The Swiss Iron Cross

[Chris Boonzaier]

Unusual... He was probably of German origin, but I am not sure if he was a dual national.....

[Bayern]

Perhaps he voluntereed in 1914 or 1915 and at the end of the war he returned home

[Chris Boonzaier]

I Agree... I wonder what the German rules were with foreign volunteers... maybe he had a German parent part or grandparent?

[GreyC]

There were Turks who were decorated with EKs, so I don´t think it was given to German nationals only.

GreyC

[Chris Boonzaier]

5 hours ago, GreyC said:

There were Turks who were decorated with EKs, so I don´t think it was given to German nationals only.

GreyC

Hi,

Agreed, but this is to a Schweizer who served in a Bavarian Infantry Regiment as a normal Bavarian Infantryman.

[GreyC]

This may be so but your question as I understood it was if only German national were elligble to an EK and my answer was that this does not seem to be the case.

If you ment something else, I must have misunderstood.

GreyC

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi, you are right, my formulation was pretty vague.

I had meant to ask what the regulations were for service of foreigners in the German army. Obviously we know Hitler served in the Bavarian army although he was Austrian ... why had they not pushed him over the Border to Austria to serve in the K.u.K. Army?

 

[Dave Danner]

I believe that Austrians from the Innviertel were eligible to serve in the Bavarian Army because Bavaria never really accepted its annexation by Austria. It had belonged to Bavaria since the Middle Ages until 1779 when ceded to Austria, was regained in 1809, and then ceded to Austria again in 1815.  You get hundreds of results on Ancestry if you search the Bavarian records for Braunau and Schärding, two of the districts of the Austrian Innkreis. You get a lot more results for Ried, but that's because there are Bavarian towns named Ried not part of Ried im Innkreis.

[Bayern]

Gentlemen .  I want to tell the story of Dr MD Wilhelm His jr 1863 1934 .the discoverer of the His bundle in the heart .he was Swiss ,born in Basilea ,his father MD Wilhelm His sr was cathedratic in Switzerland and Germany In Leipzig . Dr His sr decided that their sons must retained the Swiss Nationality , but when His Jr was appointed in a Chair in Leipzig automatically received the Nationality of Saxony , later appointed in Berlin he received the Prussian citizenship . at the beginning of the war although he was not Obliged to nothing he voluntereed for the Medical Service of the Prussian Army first as Civilian later as military doctor thanks to Dr Schjerning ,Generaloberstabsarzt .during the next four years he served in the German Army as Consultant Dr for diseases and epidemics .from Poland to Turkey and Armenia .Another example was Dr Johann Plesch ,Hungarian ,Prussian citizen since 1905 .Altough he was a reservist Doctor of the Austro hungarian Army he voluntereed for the Prussian Army and served ,first in Berlin and soon in the Eastern Front were he won the Iron Cross . He said : I received the Cross for stay serene and when My Field Hospital was encircled by the Russians manage to retire swiftly via a hidden road without the loss of any patient or equipment .In other order but vinculated with Switzerland and Germany in WW1 . Dr Ferdinand Sauerbruch the well known surgeon was German but at the beginning of the war was working and teaching in Switzerland . He leaved the country to serve in the Prussian Army but his service was interrupted because the Swiss authorities desire that he returns and moved in this sense , Sauerbruch returned but conserved his rank and position in the Prussian Army ,alternating time In Switzerland and Germany and her Allies

[BlackcowboyBS]

Well at least we all new one reciepent of an iron cross 1st class, who was born austrian and volunteered 1914 to fight in a bavarian regiment. He became Reichsdeutscher in 1932 in Brunswick and 1933 cancellor of the Third Reich. So why shouldn't a swiss guy couldn't get an iron cross and fight on the german side during WW1? 

[Chris Boonzaier]

On 15/07/2020 at 20:19, BlackcowboyBS said:

Well at least we all new one reciepent of an iron cross 1st class, who was born austrian and volunteered 1914 to fight in a bavarian regiment. He became Reichsdeutscher in 1932 in Brunswick and 1933 cancellor of the Third Reich. So why shouldn't a swiss guy couldn't get an iron cross and fight on the german side during WW1? 

Agree... the swiss dudes who dream of fighting have to join foreign armies, possibly why they had such a large contingent when the French foreign legion was initially formed. I am actually surprised there were not more on the German side in WW2?