Women awarded the Iron Cross

[HPL2008]

According to Stephan T. Previtera's "The Iron Time", citing data from the "IMM - Magazine for Orders, Militaria and History" from Nov. 99, the female recipients of the Iron Cross were:

1st Class:
- Hanna Reitsch (11/42, Pilot)
- Else Grossmann (1/45, Red Cross Nurse)

2nd Class:
- Hanna Reitsch (3/42, Pilot)
- Elfriede Wnuk (9/42, Red Cross Nurse)
- Marga Droste (9/42, Red Cross Nurse)
- Melitta Gräfin Schenk von Stauffenberg (?/42, Pilot)
- Hanny Weber (?/42, Red Cross Nurse)
- Geolinde Münche (?/42, Red Cross Nurse)
- Magda Darchinger (?/42, Red Cross Nurse)
- Ilse Schulz (4/43, Red Cross Nurse)
- Grete Fock (4/43, Red Cross Nurse)
- Liselotte Hensel (?/43, Red Cross Nurse)
- ? Holzmann (8/43, Hauptführerin of Red Cross)
- Elfriede Gunia (4/44, Red Cross Nurse)
- Ilse Daub (4/44, Red Cross Aide)
- Anne Moxnes (4/44, Red Cross Nurse)
- Greta Grafenkamp (2/45, Red Cross Nurse)
- Elisabeth Potuz (2/45, Doctor)
- Ottilie Stephan (2/45, Volunteer)
- Ruth Raabe (2/45, Red Cross Nurse)
- Elfriede Muth (3/45, Red Cross Nurse)
- Ursula Kogel (3/45, Red Cross Nurse)
- Lieselotte Schlotterbeck (3/45, Red Cross Aide)
- Rohna von Ceuern (3/45, Red Cross Aide)
- Anna Wohlschütz (3/45, Red Cross Aide)
- Eva Holm (3/45, Civilian Service)
- Leni Stalinek (3/45, Volunteer)
- Hildegard Wollny (3/45, Staff Aide)
- Alice Bendig (3/45, Armed Forces Aide)
- Hildegard Bollgardt (3/45, Armed Forces Aide)
- Dr. ? Lemke (4/45, Labor Service)
- Margarete Hirsekorn (4/45, Communications)
- Erika Stollberg (5/45, Volunteer)
- Else Grossmann (?, Red Cross Nurse)


Additional data on quite a few of these women including some info on how they earned their award as well as photographs of 13 of the female recipients can be found in Dr. Kurt-G. Klietmann's "Auszeichnungen des Deutschen Reiches 1936 - 1945")

[Marcus]

Many thanks.

/Marcus

[BLACK NIGHT]

First Hanna Reitsch. She was a test pilot at Testing Airbase Rechlin.
She flew every kind of military aircraft inclusive jets, helicopters an a manned version of the V-1 Rocket. For testing the ME-163 Komet
Rocket-Jet she received the EK I (Iron Cross first class)
The pic shows her with the IC I, the IC II and the golden pilot and observer badge with diamonds.

[BLACK NIGHT]

Second women with the IC is Melitta Schiller Gräfin von Stauffenberg.
She was a test pilot like Hanna Reitsch. Most of her flights were on the
Ju-87 Stuka (dive bomber) She had more than 2500 diving flights on this
type.

[BLACK NIGHT]

Third are the Rec Cross nurses Hanny Weber and Geolinde Münch.
Both were serving with Rommel`s Africa Corps in the dessert.

[Balrog]

"jewish" melitta countess ? was she jewish?

[Champymiddle]

yes, that was quite surprising

[Marcus]

BLACK NIGHT,

Thanks for those photos.

/Marcus

[Marcus]

"jewish" melitta countess ? was she jewish?

yes, that was quite surprising

Do you have any sources apart from the website you mentioned above that support the claim?

/Marcus

[Heraklit]

http://www.mahnung-gegen-rechts.de/page ... rjahre.htm

"...Alexander Graf Stauffenberg heiratete kurz darauf Melitta Schiller am 11. August 1937 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf. Ihr Vater stammte aus einer angesehenen jüdischen Familie in Odessa. Melitta war schon vor dem ersten Weltkrieg nach Deutschland übersiedelt und studierte Mathematik und Physik. 1927 schloss sie in München mit Diplom und Flugzeugführer-Prüfungen ab. Sie beschäftigte sich bis Ende des Krieges mit aerodynamischen Fragen und erprobte in Testflügen Sturzfluggeräte bei der Deutschen Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt in Berlin-Adlershof...

...Als furchtlose Fliegerin und überragende Ingenieurin wurde sie 1936 zum Flugkapitän geprüft, erhielt 1943 das Eiserne Kreuz II. Klasse und wurde für das EK I vorgeschlagen. Alexander Graf von Stauffenberg und Melitta Schiller hielten ihre Beziehung aus Gründen der "arischen" Gesetze vorher lange geheim."

[Matt Gibbs]

Melitta also recieved the pilot/observers badge in gold with diamonds for completing 1500 test dives in various bomber types.
Regards
Matt Gibbs

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

can someone identify the nurse below (Source: http://militariacollec.free.fr/ident/vi ... hp?p=20585) ? She has a 'Afrika Korps' cuff title, so the selection is fairly limited

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... k+geolinde says:

4 Red Cross nurses assigned to the Afrikakorps received the Iron Cross Second Class; these were:

Grete Fock (of Mutterhaus Kiel)
Ilse Schulz (of Mutterhaus Kiel)
Hanny Weber (of Mutterhaus München)
Geolinde Münch (of Mutterhaus München)

A picture of Ilse Schulz is stored at http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0 but neither Schulz, Weber nor Münch do fit perfectly.

Best regards
Torsten

[Dieter Zinke]

It is Ilse Schulz, see Kurt K. Klietmann "Auszeichnungen des Deutschen Reiches"

Dieter Zinke

[Heimatschuss]

Thanks Oberstab,

Best regards
Torsten

[Winston Smith]

More information about female DRK Iron Cross recipients







Source: World War II German Women's Auxiliary Services