2nd class before he could be awarded the 1st class. The
evidence seems very strong that Gutmann was Hitlers commanding
officer, and the Gutmann story seems very plausible with some quite
detailed information on him “Hugo Gutmann was Hitler's immediate
superior officer from January 29 to August 31, 1918. His military
papers have been preserved, and they tell that he was born on November
19, 1880 in Nuremberg as the son of the shop-keeper Salomon Gutmann
and his wife Emma. He himself stated his religion as Jewish.”
Whilst the evidence is not conclusive (from my research) I would say
that Hitler was entitled to the awards but that the Iron Cross 1st
Class was not awarded for an action that it was intended, and details
about the Iron Cross 2nd class are almost non existant.
An interesting online resource about Hitlers First World War
Experiences is here: http://smoter.com/hitler.htm
------------------------------------
“December Hitler awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class “ “- 1914 –“
http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/bltimeline2.htm
“One of the Army officers in command of Hitler during the war was a
Jewish lieutenant who recommended young Corporal Hitler for the Iron
Cross first class, a rarity for a common foot soldier”
http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/middle/everitt/classroom/asaylor/8thholo/jered_b/hol.html
“On the other hand, it was quite unusual that he as a lance-corporal
was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class, as this order was almost always
reserved for the commissioned officers. He was presented with the Iron
Cross on August 4, 1918, near Soissons, on recommendation from
artillery lieutenant of the reserve Hugo Gutmann.”
http://holocaust-info.dk/shm/2_uk.htm
“Hitler received the Iron Cross Second Class after he had saved the
life of a wounded officer. On that same day, the 2nd of December, he
was promoted to the rank of corporal.”
http://users.pandora.be/benedict.verheyen/wwi_history_battles_of_ypres_first.htm
“Throughout the course of the war he was cited for valour and
distinguished conduct in the field. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd
class on 2nd December 1914. He was also awarded the Bavarian Military
Medal 3rd class with bar, and later the Iron Cross 1st class. He
received, as did all wounded soldiers, the Cross of Military Merit, “
http://www.skrewdriver.net/ahwar.html
Note: The number of awards for both Iron Crosses varies depending on
source.
“Between 1914 and 1918 of 13,400,000, participants in the war, 218.000
were awarded the Iron Cross First Class, while the Iron Cross Second
Class was awarded to about 5,500,000”
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:1UbnxCmJUUMC:home.talkcity.com/VolunteerSt/xandru/IronCross.pdf+%22iron+cross+second+class+was%22&hl=pt&ie=UTF-8
“**...presented Hitler with his Iron Cross First Class was a Jew.**
Payne reports (113) that Hitler was awarded "the Cross" because he was
"ordered" to carry out the mission to notify artillery, with a
"promise" from Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann that Hitler would receive an
Iron Cross first class if he succeeded. This writer cannot believe any
German officer would order and/or make such a promise. The rumor
appears to have risen during the NAZI years to show that "Semitic"
officers were willing to risk "Aryan" lives in futile missions, and
was given validity because Hitler considered Gutmann to be a "coward."
[Hitler Secret Conversations 137] However, Hitler's dislike for
Gutmann, like his comrades, had nothing to do with anti-Semitism.
[Toland fn 536]”
http://smoter.com/12footno.htm
“AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL LETTER BY HITLER
Written by Hitler on November 29, 1921”
“On December 2, 1914, I was awarded the Iron Cross, second class. I
remained with my regiment and during the battle of the Somme on
October 7, 1916, I was wounded for the first time (by a shell splinter
in the left thigh), and on October 10, 1916, on the anniversary of my
first battle I returned wounded to my homeland.
After being treated for two months at the hospital at Beelitz near
Berlin I was assigned in December, 1916, to the reserve battalion of
the 2nd Infantry Regiment in Munich, and immediately announced that I
would volunteer for the front. On March 1, 1917, I was sent to my
original regiment, and on 17-9-1917, I was awarded the Cross of
Military Merit, third class, with swords; on May 9, 1918, the
regimental diploma; 4-8-1918 the Iron Cross, first class; on 18-5-1918
a black wound stripe; and on 25-8-1918 the Medal of Military Service,
third class.”
http://www.humanitas-international.org/showcase/chronography/documents/autolett.htm
Thanks for the question, and if you need any clarification, donīt
hesitate to ask.
Best Regards
THX1138 |
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