Milit?rverdienstkreuz Kl.3 mit KD (?sterreich)

[Naxos]

Hello, what were the award criteria for German Officers?

Hardy

[Guest Rick Research]

It was basically the equivalent of an EK2, given to them. (More complicated for Austrian officers, with the two Signum Laudis medals). To a German, it was the basic "courtesy" award that was given for joint operations and so on-- like all the federal German states' awards that could be granted for helping out the "locals."

A staff officer at a desk in Berlin could get one. A Leutnant fending off a flank attack on a neighboring Austrian unit on the eastern Front could get one...

Example 1: Rear Area Inspectorate guy:

Oops. I guess that's the only one I have a scaan of at the moment. They're HUGE documents.

[Naxos]

Thank you Rick,

are there any numbers available of how many MVKIII were awarded to German Officers during 14/18?

Hardy

[Dave Danner]

Also note that if you were in a regiment whose honorary Chef was the Austrian Emperor, you were far more likely to get the MVK.

For example, in the Bavarian 13. Infanterie-Regiment Franz Joseph I, among the prewar officers of the regiment in the 1914 Bavarian ranklist, at least 32 of 56 received the MVK. Among those who did not receive it were 10 who were killed in the first few months of the war.

[Naxos]

Also note that if you were in a regiment whose honorary Chef was the Austrian Emperor, you were far more likely to get the MVK.

For example, in the Bavarian 13. Infanterie-Regiment Franz Joseph I, among the prewar officers of the regiment in the 1914 Bavarian ranklist, at least 32 of 56 received the MVK. Among those who did not receive it were 10 who were killed in the first few months of the war.

Very interesting, thank you Dave