Feldwebelleutnant Baden

[Naxos]

My question:

Could a Feldwebelleutnant from Baden be awarded the Ritterkreuz des Ordens vom Z?hringer L?wen 2.Kl. or would he be awarded with a NCO equivalent?

Regards, Hardy

[Guest Rick Research]

I can't remember ever seeing one on the published roll.

[saschaw]

Feldwebelleutnant sounds like the highest NCO rank, and those were awarded the Z?hringer merit cross an the ribbon of the Karl Friedrich merit order. The order itself was a officer's only ...

[Glenn J]

Well a Feldwebelleutnant's title of rank may have sounded like an NCO but they were members of the corps of Landwehr officers. To quote from the Kriegs-Besoldungs-Vorschrift:

"The Feldwebelleutnants belong to the class of subaltern officers in the rank of Leutnant, whom they rank after."

Regards

Glenn

[Dave Danner]

If you were a Feldwebel-Leutnant d.L. or d.Lst., but your civilian job was considered Leutnant-equivalent, could you receive the Ritterkreuz 2. Klasse mit Schwertern in the latter capacity?

There are a number of Ritterkreuz 2. Klasse mit Schwertern to civilians called up in these Beamten capacities - Bausekret?r, Eisenbahnsekret?r, Feldpostsekret?r, Werkst?ttevorsteher, etc.

However, the rolls for the Verdienstkreuz des Orden vom Z?hringer L?wens am Bande des MKFVOs, where most recipients are Feldwebel-Leutnante, also show a number of officials in these grades - Bausekret?r, Eisenbahnsekret?r, etc.

Would your civilian status affect your military one, or vice versa? Thus a railroad station official who was a Lt. d.L. but was mobilized as an Eisenbahnsekret?r would get the order, while a railroad station official who was a Feldw-Lt. d.L. and was mobilized as an Eisenbahnsekret?r would get the merit cross. They are both Eisenbahnsekret?re, but one was considered a Leutnant-equivalent and the other a Feldwebelleutnant-equivalent.

Edited June 22, 2007 by Dave Danner

[Naxos]

So, it is a question of Class rather then Merit.

The German Army was short on Subalterns during the war so they created Ersatz-Leutnante id est, Feldwebelleutnante.

This way they could promote proven Vizefeldwebel to Feldwebelleutnant and use them in the Role of Kompanief?hrer without giving them the rights or the full status of the Officer class.

"Old Boys' Club"

Regards, Hardy

Edited June 22, 2007 by Naxos

[sambolini]

Hi,

I always understood that the rank under discussion in this thread was the equivalent of what in most armies is a warrant officer.

Regards,

Sam