GdF/GdI Otto Edwin von Stülpnagel

[Deutschritter]

Gentlemen, this is what I have for Otto Edwin von Stülpnagel (1878–1948), any additions or corrections are welcome:

 

10 January 1897 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)

... another source claims 27 January 1897

18 August 1897 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)

24 May 1898 Sekondleutnant (2nd Lieutenant)

17 December 1908 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)

23 May 1911 Hauptmann (Captain)

16 May 1916 Major

1 April 1921 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)

1 August 1925 Oberst (Colonel)

1 February 1929 Generalmajor

1 April 1931 Generalleutnant with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 February 1931

1 October 1935 Charakter (honorary) als General der Flieger

1 October 1936 General der Flieger (active)

1 December 1940 General der Infanterie

 

Prussian Centenary Medal 1897 (Zentenarmedaille)

Order of the Crown of Italy, Knight's Cross (JK5)

Order of the Medjidie (Ottoman Empire), 4th Class (TM4)

Order of Albert the Bear, Knight 2nd Class in 1909 (AB3b)

Mecklenburg Greifen-Orden, Knight's Cross (MGrO3/MG3)

Red Eagle Order (Roter Adlerorden), 4th Class (PRAO4/PrA4)

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

... EK II in 1914

... EK I in 1915

Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class with Crown and Swords (BMV4⚔Kr)

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross (Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Militärverdienstkreuz), 2nd Class (MMV2/MK2)

Bremen Hanseatic Cross (Bremisches Hanseatenkreuz; BH)

Lübeck Hanseatic Cross (Lübeckisches Hanseatenkreuz; LübH/LüH)

Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz; HH)

Oldenburg Friedrich-August-Kreuz, Second and First Class (OK1)

Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary), 3rd Class with the War Decoration (ÖM3K)

House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords (HOH3⚔) in 1917

Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 3rd Class with Swords (BMV3⚔/BM3⚔)

Order of the Württemberg Crown, Knight's Cross with Swords (WK3⚔)

Saxon Albrechts-Orden, Knight 1st Class with Swords (SA3a⚔)

Aviator Commemorative Badge (Flieger-Erinnerungsabzeichen)

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

Knight of Honour (Ehrenritter) of the Johanniter-Orden

Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer

Wehrmacht Long Service Awards (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class

Wehrmacht Observer Badge (Beobachterabzeichen)

War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class with Swords

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Deutschritter

[VtwinVince]

LOL, this guy looks like the typical Hollywood 'Nazi general'. Anyone know which aviation units he served in?

[Deutschritter]

Captain (Hauptmann) von Stülpnagel and 16 other officers took part in the second teaching and experimental course for military aviation (zweiter Lehr- und Versuchskursus für Militärflugwesen) from 3 July 1911 to 6 September 1911 (Luftfahrt Zeitschrift Flugsport, Jahr 1911, No. 18, p. 645). He did this successfully, but stayed with the infantry during WWI. He wore the Aviator Commemorative Badge (Flieger-Erinnerungsabzeichen) post-war, just don't know why. 

[VtwinVince]

That would make him an extremely early military aviator.

[Soderbaum]

Hi

 

It is strange as Vince pointed out. He was not qualified for the Er.Abz and he did not served within the Fliegertruppe. The award basically demanded three Years of service as front flyer.

 

Is this kind of a joke ? or he awarded it himself..

 

Any way he served within the Luftwaffe several Years during WW2, but I am no aware that they during the TR had some sort of similar award, but I might be wrong. 

 

 

Gunnar

[VtwinVince]

Quite right Gunnar, the statutes for the Erinnerungsabzeichen are very clear, so I'm a little confused.

[Deutschritter]

Here are a few more pictures, even one with the Reichswehr as Oberst, showing he had the Erinnerungsabzeichen in the 1920s. Many things are strange sometimes, maybe you aviation guys can help out. Here a nice example (Flugsport Heft 13/1936): Otto Edwin von Stülpnagel visited on 13 and 14 June 1936 the "pre-war aviation annual meeting in Munich" (Vorkriegsflieger-Jahrestreffen München 1936) and brought greetings from the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Generaloberst Hermann Göring. Reichsluftsportführer Colonel Alfred Mahncke remembered the achievements of our pre-war pilots and presented the honorary cups (Ehrenbecher) to the pre-war pilots present. He himself was presented the Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampf by Major a. D. Carl Braun. I have never heard of this, but it apparently happened. 

 

 

[VtwinVince]

I've never heard of an award of the Ehrenbecher any later than 1919.

[Deutschritter]

17 hours ago, VtwinVince said:

I've never heard of an award of the Ehrenbecher any later than 1919.

That was a first for me too. But Göring did what ever he wanted to. 😉