My Next Annoying Question: HHOX

[Bob Hunter]

Great photo and close up of an impressive array of awards.

[Guest Rick Research]

Not only that, but Doctor I've Seen The Kaiser Naked's Xs to his HHO...

obviously came without an intervening EK1!!!!!

[Les]

The Prussian KHHOX ? was it distributed to junior officers outside the celebrity class in a better fashion that the Orden Pour le M?rite? As stated before ? I find only 2 Infantry Officers below the grade of Major who received the Blue Max.

This reply is tangental to the thread, but there were quite a few junior grade infantry officers (Leutnants, Ober-leutnants, and Hauptmanns) that were awarded the PlM. There were roughly 11 company commanders (mostly Lts), and upwards of almost 40 Battalion commanders that received the award.

Here's the list I have, which is long, but not necessariily complete. Some of the categories are blurred because in one case, a Leutnant was acting in the capacity of the regimental commander, and several Leutnants acted as Battalion commanders, adjutants, and so on.

For those who are interested, the list follows:

Company commanders (11):

Haupt, Hauptmann; 24th (Brandenburg) I.R. (Douamont/Verdun)

v. Brandis; Leutnant; 24th (Brandenburg) I.R. (Douamont/Verdun)

Rackow; Leutnant; 158 I.R.(Fort Vaux/Verdun)

Schneider, Leutnant; 63 I.R. (Caporetto)

Schoerner, Leutnant; Bay. Leib. Regt. (Caporetto)

Rommel, Leutnant; Wurtt. Mt. Batt.

Trebing, Leutnant; 208 I.R. (1918 Spring offensive)

Rothernburg, Leutnant; Regimenal C.O., 5th Garde I. R. (Lamotte/Noyon, 1918)

Dernen, Leutnant; 110 I. R. (1918 offensives)

Willweber, Leutnant; 2nd Garde I. R. (defensive battles/August 1918)

Jűnger, Leutnant; 73 I. R.

Batt. Commanders (37):

v. Wolff, Hauptmann; 3rd Batt./ 109 R.I.R. (Verdun area, 1917)

Wittekind, Hauptmann; / 463 I.R. (3rd Ypres)

v. Gazen; Hauptmann 5th Jaeger Batt. (3rd Ypres, 1917)....Battl. Commander

v. Grassendorf, Hauptmann; 11th Jaeger Batt. (Caporetto offensive)..Batt. Commander

Scholtz, Hauptmann; 58 I.R. (Cambrai 1917)

Stoffleth, Hauptmann; 18th Jaeger. Batt. (Italian front in 1917)

Seiler, Hauptmann; 161 I.R. (La Bacquerie 1917)

v. Both, Hauptmann; 90 I.R. (Avre-Grund, 1918)

v. Arnim, Hauptmann; 117 I.R. (Spring offensives, 1918)

Caspari, Hauptmann; 75 I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

Goesch, Hauptmann; 164 I.R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

v. Plehwe, Hauptmann; 2nd Garde Reserve (Spring Offensives, 1918)

Reichenbach, Hauptmann; 74 I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

Schaumburg, Hauptmann; 64 I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

v. Wulffen, Hauptmann; 89 I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

Soldan, Hauptmann; 184 I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

Briskin, Hauptmann; 40th Fusiliers (Spring Offensives, 1918)

Teichmann, Hauptmann; 48 I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

v. Saldern; Hauptmann; 78th I. R. (Spring Offensives, 1918)

v. Osterreich, Hauptmann; 2nd Garde I. R. (Soissons/Reims 1918)

v. Freyhold, Hauptmann; 12th (Grenadier) I. R. (Chemin des Dames 1918)

Haenicke, Hauptmann; 150 I. R. (Chemin des Dames, 1918)

Berka, Hauptmann; 66th Inf. Brigade (Chemin des Dames, 1918)

v. Ravenstetin; Ober-Leutnant; 37 I. R. (Chatelet Woods, 1918)

Trenk, Haupmann; 66 I. R. (Soissons/Reims, 1918)

Plath, Hauptmann; 4th Garde Infantry (defensive actions, August 1918)

v. Wenckstern; Hauptmann; 87th R.I. R. (Spring and Summer offensives, 1918)

Kuehme, Hauptmann; 261 R. I. R. (various actions in 1918)

Runge, Hauptmann; 2nd Naval Infantry Regt. (Spring and summer offensives, 1918)

Gabcke, Hauptman; 158th I. R. (Soissons/Reims, 1918)

v. Brandenstein, Hauptmann; 117th I. R. (Albert/Peronne, August 1918)

Lueters, Hauptmann; 118 I. R. (defensive battles, August 1918)

Behrendt, Hauptmann; 138 I. R. (Mount Groener, 1918)

Busch, Haupmann; 56 I. R. (Maas, 1918)

v. Bernuth, Hauptmann; 4th Garde Grenadier Rgt. (Albert/Peronne, August 1918)

Seidel, Hauptmann; 2nd Garde Reserve Regt. (Septmber 1918)

Wilck, Hauptmann; 2nd. Garde Grenadier Regt. (Bernafay/Montanban, 1918)

Kircheim, Hauptmann; 10th Jaegers; (Somme/Oise, August 1918)

Battery Commanders

Hiernonymous, Leutnant; C.O. 14th Artillery Battery (Chemin des Dames, 1918)

Lancelle, Hauptmann; 2nd Garde Field Artillery Regiment (Hardecourt, 1918)

Zug/Stosstrupp commanders:

v. der Linde, Leutnant; 5th Garde Infantry (Namur, 1914)

Markmann Leutnant; 186 I.R. (somewhere in France, 1918)

Regimental Adjutant:

v. Stutterheim, Oberleutnant; Garde Grenadier Rgt. 1 (Marne, 1918)

Battl. Adjutant:

Ruemmelein, Leutnant; 87 R. I. R. (defensive actions, Sept/Oct. 1918)

(end of list)

Les

[W McSwiggan]

Les - tangential or not - great post with very interesting information.

For the purpose of clarification - my point - not artfully made - was that considering the percentages of the Army officer population in the grade of captain or lower and the amount of combat going on - it would appear that the PlmO was not proportionately awarded to the line-doggies especially in comparison to aviators and submariners. If you push it to the next level - the awards to aviators would suggest a truly Imperial award distributed with little regard to home of record. When looking directly at ground component company grade officers - one finds a very different picture - only two awards - one to Rommel and one to Schorner. Clearly great distinctions. Relative to the aviators - the PlmO was very sparcely awarded to ground component junior officers and effectively not at all to other than Prussian contingents. This effectively promotes the HHOX for ground component officers to a very significant award indeed. The best a non-Prussian could hope for and by the numbers a huge distinction even for Prussians.