EK All Eras Field Surgeons and the EK2

[Robin Lumsden]

There has been much debate in the past as to whether or not Field Surgeons could make recommendations for awards of the EK2 based on WOUNDS ALONE, with no account taken of bravery or leadership in the field.

These documents say that they could !!

[Brian R]

Indeed, we debated this in detail on the WAF today. OKH determined circa 1941 that all soldiers who suffered one, severe wound that would make him eligible for the Silver or Gold Wound Badge (loss of an eye, hand, leg, etc.) would be eligible for the award of the Iron Cross 2nd Class, provided he didn't already have one. These documents are part of the awarding process - they are telling higher commands that a soldier's wounds fit the criteria of this specific regulation. The awards of these "wound" EKs were ultimately and typically processed by the applicable Armeekorps/Wehrkries in which a soldier was subordinate at the time (generally while convalescing with an Ersatz unit).

Edited December 20, 2014 by Brian R

[Chris Boonzaier]

There has been much debate in the past as to whether or not Field Surgeons could make recommendations for awards of the EK2 based on WOUNDS ALONE, with no account taken of bravery or leadership in the field.

These documents say that they could !!

Hi,

nice docs! It has long been established that badly wounded men would be awarded the EK2, but I think Field Surgeon would not be correct, these awards were usually made back in the Wehrkreis itself not in field hospitals. Usually in a Field hospital the man was still in the command area of his division, or army corps.

Even back in the Wehrkreis, the Doctors may have handed out the crosses, but were not the final authority who approved the award. In these cases it was the deputy commander of the Wehrkreis who made the actual award (i.e. signing the award document), the handing out done by the doctor or whoever.

The reasoning, if I remember correctly, was that back in the Wehrkreis the soldier was no longer under the direct command of his unit but under the command of the Stellv. Commander of that wehrkreis.

As we can see on the 1st doc, the Hospital has awarded the wound badge, and applied at the Stellv. Kdo an his behalf for an Iron Cross awarded for medical reasons. On the 2nd doc, the Stellv. Kommandeur has made an award and forwarded it to the hospital for handing out.

I cannot remember the Criteria, but the Stellv. Kommandeur could refuse these awards based on certain criteria.

[Robin Lumsden]

Assuming this principle held good for 1914-18 as well, it would explain the huge number of EK2s being dished out before the introduction (belatedly) of the Wound Badge.

When I wrote about all this back in 1987, folks thought I was talking nonsense.

No change there, then !

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

it is important to differentiate between doctors awarding crosses and doctors handing them out, and even more important to differentiate between invalides getting the cross and soldiers automatically getting it for any wound

[Robin Lumsden]

Agreed.

But, in my opinion, if an army doctor certified that a wound was severe enough to merit the award of an EK2, then the big-shots would confirm it.

To do otherwise would have been .......................... 'unpopular' ............... with those at the sharp end, to say the least.

Bear in mind that until March 1918, soldiers losing their sight, legs, arms and other 'precious' bits had nothing other than the lowly EK2 to recognise their life-changing sacrifices for the Vaterland.

The EK2 would not have been given for a flesh wound, but would most certainly have been given for multiple wounds or a wound that would have later merited the Wound Badge in Silver or Gold.

And there were plenty of those between 1914 and March, 1918.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Robin Lumsden

[Brian R]

There were also details in OKH's regulations that spoke to field hospitals having the ability to award EKs to the severely wounded, especially when a soldier's wounds were life threatening. However, even in these circumstances, the hospital had to be given the approval by the high command. So, a doctor could award the EK, but it was still based on the authorization of a higher authority. He typically did not have the right to make the award himself.

(1) Authorized to issue awards to wounded in military hospitals are:

in the area of deputy Generalkommando the commanding general of the deputy Generalkommando.

In an occupied area or operational area the commanders of the senior medical officers to whom the military hospitals are directly subordinated.

(2) In all military hospitals a reasonable number of awards are to be stored so that in urgent situations the E.K. 2, on the telephoned directive of the awarding office, can be issued by the chief doctor. Requests in the area of deputy Generalkommando are to be directed to the Chef H Rüst u BdE, and for other military hospitals it is the superior awarding office.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Agreed.

But, in my opinion, if an army doctor certified that a wound was severe enough to merit the award of an EK2, then the big-shots would confirm it.

To do otherwise would have been .......................... 'unpopular' ............... with those at the sharp end, to say the least.

Hi,

but keep in mind that the doctors recommendation was just part of the process. I cannot find the Xeroxes i had way back when, but if memory serves me right, the other things that came into play was a confirmation that the soldier was "clean"... i.e. no charges, no suspicion that he had not done a bunk or any cowardly action. That was another part of the process, but done by the Generalkommando.

I am sure it was usually a rubber stamp process all along, but there were a number of boxes being ticked along the way....

[Chris Boonzaier]

Bear in mind that until March 1918, soldiers losing their sight, legs, arms and other 'precious' bits had nothing other than the lowly EK2 to recognise their life-changing sacrifices for the Vaterland.

The EK2 would not have been given for a flesh wound, but would most certainly have been given for multiple wounds or a wound that would have later merited the Wound Badge in Silver or Gold.

And there were plenty of those between 1914 and March, 1918.

Hi,

Lets not forget, other nations were also not giving out great awards for wounds at the time. I think most nations eventually just gave a stripe on the sleeve... the British still dont have a Purple Heart like award til this day... so there was no direct precedent to pressure the Germans to award an Iron Cross for wounds, noone else was doing it, and theGermans had not done it in the past either...

The awarding of the EK for Invalides seems to have started as late as early 1917... so once again no huge rush to push through a statute to reward the wounded. It seems to have been an afterthought to the poster sized diplomas sent to the familied of those killed in action, which in turn seems to have been a bone thrown to the families to stop them from pressuring the Govt for Iron Crosses for the KIA (As KIA did not qualify for an EK)...

That men with multiple wounds were more likely to have an EK is sure, but I have never been able to find (and i have looked far and wide) and example of any Authority awarding an EK to a soldier just for that. A few memoires do mention that when it came to proposing men for awards (other than for individual acts of bravery) after an action units usually favoured the wounded and the guys who had been longest in the section... so if a guy had been wounded 3-4 times, chances are, he already had the Iron Cross, but this was not bound by a regulation.

Best

Chris