The Spanish Cross.

[J Temple-West]

The Spanish Cross.

Numbers awarded.

Spanish Cross in Bronze with swords ??. 8,462

Spanish Cross in Bronze without swords?.. 7,869

Spanish Cross in Silver with swords ???. 8,304

Spanish Cross in Silver without swords??. 327

Spanish Cross in Gold with swords ???. 1,126

Spanish Cross in Gold with swords and Brilliants ? 27

Recipients of the Spanish Cross in Gold with Brilliants.

Oberleutnant Wilhelm Balthasar

Oberleutnant Otto Bertram

Leutnant Wilhelm Boddem

Oberleutant Kraft Eberhardt

Oberleutnant Wilhelm Ensslen

Leutnant Paul Fehlhaber

Oberleutnant Adolf Galland

Hauptmann Harro Harder

Major Martin Harlinghausen

Leutnant Oskar Henrici

Oberleutnant Max Graf Hoyos

Oberleutnant Hans Detlev von Kassel

Hauptmann G?nther L?tzow

Oberstleutnant Karl Mehnert

Hauptmann Werner M?lders

Hauptmann Rudolf Frhr. von Moreau

Hauptmann Wolfgang Neud?rffer

Oberleutnant Walter Oesau

Generalmajor Wolfram Frhr. von Richthofen

Leutnant Heinz Runze

Hauptmann Joachim Schlichting

Hauptmann Wolfgang Schellmann

Oberleutnant Reinhard Seiler

Oberleutnant Bernhard St?rcke

Major Karl-Heinz Wolf

General der Flieger Hugo Sperrle

General der Flieger Helmut Volkmann.

Having named the recipients of the SC with brilliants, let?s see how many photographs we can post of these Guys..

I'll start off with Walter Oesau.

[J Temple-West]

Adolf Galland.

[J Temple-West]

Werner M?lders

[Jacques]

I like this thread and I hope that we all together will illustrate all the names

Wolfgang SCHELLMANN

[Jacques]

Wolfram von RICHTHOFEN

[Jacques]

Hugo SPEERLE

[Jacques]

This photo was taken during the award ceremonie in Hamburg on 31th May, 1939. These guys are in LW uniform because they returned home early, the other recipients are wearing the Legion Condor brown uniform.

Could you identify all of these guys ?

[Jacques]

Gunther L?TZOW

[Jacques]

Helmut VOLKMANN in France, near Chatillon/Seine in 1940, as Army general.

[Jacques]

Otto BERTRAM

Note all the spanish decorations he is wearing. the ribbon bar shows ''Medalla Militar", "Sufrimientos por la Patria", "Medalla de la Campa?a".

[Sal Williams]

Very nice Jacques!

Thanks for the history! Do you own any of those photos as originals????

Best, Sal

P.S. looks like this is our own private little forum

[Jacques]

Hi SAL,

I own some of them.

It's not my own forum, and I hope that many guys will share their treasures . Com'on guys !

jacques

[Bob Hunter]

Wonderful photos, Jacques, thanks for sharing them.

[Jacques]

No opinion for the line of recipients of the spanish cross with diamonds ?

Well, I give you mine, from left to right:

Bertram, Schlichting, Harder, M?lders, Schellmann, Oesau, ? , Harlinghausen, Wolff ? .

These name have to be confirmed with the dates of return to germany.

Here is another pics showing the same guys, during the same ceremony but to a different place.

[Jacques]

Martin HARLINGHAUSEN in the center

[J Temple-West]

jacques,

There's always been the question about von Thoma, did he receive the SC wih B, or not?

[Jacques]

jacques,

There's always been the question about von Thoma, did he receive the SC wih B, or not?

←

Ah, Ah ! I was waiting for such a question. Some books, among them early one, gives 28 recipients, other 27 . But none of them give the name of von Thoma. In my opinion he didn't received the spanish cross with diamonds but only the gold one. Bill Stump (RIP) shown us a controversial document which in my opinion is a fake.

During the ceremony in Hamburg, von Thoma is closed to von Funck who received the gold cross. In my opinion, according to my experience in the Army, if he had been awarded the diamonds one, he should have been placed at the beginning of the line, close to von Richthofen and not at the end, even though he was not from the LW. During an award ceremony, the decorations are awarded in the order of the decoration and of the recipients rank. what's bother is that von Funck has nothing to do at the end of the line

May be some of you have more information about that. I'm still looking for a clear pic showing von Thoma wearing his spanish cross

jacques

[Jacques]

Reinhardt SEILER

[Jacques]

Joachim Schlichting

[Jacques]

Wilhelm BALTHASAR

He received the spanish cross with diamonds later, around 20 June, together with Galland. He gave back his gold one.

Note that he is wearing the ribbon for the "Medalla Militar".

[Jacques]

Hey ! Am I alone to post pics on this thread ?

[Gerd Becker]

Hey ! Am I alone to post pics on this thread ?  

←

Sure, you own ALL of them, Jacques

This is one of the best threads about Spanish Crosses, i have ever seen. Keep them coming, guys.

Gerd

[Jacques]

J Temple is at the origin of this thread, thanks to him !

unfortunatly I do not have a pic of all the recipients, but I hope that somebody do !

Here is Haro HARDER, blurry pic from a period book. May be here is a better one somewhere

[Gordon Williamson]

Re von Thoma, all veterans stories have to be taken with a "pich of salt" of course but I remember back around the early 1970s a friend of mine had an antique shop. A vet came in and sold him some stuff which if I recall correctly was reputedly taken from von Thoma when he surrendered . Amongst the items ( again I am working from a 30+ year old memory,) were a Generals shoulder strap, collar patch and a beautiful CEJ Spanish Cross in Gold. All the items were 100% original, no doubt of that. Whether the story can be believed is another matter, but the old guy would have no reason to make the story up especially as the price he asked for them was, I recall, very cheap.

[Jacques]

Re von Thoma, all veterans stories have to be taken with a "pich of salt" of course but I remember back around the early 1970s a friend of mine had an antique shop. A vet came in and sold him some stuff which if I recall correctly was reputedly taken from von Thoma when he surrendered . Amongst the items ( again I am working from a 30+ year old memory,) were a Generals shoulder strap, collar patch and a beautiful CEJ Spanish Cross in Gold. All the items were 100% original, no doubt of that. Whether the story can be believed is another matter, but the old guy would have no reason to make the story up especially as the price he asked for them was, I recall, very cheap.

←

Thanks Gordon for this information. I do think that some good portraits of von Thoma do exist, showing his SC, we have just to find them

here is Oskar HENRICI

jacques