GdI Otto Ernst Vinzent Leo von Below

[Deutschritter]

Gentlemen, this is what I have on Otto von Below, but I am surely missing some WWI decorations. I would be grateful for any additions, corrections and/or dates:

 

Prussian Lifesaving Medal (PRM) 

Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class

Knight's Cross First Class of the Friedrich Order (WF3a)

Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)

Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz)

Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class

Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow

Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), 2nd Class (ÖEK2)

Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class (neck order) on 17 January 1909

Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 22 January 1911

Star to his Prussian Order of the Crown 2nd Class on 9 August 1911

Princely Waldeck Cross of Merit (Fürstlich Waldeck’sches Verdienstkreuz), 1st Class (WVK1)

Star to his Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 18 January 1914

Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class

Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves

... Pour le Mérite on 16 February 1915

... Oak Leaves on 27 April 1917

House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander's Star (Stern der Komture) with Swords on 24 July 1915

Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (''Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz''; HH) 
Lübeck Hanseatic Cross (''Lübeckisches Hanseatenkreuz''; LübH/LüH) 
Bremen Hanseatic Cross (''Bremisches Hanseatenkreuz''; BremH/BH)

Military Order of St. Henry (Militär-St.-Heinrichs-Orden), Commander's Cross 2nd Class

Austria-Hungary Military Merit Cross, 1st Class with War Decoration (ÖM1K)

Black Eagle Order on 1 November 1917

Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross (BMJ1) on 4 November 1917

House Order of Hohenzollern, Grand Commander's Star with Swords (HOH2a⚔) on 22 March 1918

Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown on 12 October 1918

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords

 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Deutschritter

[Deutschritter]

Was he maybe given the "Charakter als Generaloberst" in 1919??? (See picture below from Großer Bilderatlas des Weltkrieges, Band 1)

 

 

Thank you for the private message. Here is the supplemented, hopefully complete list: 

 

Prussian Lifesaving Medal (PRM)

Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class

Knight's Cross First Class of the Friedrich Order (WF3a)

Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)

Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz)

Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class

Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow

Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), 2nd Class (ÖEK2)

Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class (neck order) on 17 January 1909

Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 22 January 1911

Star to his Prussian Order of the Crown 2nd Class on 9 August 1911

Princely Waldeck Cross of Merit (Fürstlich Waldeck’sches Verdienstkreuz), 1st Class (WVK1)

Star to his Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 18 January 1914

 

WWI

Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class

Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves

... Pour le Mérite on 16 February 1915

... Oak Leaves on 27 April 1917

House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander's Star with Swords (Stern der Komture mit Schwertern) on 24 July 1915

Schaumburg Lippe House Order, Officer Cross of Honor (SLHO)

Order of Berthold the First (Orden Berthold des Ersten), Grand Cross with Swords (BdBI1⚔/BBI.1⚔/BZLBI⚔)

Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz; HH)

Lübeck Hanseatic Cross (Lübeckisches Hanseatenkreuz; LübH/LüH)

Bremen Hanseatic Cross (Bremisches Hanseatenkreuz; BremH/BH)

Hessian Bravery Medal (Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille; HT)

Red Cross Medal (Prussia), 3rd Class

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross (Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinsches Militärverdienstkreuz), 1st Class (MMV1/MK1)

Austrian-Hungarian Imperial Order of Leopold, Grand Cross with the War Decoration (ÖL1K)

Black Eagle Order on 1 November 1917

Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross (BMJ1) on 4 November 1917

Military Order of St. Henry (Militär-St.-Heinrichs-Orden), Knight's Cross (SH3) and at the same time Commander's Cross 2nd Class (SH2b)

Albrechts-Orden of Saxony, Grand Cross with Swords (SA1⚔)

Princely Reuss Cross of Honor (Fürstlich Reußisches Ehrenkreuz), 1st Class with the Crown and Swords (REK1mKr⚔)

Württemberg Order of the Crown, Grand Cross with Swords (WK1⚔)

Order of the White Falcon (Hausorden vom Weißen Falken), Grand Cross with Swords (GSF1⚔)

House Order of Hohenzollern, Grand Commander's Star with Swords (Stern der Großkomture mit Schwertern) on 22 March 1918

Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown on 12 October 1918

 

Central Powers awards

Picture of the Austrian Emperor in a gold frame with the monogram of Emperor Karl I in 1918 (August von Mackensen received his after the capture of Bucharest on 6 December 1916)

Austria-Hungary Military Merit Cross, 1st Class with War Decoration (ÖM1K)

Bulgarian Order of Saint Alexander, Grand Cross with Swords (BA1⚔)

Gallipoli Star (Eiserner Halbmond; TH)

Great Silver and Golden İmtiyaz Nişanı (Große Goldene Imtiyaz-Medaille; TJ1/TI1)

Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class (TO1)

 

Post-WWI

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords

Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal (Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille) with Swords

Bulgarian War Commemorative Medal 1915–1918 (Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918) with Swords

 

Honours

Named Regimentschef (Colonel-in-Chief) of the Lauenburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 by Kaiser Wilhelm II in his Hauptquartier on 18 October 1916

Edited July 23, 2023 by Deutschritter
Central Powers, not Axis

[Graf]

14 minutes ago, Deutschritter said:

Was he maybe given the "Charakter als Generaloberst" in 1919??? (See picture below from Großer Bilderatlas des Weltkrieges, Band 1)

 

 

Thank you for the private message. Here is the supplemented, hopefully complete list: 

 

Prussian Lifesaving Medal (PRM)

Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class

Knight's Cross First Class of the Friedrich Order (WF3a)

Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)

Prussian Long Service Cross for 25 years (Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz)

Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 3rd Class

Red Eagle Order, 3rd Class with the Bow

Order of the Iron Crown (Austria), 2nd Class (ÖEK2)

Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd Class (neck order) on 17 January 1909

Red Eagle Order, 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 22 January 1911

Star to his Prussian Order of the Crown 2nd Class on 9 August 1911

Princely Waldeck Cross of Merit (Fürstlich Waldeck’sches Verdienstkreuz), 1st Class (WVK1)

Star to his Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Oak Leaves on 18 January 1914

 

WWI

Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class

Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves

... Pour le Mérite on 16 February 1915

... Oak Leaves on 27 April 1917

House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander's Star with Swords (Stern der Komture mit Schwertern) on 24 July 1915

Schaumburg Lippe House Order, Officer Cross of Honor (SLHO)

Order of Berthold the First (Orden Berthold des Ersten), Grand Cross with Swords (BdBI1⚔/BBI.1⚔/BZLBI⚔)

Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz; HH)

Lübeck Hanseatic Cross (Lübeckisches Hanseatenkreuz; LübH/LüH)

Bremen Hanseatic Cross (Bremisches Hanseatenkreuz; BremH/BH)

Hessian Bravery Medal (Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille; HT)

Red Cross Medal (Prussia), 3rd Class

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross (Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinsches Militärverdienstkreuz), 1st Class (MMV1/MK1)

Austrian-Hungarian Imperial Order of Leopold, Grand Cross with the War Decoration (ÖL1K)

Black Eagle Order on 1 November 1917

Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross (BMJ1) on 4 November 1917

Military Order of St. Henry (Militär-St.-Heinrichs-Orden), Knight's Cross (SH3) and at the same time Commander's Cross 2nd Class (SH2b)

Albrechts-Orden of Saxony, Grand Cross with Swords (SA1⚔)

Princely Reuss Cross of Honor (Fürstlich Reußisches Ehrenkreuz), 1st Class with the Crown and Swords (REK1mKr⚔)

Württemberg Order of the Crown, Grand Cross with Swords (WK1⚔)

Order of the White Falcon (Hausorden vom Weißen Falken), Grand Cross with Swords (GSF1⚔)

House Order of Hohenzollern, Grand Commander's Star with Swords (Stern der Großkomture mit Schwertern) on 22 March 1918

Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown on 12 October 1918

 

Axis awards

Picture of the Austrian Emperor in a gold frame with the monogram of Emperor Karl I in 1918 (August von Mackensen received his after the capture of Bucharest on 6 December 1916)

Austria-Hungary Military Merit Cross, 1st Class with War Decoration (ÖM1K)

Bulgarian Order of Saint Alexander, Grand Cross with Swords (BA1⚔)

Gallipoli Star (Eiserner Halbmond; TH)

Great Silver and Golden İmtiyaz Nişanı (Große Goldene Imtiyaz-Medaille; TJ1/TI1)

Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class (TO1)

 

Post-WWI

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords

Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal (Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille) with Swords

Bulgarian War Commemorative Medal 1915–1918 (Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918) with Swords

 

Honours

Named Regimentschef (Colonel-in-Chief) of the Lauenburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 by Kaiser Wilhelm II in his Hauptquartier on 18 October 1916

Nice research Thanks

[speedytop]

"Was he maybe given the "Charakter als Generaloberst" in 1919???"

 

No, never.

 

Uwe

[Deutschritter]

3 minutes ago, speedytop said:

"Was he maybe given the "Charakter als Generaloberst" in 1919???"

 

No, never.

 

Uwe

Thanks, Uwe! I have no idea why the picture depicts him as such. 

[saschaw]

On 23/07/2023 at 00:07, Deutschritter said:

(...) but I am surely missing some WWI decorations.

According to this list recently published by Daniel Krause, he also wore the Grand Cross with swords (but no oak leaves, due to him skipping the 1st class) of the Red Eagle Order. The only source seems to be a portrait of v. Below where he wears it en sautoir. Seems to have been a "give-away" alongside the Black Eagle...

 

[speedytop]

In the estate of General der Infantrie Otto von Below and in the records of the "Familienverband derer von Below" is no indication of a Grand Cross of the Red Eagle Order.

 

Uwe

[Daniel Krause]

@Uwe,

I have pics, where he is wearing a RAO Grand Cross with swords

 

Best

Daniel

[Deutschritter]

Thanks, gentlemen. Daniel, if you find some time, please show us the picture. Since 1861, receiving the Black Eagle Order always meant receiving the Großkreuz of the RAO, do I remember that right? At least until 1914, so why not 1914 to 1918 ... hmmm ... please let me know!