Für Rettung Aus Gefahr: Prussian Lifesaving Medals

[Rick Research]

Here is the royal Prussian issue of 1833-1918, as worn probably by a senior naval Petty Officer who served in one of the Silesian Freikorps after WW1. This is the degraded precedence of 1935, which removed the Lifesaving Medal from its former pre-eminence among civil awards and positioned this medal for extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice after campaign medals! Note too the "gold" XV Years Service Cross, a variant that seems to have been popular among ex-NCO "18 years service" Leutnants aD.

[Rick Research]

Here is the much rarer, and in my opinion dramatically undervalued (as, for that matter, is the "1933" type) 1926-34 variety-- there was NO medal awarded from 1919 to 1925, though retroactive bestowals were authorized as far back as 1914 for lifesaving deeds in the colonies.

This recipient, a retired career officer or NCO, chose to flout regulations ordering placement of his Lifesaving Medal after the Hindenburg Cross, and retained its traditional place as first among non-wartime valor awards.

[Rick Research]

Here's a closeup, showing what remains of the original frosted "proof" finish on the silver--

[Rick Research]

This 294/5 mm high by 220 mm wide document, police citation, and envelope following were for the "1926" type medal, awarded to Berlin book dealer Paul Wustrow in 1928, with original autographs of the Minister-President of Prussia and the Prussian Minister of the Interior. As far as I know, Wustrow's only other award was a WW1 Prussian War Effort Cross (I also have that document and cover letter):

[Rick Research]

Although the quality of the typing job belies "German quality control" ( ) this Berlin Police notification to Wustrow's colleagues and co-workers at Fichte Verlag indicated that he had, at the "particularly significant risk of his own life" (a requirement for these medals) saved the life of a man on 9th February-- if only I had a Berlin newspaper report of this rescue! The area was near the main railways freightyard, so possibly involved that sort of "under a speeding locomotive" rescue!

[Rick Research]

Here is the original "Do Not Bend!" mailing envelope-- its printed seal is almost as impressive as the embossed one on the award document it contained-- and the calligraphy on this is certainly more impressive looking than the police citation!

[Rick Research]

Here are a few ribbon bars, showing the shift in the Lifesaving Medal's perceived value--

Top: from 1833 to the early 1930s, it was ranked ahead of ALL non-wartime Orders, as the premier civilian decoration.

2nd: it outranked campaign medals in the Imperial period

3rd: this recipient continued to keep that precedence, even after the LSM was officially bumped back after campaign awards in the 1930s by Nazis whose bizarre theories of "racial hygiene" apparently did not extend to the very individualistic initiative of personally saving INDIVIDUAL members of the "Volk!"

Lapel Bow: this circa 1940 NSDAP functionary-- a highly decorated Imperial officer, has tucked his LSM in 2nd visible on left between the Austrian and Tyrol WWI Commemorative Medals.

[Daniel Krause]

Here is my one:

a first type medal (inscription KOENIG instead of the later KÖNIG)

Best regards

Daniel

[Daniel Krause]

and the reverse:

[Rick Research]

I've never seen any award numbers for these. There were only a literal handful of presentations in 1833, and there had only been 300 by 1840. The Association of Lifesaving Medal Holders's 1938 Directory (no index! arranged by Nazi-type "Gau," no indication of which of all the German LSMs each holder had received--or when! aagh!!) stated that "3,000" holders were then living (of whom less than half belonged)--

with a probably over-generous 100 per year, that's about 8,400 of the "1833" type--roughly the same number as WWI Prussian Hohenzollern House Orders 3rd Class with Swords--over 84 years, not 4. Perhaps 835 of the "1926" type, maybe 300 of the "1934" type, and who knows how many of the "1937" type--

so these are MUCH rarer than the meagre prices these tiny, unimpressive looking medals for heroism usually command.

It should be noted that base metal fakes of the original Third Reich types are everywhere, but I have yet to see fakes of the royal or Weimar issues.

[Rick Research]

Brought back up in honor of receipt of Dietmar Raksch's German and English "Prussia: Award Documents and Authorization Certificates, 1793-1972" just published by Detlev Niemann, which contains many illustrations of documents and valuable information on award numbers at different times.

[WNickel]

two lifes

Here are a picture of the looff-Bar with the live-saving medal and the crownorder 4. class with the ribbon of the live-saving medal.


He got the live-savin medal november 1900 in China - perhaps this is the reason which he carries the bar Ostasien 1900/01 of the red-cross-medal.

[WNickel]

...and here is Admiral Looff

And now still the picture of the admiral...

There are 12 awards of the crownorder 4. class with the ribbon of the live-saving medal and only one award ribbon of the live-saving medal to the crown order 4.class (Looff) in 1906!?!?!? - oje, my "database" in my head strikes....

Best regards

Werner

[Rick Research]

It is good to know that this historical bar has found a Good Home after the dispersal of the Siebentritt collection!

Looff was a major figure in the success of the German war effort in East Africa, where his ship's guns provided the Schutztruppen with effective heavy artillery for years, being dragged around in the bush. I don't know how many 1918 Naval "Mattweiss" Wound Badges were ever awarded, but he sure earned his, and would have been much more highly decorated if he had not been cut off in Africa.

Congratulations on "rescuing" this bar!

[Christian L]

is it right that he got the crown order 4th class for the second rescue of someone - therefor here's wearing it on the livesaving medal ribbon?!
nice bar - realy nice