The Service Record of a Bavarian Doctor

[Brian R]

Guys - I was recently lucky enough to obtain an engraved 1914 Iron Cross First Class to a doctor with Bavarian 30. Infanterie-Regiment. Then, I found even more luck, when Chris B. provided me with the doctor's service record. Iron Cross awards are my ultimate collecting theme but I know far more about the 1939 EK than that of the 1914 EK and World War I. I have tried to decipher some of the attached info but I'm hoping the members here can help me with some more details.

W. Fritze was born in Meiningen on March 5, 1889 and (it appears) went on to work as a doctor in Munich. He was an Oberarzt and, I'm guessing, was activated on August 8, 1914 and served throughout the war. His service brought him to both the Eastern and Western Fronts and he went on to win a number of awards including the...

Iron Cross Second Class March 26, 1916

Saxe-Meiningen Medal for Merit in War August 21, 1916

Military Merit Cross 4th Class with Swords June 4, 1917

Iron Cross First Class September 22, 1918

Wound Badge in Black December 1, 1918

What is of particular interest to me is the information on the left pertaining to his service in 1918. Specifically, he appears to have done something to warrant the award of the EK1 on July 15, 1918. The reverse of his EK reads 15.7./22.9.1918 so I'm guessing he earned his EK in July but was awarded it on the 22nd of September. This timing makes sense given what I know about 1939 EKs, the Vorschlagsliste process, and the typical turnaround time for an award.

Any information you guys could share is greatly appreciated. And please correct me on any thing I have incorrectly interpreted.

Thanks,

Brian

Edited November 25, 2013 by Brian R

[Dave Danner]

It is not the Saxe-Meiningen Medal for Merit in War, but the Cross for Merit in War, since he was an officer-equivalent.

You are correct that he was a practicing doctor in Munich and war volunteer, promoted to Unterarzt on 15.10.14, Assistenzarzt on 5.7.15 and Oberarzt on 29.1.17.

On 25.10.18, he went to 32.IR, and on 31.12.18 to the Ers.Btl. of 11.IR. According to his Kriegsrangliste entry with 11.IR, he was released from active duty on 31.1.19.

He was licensed (approbiert) as an Arzt on 1.7.14 and received his Dr. med. from the University of Jena on 15.1.20.

The information on the left, below the biographical details in blocks 1-9, is where wounds, hospital stays and periods of absence from the unit are usually recorded. The incident to which you refer is "15.7.18 7:00 a.m. on the Römerstraße, 400 meters east of Les Marquise Ferme, lightly wounded by an infantry shot (i.e. a bullet) in the right leg." The next day, he was hospitalized in Kriegslazarett-Abteilung 16. According to his Gefechtskalendar, 15.7.18 was "Angriffsschlachte an der Marne und Champagne".

Regards,

Dave

[Brian R]

Wonderful information, Dave. Thank you. The Saxe-Meiningen medal, as opposed to cross, is a brain fart on my part. That said, these EK equivalent medals always confuse me a bit. In his case, given that he was a native of Saxe-Meinengen he was decorated by his "home" despite his service with a Bavarian unit?

As for the July 15th wound and its relation to his EK1... I wonder if he was committing some kind of act of bravery at the time he suffered the bullet wound given that he has both dates listed on his EK. As expected, many acts of bravery ultimately resulted in one being wounded (and this is likely not your typical wound related EK award which happened so often in both wars. In those cases it was generally an EK2). Even at this stage of the war, the EK1 still held its status, far better than the EK2. So, I would guess this EK1 was for bravery on that fateful day in July, during the Fifth German Drive.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Brian R

[Dave Danner]

He was wounded early in the morning but was not hospitalized for his wound until the following day. Since he was the guy who made those decisions, he probably could have put himself in an ambulance to the rear as soon as it happened. Instead, he probably remained at his post treating other wounded soldiers until it was safe or prudent to leave. He was "lighly wounded", but I've seen plenty of records where the soldier later died, so "lighly wounded" in German parlance didn't necessarily mean "nicked" or the like. It was a wound serious enough to require hospitalization (otherwise, records usually say "leicht verwundet, bei der Truppe").

Maybe the regimental history has more.

[Chris Boonzaier]

back in those days the jump from a bad scratch to a deadly infection could go pretty fast....

[Dave Danner]

On the flip side, I've seen people listed as "schwer verwundet" return to the front after a few weeks.

Those olden days may also be in our future, as over-prescribing of antibiotics and overuse of antibacterial soaps and the like may be leading to the creation of more antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Some guys survive the really bad wounds and still keep fighting!!

[Brian R]

According to the "Histories of the 251 Divisions...", 15th Bavarian Division fought at the Battle of Rheims and on July 15th was "... engaged in the offensive east of Prunay. It advanced to north of Thuizy, suffering very heavy losses, estimated to have been 30 to 40 per cent."

So, an EK1 for Fritze. He suffered a bullet wound to the leg but likely continued to treat wounded soldiers before he allowed himself to be admitted to hospital and away from the front lines. He probably saw some heavy shite with such high casualty rates on that first day of the offensive. An EK1, well deserved.

This is pretty extraordinary. A lot of history in one little piece of metal.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Brian R

[Brian R]

On the flip side, I've seen people listed as "schwer verwundet" return to the front after a few weeks.

Those olden days may also be in our future, as over-prescribing of antibiotics and overuse of antibacterial soaps and the like may be leading to the creation of more antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

I completely agree. One of the reasons I have been a vegetarian for 23+ years... overuse of antibiotics in factory farmed animals.

[Brian R]

And, here is an image of the cross' reverse. Although he could have committed acts of bravery on both dates, I feel certain that the act was July 15th and the award was dated September 22nd. Award dates of the EK, especially during the WWII, were almost never the date the act or actions took place.

[Marcin L]

Great award, Brian. Would love to have at least signed EK... great find!