Blood Order

[JoeW]

No Posthumous Awarding of the Blood Order

Additional regulations concerning the conferral of the Blood Order were given by Reichsschatzmeister Schwarz from Munich on August 27, 1938. As printed in the Mitteilungsblatt of Gau Köln-Aachen in October of the same year: "§11 Nach den Bestimmungen des Führers kann der Blutorden an die Hinterbliebenen der im Kampf für die Bewegung ermordeten Parteigenossen nich verliehen werden."

Translation:
§11 According to regulations of the Führer, the Blood Order cannot be conferred to the survivors of party-members murdered in the fight for the movement.

[Erich B.]

Thanks Joe! How on earth did you find that?
Erich

[JoeW]

Thanks Joe! How on earth did you find that?
Erich

I have always sought answers from source documentation. I started purchasing microfilm rolls from the National Archives in the 1970s when it was easy and relatively inexpensive so to do. I have numerous Mitteilungsblatter d. NSDAP from different Gaues as well as some Reichs level ones, among other information. I found a company that worked mostly with legal firms in making inexpensive hardcopy of microfilm and used them to copy those portions of the microfilm rolls which interested me, so as not to have to use the microfilm readers. The question is revisiting all the information looking for new interests.

[ErichS]

Joe, that puts the incorrect theory of Heydrich receiving the BO posthumously to rest.

From what has been researched by member Jo Rivett, Fuess was only the designer of the BO and not the maker of the 1st pattern. The maker for both was said to have been: E. Schmidhaussler in Pforzheim. That said, it's still a mystery on why the Fuess name was discontinued on the 2nd pattern.

[Military]

Joe, that puts the incorrect theory of Heydrich receiving the BO posthumously to rest.

From what has been researched by member Jo Rivett, Fuess was only the designer of the BO and not the maker of the 1st pattern. The maker for both was said to have been: E. Schmidhaussler in Pforzheim. That said, it's still a mystery on why the Fuess name was discontinued on the 2nd pattern.

As far as memory serves me, there was an interesting discussion about Josef Fuess before by our colleagues on the topic of GPBs. The full thread can be found here:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=242474&page=3

Mil

[JoeW]

I have always sought answers from source documentation. I started purchasing microfilm rolls from the National Archives in the 1970s when it was easy and relatively inexpensive so to do. I have numerous Mitteilungsblatter d. NSDAP from different Gaues as well as some Reichs level ones, among other information. I found a company that worked mostly with legal firms in making inexpensive hardcopy of microfilm and used them to copy those portions of the microfilm rolls which interested me, so as not to have to use the microfilm readers. The question is revisiting all the information looking for new interests.

While I really enjoy researching source material and presenting it for colleagues on this forum, the above information I presented was available for anyone to read in Patzwall's second edition of "Das Ehrenzeichen vom 9. November 1923 (Blutorden)". Of course the text is German, but the entire Schwarz decree is published for viewing in Patzwall's updated version.

[JoeW]

Stripped of the Blood Order

Sorry if this has been discussed before.

A number of names in Patzwall's list of the first 1500 recipients are marked with an asterisk for which he notes they have been deprived of the right to wear the Blood Order. Has anyone verified Patzwall's listing and found any of the recipients to have been stripped of the BO?

[Jon Fish]

Hi Joe, I have a couple examples in my collection that were stripped of the medal and shown as such on the list. However appears to have not returned the medals. Yes have shown them before, when I'm home will try to dig out the info.

[JoeW]

Thanks Jon. Just trying to verify Patzwall's statement.

[Jo Rivett]

There will surely be many who had to hand their BO back after they were kicked out of the party. And surely many were booted out of the party, even for silly things that did not relate to political activities would get you tossed out. Cant see the party asking Alte Kämpfer to return all GPBs after they were booted out but not the BO? Surely you would have been told to return that as well.

[Erich B.]

An expelled party member would also have to turn in his NSDAP membership book and any other IDs that were also cancelled. The BO certainly was supposed to be returned. If memory serves, the penalty for wearing a BO that one was not entitled to involved fines and imprisonment.
Erich

[Thorsten B.]

Joe, that puts the incorrect theory of Heydrich receiving the BO posthumously to rest.

Don´t know about this theory and it may very well be incorrect.

Nonetheless:
The cited regulation does only exclude the surviving members of the family from being awarded the BO - not the posthumous award of the BO of the fallen member in person.

In other words: The posthumous award of the BO was possible but only directly to the dead hero.

[ErichS]

Don´t know about this theory and it may very well be incorrect.

Nonetheless:
The cited regulation does only exclude the surviving members of the family from being awarded the BO - not the posthumous award of the BO of the fallen member in person.

In other words: The posthumous award of the BO was possible but only directly to the dead hero.

Posthumous awards of the BO were not given to the families of the fallen. Heydrich as we know now for example was not awarded the BO.

[Thorsten B.]

Posthumous awards of the BO were not given to the families of the fallen. Heydrich as we know now for example was not awarded the BO.

First sentence is exactly what the cited text states.

Second sentence is a wrong conclusion, though.

[ErichS]

First sentence is exactly what the cited text states.

Second sentence is a wrong conclusion, though.

The Franz Schawrz decree from 1938 states in Para.11;

"The Fuhrer has expressly forbidden the award of the medal to the next of kin of those who fell in action for the movement".