Foreign Orders received during Weimar era?

[luftkrieg]

Gentlemen,

I read somewhere that Germans were not allowed to receive foreign decorations during the Weimar era. Is this true? If so, was this rule strictly abided by?

Thanks
Pierce

[mchap]

What sort of foreign awards, WW1 Axis? Post war Military or civilian?

The Baltic Cross is a good example of an award that is technically foreign.

[luftkrieg]

Is the Baltic Cross not German (Freikorps)?

I am referring to any kind of foreign decoration awarded from a foreign state during the Weimar era civil or military, not WW1.

[mchap]

The Baltic Cross is a Freikorps award by a Germanic/Baltic organization, not the Weimar government.

Some Freikorps awards like the "Bermont-Avalov cross", and "Erinnerungsmedaille der Freiwilligen Russischen Westarmee", and perhaps the Kurland medal was also a foreign award, but made in Berlin.

I know these medals were not Reichswehr approved, although veterans wore them anyways. In 1935 Hitler outlawed all Freikorps badges and awards except for the Baltic Cross and Silesian Eagle.... the v. Epp sleeve badge was still being worn by some, but eventually went out the door too.

Not everyone adhered to those rules since there are photos of veterans in Wehrmacht uniform up to WW2 still wearing outlawed pieces... but, I digress.

Bolewts58 may be able to chime in with more additions.

[luftkrieg]

The Baltic Cross is a Freikorps award by a Germanic/Baltic organization, not the Weimar government.

Some Freikorps awards like the "Bermont-Avalov cross", and "Erinnerungsmedaille der Freiwilligen Russischen Westarmee", and perhaps the Kurland medal was also a foreign award, but made in Berlin.

I know these medals were not Reichswehr approved, although veterans wore them anyways. In 1935 Hitler outlawed all Freikorps badges and awards except for the Baltic Cross and Silesian Eagle.... the v. Epp sleeve badge was still being worn by some, but eventually went out the door too.

Not everyone adhered to those rules since there are photos of veterans in Wehrmacht uniform up to WW2 still wearing outlawed pieces... but, I digress.

Bolewts58 may be able to chime in with more additions.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of Freikorps awards. It is interesting to see what was allowed and what wasn't, and what was worn anyway.

I really am referring to foreign orders and decorations, awarded from outside Germany itself.

Thanks
Pierce

[Brian L.]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of Freikorps awards. It is interesting to see what was allowed and what wasn't, and what was worn anyway.

I really am referring to foreign orders and decorations, awarded from outside Germany itself.

Thanks
Pierce

The general answer is there were no rules, or at least rules that anyone adhered to. Even serving members of the Reichswehr wore all kinds of unofficial stuff which likely included foreign decorations. For example, many that served in the Baltic in the service of the Russian White forces received Imperial Russian orders and decorations which were still being awarded by the surviving members of the Romanovs and their supporters. Therefore, many Germans had post-1918 Russian George crosses and occasionally Orders of St. Vladimir and St. Stanislaus, not to mention the White Army decorations like the Keller Cross.
However, given that Germany was a pariah state in the post-war era up until the 1930s, it's doubtful too many other nations awarded Germans any decorations except Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria etc. because they had been allies.

[luftkrieg]

The general answer is there were no rules, or at least rules that anyone adhered to. Even serving members of the Reichswehr wore all kinds of unofficial stuff which likely included foreign decorations. For example, many that served in the Baltic in the service of the Russian White forces received Imperial Russian orders and decorations which were still being awarded by the surviving members of the Romanovs and their supporters. Therefore, many Germans had post-1918 Russian George crosses and occasionally Orders of St. Vladimir and St. Stanislaus, not to mention the White Army decorations like the Keller Cross.
However, given that Germany was a pariah state in the post-war era up until the 1930s, it's doubtful too many other nations awarded Germans any decorations except Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria etc. because they had been allies.

Many thanks for your reply. This confirms what I was thinking.

Also, very interesting to hear about the Imperial Russian decorations being awarded. I had not heard of this before.

Kind regards
Pierce