Iron Crosses as bravery awards to women

[BlackcowboyBS]

Gentlemen,

it has been discussed since years 'n years, if there had been iron cross awards to women in WW1 and 2. Well at least I have found a very interesting short article in a newspaper from Austria from 1915 claiming that at least 3 Germany ladies haven been awarded with the cross of iron for bravery deeds! The Newspaper is called Wiener Hausfrauen and you might translate this to: The housewives of Vienna! To be honnest I can't tell you how reliable a newspaper with the Name: The Housewives of Vienna is, but in issue no. 567 from 7th of february 1915 they reported that 3 German Ladies had been awarded with the IC2.

 

The Names are:

• Elfriede Scherhans (nurse)
• Frida Gessert (nurse)
• Dr. Reimer (chauffeur)

The first two were awarded for being nurses with no fear and being extraordinary brave, the last one for being a chauffeur for a division on the eastern front.

 

In the same issue the newspapers presented a photo of Elisabeth Lorenz who was awarded the golden merit cross on the ribbon of the bravery medal of Austria. She was married to a doctor who volunteered for working in a field hospital. She followed him with a special permission of the archduchess Blanka and drove a car to collect the wounded soldiers even under hostile fire! (Issue 564 from 3rd of january 1915)

 

As said, I have no clue about the trustworthieness of the two small articles from this austrian newspaper, but nevertheless I am amazed about this finding and hope that you are as well. 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by BlackcowboyBS

[Daniel Krause]

The 4 ladies with the EK2 in WW1 in my list are:

Frieda Gessert,

Elfriede Scherhans, geb. Buchholz

Sophie Gräfin zu Törring-Jettenbach,

Lonny Hertha von Versen.

 

Not sure if Dr. Reimer did indeed get one.

 

Best,

Daniel

 

[v.Perlet]

Hello BalckcowboyBS,

 

very interesting find! - thanks for sharing.

As for WW2 there are at least 30-40 documented cases of women having been awarded the EK - most prominent being Hanna Reitsch.

I heard about a Belgian nurse working for a German hospital (no not he Red Baron nurse) in WW1 and receiving an EK - but I do not know if this account is verified.

 

Regards

v.Perlet

[JohanH]

The jewish nurse Dina Poljakoff in Finland was awarded the Iron cross in WW2 but refused to accept it. 

[Daniel Krause]

[graham]

7 hours ago, v.Perlet said:

 

I heard about a Belgian nurse working for a German hospital (no not he Red Baron nurse) in WW1 and receiving an EK - but I do not know if this account is verified.

 

Regards

v.Perlet

 

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/allied-spy-got-german-iron-cross-medal-m.html

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by graham

[v.Perlet]

7 hours ago, graham said:

 

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/allied-spy-got-german-iron-cross-medal-m.html

 

Hello graham,

yes this is the Belgium nurse (I had forgotten about the spy part) - but I don't know if this is just a nice story or a real occurrence.

Regards

v.Perlet

[ChrisKelly]

 

"It is estimated that some four and a half million 2nd Class Iron Crosses were awarded during World War II, and 300,000 of the 1st Class.

 

Thirty-nine women, chiefly female nurses from the German Red Cross were granted the Iron Cross 2nd Class. Example of such women are Elfriede Wnuk, wounded in 1942 on the Eastern Front, Magda Darchniger, decorated in 1942, Marga Droste, who remained at her post in the Wilhelmshaven hospital despite her own wounds during a bombing in 1942, Ilse Schulz and Grete Fock, who served in the African campaign, Liselotte Hensel and Miss Holzmann, who were both decorated in 1943 for bravery during a bombing of Hamburg, and the countess Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, acting as a qualified test pilot and development engineer and decorated in August 1943. Other DRK female auxiliaries who received the Iron Cross for acts of bravery are Hanny Weber, Geolinde Münchge, Elfriede Gunia, Ruth Raabe, Ilse Daub, Greta Graffenkamp, Elfriede Muth, Ursula Kogel, Liselotte Schlotterbeck, Rohna von Ceuern, Anna Wohlschütz, and Dr. Elizabeth Potuz. Two non-German female auxiliaries of the German Red Cross were awarded the Iron Cross: Norwegian nurse Anne Gunhild Moxnes in April 1944, and an unknown Belgian nurse in 1942. A young member of the female youth organisation of the Third Reich, Ottilie Stephan, was also awarded the Iron Cross in February 1945 under unknown circumstances. At least two Iron Cross, 1st class, recipients were women, test pilot (Flugkapitän) Hanna Reitsch and in January 1945 German Red Cross sister Else Grossmann."

 

Source:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Cross#:~:text=A young member of the,George VI four months later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 18:30 by ChrisKelly