Female award-holders

Discussions on the role played by and situation of women in the Third Reich not covered in the other sections. Hosted by Vikki.
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Jaybird
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Female award-holders

#1

Post by Jaybird » 05 Nov 2004, 23:14

Where there any female holders of military awards for bravery, like EK?

Stories about how hey earned them would also be most welcome, as the respective occasions must have been quite unusual.

Thanks. :)

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Erik E
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#2

Post by Erik E » 05 Nov 2004, 23:34

A Norwegian Frontsister called Anne Moxsness is told to be the only non-German woman ever to recieve the EK.....
No details about her service though......

Which means that there were atleast some, but probably not many!

EE


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Daniel L
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#3

Post by Daniel L » 06 Nov 2004, 02:39

Yes, in example do a forum search for Hanna Reitsch. She received the EKI.

Best regards/ Daniel
Last edited by Daniel L on 06 Nov 2004, 15:29, edited 1 time in total.

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Ingo
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#4

Post by Ingo » 06 Nov 2004, 09:51

Hello,

it is difficult to search dates about female holders of the EK. But I can give some examples.

- the first was Hanna Reitsch, EK II 28.03.1941, EK I 5.11.1942

- DRK-Schwester Elfriede Wnuk, EK II 19.9.1942 (2nd)

- DRK-Schwester Marga Droste, EK II (3rd)

- Dipl.-Ing. Flugkapitänin Melitta Gräfin Schenk von Stauffenberg, EK II (4th)

- DRK-Schwester Magda Darchinger, EK II (5th)

- DRK-Schwester Ilse Schulz, EK II (6th)

- DRK-Schwester Grete Fock, EK II (7th)

- DRK-Schwester Liselotte Hensel, EK II

- DRK-Hauptführerin Holzmann, EK II

- DRK-Schwester Elfriede Gunia, EK II

- OKS-Schwester Anne Gunhild Moxnes, EK II 9.3.1944

- DRK-Schwester Hanny Weber, EK II (El Alamein)

- DRK-Schwester Geolinde Münche, EK II (El Alamein)

- DRK-Schwesternhelferin Ilse Daub, EK II (27th)

- DRK-Schwester Else Großmann, EK I (!)

- DRK-Schwester Greta Grafenkamp, EK II 17.02.1945

- Ärztin Dr. Elisabeth Potuz, EK II 3.2.1945

- DRK-Schwester Ruth Raabe, EK II 3.2.1945

- DRK-Schwester Ursula Kögel, EK II 1.3.1945

- DRK-Schwester Liselotte Schlotterbeck, EK II 8.3.1945

- Ottilie Stephan, EK II

- Stabshelferin Hildegard Wollny, EK II

- Leni Stalinek, EK II

- Alice Bendig, EK II

- Hildegard Bellgardt, EK II

- DRK-Schwester Elfriede Muth, EK II

- DRK-Schwester Rohna von Ceuern, EK II

- DRK-Schwester Anna Wohlschütz, EK II

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Jaybird
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#5

Post by Jaybird » 06 Nov 2004, 12:24

Thanks, Ingo. :)

Quite a lot...

Seems like female medical staff was most likely to be considered for awards. Does anybody have a clue wether they where decorated simply for doing field service for a certain time, or did they perform something outstanding that wasn´t part of their nursing job?

After all, it´s an award for bravery, and although serving in field hospitals under harsh conditions will give you some hardship in itself, this achievement alone will probably not meet the requirements for an Iron Cross, or does it?

I mean, male soldiers where not given awards for "just" being out there and doing their job, so why should women?

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Ingo
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#6

Post by Ingo » 06 Nov 2004, 12:44

All these awards were for acts of bravery.

For example Hanny Weber. She was a member of an army medical corps in El Alamein. During a heavy british bombardement she provided german casualties directly in the frontline.

Or Stabshelferin Hildegard Wollny. She was a warning device during the fighting near Gleiwitz. She also trailed rocked prolled grenades and munition to the frontline.

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Jaybird
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#7

Post by Jaybird » 06 Nov 2004, 14:53

I see.

Do you know of any literature on this?

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FANGIO
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#8

Post by FANGIO » 06 Nov 2004, 21:11

Hi Jaybird!
Here's a pic of Hanna Reitsch. The pic was posted by Michael Root in the forum of http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com
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stril
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#9

Post by stril » 07 Nov 2004, 00:33

Hello
There was a woman that got the EK after the Måløy raid in Norway.
Dont have the name right now(Petersen/Pedersen ?), but her name i stated in the list in the KTB of those that got the EK after the raid.
regards
stril

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stril
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#10

Post by stril » 07 Nov 2004, 17:10

Hello
Got it wrong with my suggestion of name, but here is the right one:

Frau Anna Fromm-Christiansen geb. Prall got the EKII after the Måløy raid.One got the EK I, and she was one out of seven that got the EKII(one got Spange)
regards
stril

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Heimatschuss
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#11

Post by Heimatschuss » 13 Oct 2006, 20:42

Hello,

a question for experts. How secure is the name of Magda Darchinger mentioned above? Does the spelling come from first-hand sources (Red Cross personnel files, awards documents) or could it be a spelling mistake that has been perpetuated on and on?

Reason: I've found this article that calls her "Magda Parchinger"
Mit dem Kriegsverdienstkreuz mit Schwertern wurde als erste Frau die DRK-Schwester Angela Mayer ausgezeichnet. Sie wurde 1940 zum Kriegsdienst eingezogen und war zunächst im Westen, dann seit Jahren im Osten tätig. Ihr mutiger Einsatz fand jetzt die besondere Anerkennung des Führers.

Das Eiserne Kreuz Zweiter Klasse wurde Dipl.-Ingenieur Flugkapitän Melitta Gräfin Schenk von Stauffenberg, geb. Schiller, verliehen. Die Fliegerin steht im Dienst der Luftwaffe. Ihr fliegerischer Einsatz, sowie die kriegswichtigen Ergebnisse, die sie für die Weiterentwicklung von Luftwaffengerät und in der flugtechnischen Erprobung deutscher Sturzkampf-Flugzeuge erzielte, begründet diese seltene Auszeichnung.

Das Eiserne Kreuz Zweiter Klasse erhielt als 5. Frau die DRK-Schwester Magda Parchinger, München. Sie hat sich während eines Luftangriffs bei der Bergung von Verwundeten eines Lazaretts im Operationsgebiet durch besonders tapferes Verhalten ausgezeichnet und wurde selbst schwer verwundet.
Als 6. und 7. Frau tragen DRK-Schwester Ilse Schulz aus Wesermünde und DRK-Schwester Grete Fock aus Kiel diese Ehrenzeichen. Beide waren seit mehr als 2 Jahren in einem Feldlazarett in vorderster Linie in Afrika eingesetzt. Sie haben wiederholt während schwerer Luftangriffe und Beschießungen Verwundete in den Schutzräumen geborgen und bei einem besonders heftigen Luftbombardement in Marsa Matruk im September 1942 dem Arzt die Operation einer verletzten Schlagader, von deren sorgfältiger Ausführung die Rettung des Patienten abhing, ermöglicht, trotzdem sie dreimal durch Einschläge in nächster Nähe des ungeschützten Behandlungsraumes unterbrochen werden mußte. Für solche Tapferkeit und Standhaftigkeit, die Nichtachtung eigenen Lebens, um anderer Leben zu retten, verlieh ihnen der Führer dieses Zeichen der Bewährung.

Source: "Frauenkultur", Mai 1943, S.3
Best regards
Torsten

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Winston Smith
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#12

Post by Winston Smith » 14 Oct 2006, 01:51


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Matt Gibbs
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some photos

#13

Post by Matt Gibbs » 22 Nov 2006, 23:43

According to the NSF official news Hanna Reitsch recieved the EK1 on 14th November, she also recieved the Pilot Observers badge with diamonds on 27th March 1941.

Sister Elfriede Wnuk recieved the wound badge and the EK2 personally from Hitler as well as the Ostmedaille. She served in clinics in the invasion of Poland, then the France campaign and later in the East. She recieved the wound badge in black after her field hospital, 50km behind the lines, was bombed by Russian aircraft. She recieved a bomb splinter in one of her knee joints and amputation was a foregone conclusion.
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Matt Gibbs
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Some more photos

#14

Post by Matt Gibbs » 22 Nov 2006, 23:50

And here we have the next sister who recieved the EK2

This was for assisting duyring and in the aftermath of the bombing of the railway installations at Wilhelmshaven by taking care of 150 wounded troops who were evacuated to the railway station air raid bunker after the action as there was no suitable building to carry non walking wounded.

Best wishes and I hope these photos are of interest, showing the EK2 ribbon in wear by women!

TTFN
Matt Gibbs
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Matt Gibbs
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Some more if you are not bored

#15

Post by Matt Gibbs » 22 Nov 2006, 23:57

Hey ho,
A couple more of interest I hope.

Ilse Schultz
Born 13.11.13

Grete Fock
Born 9.11.1897

EK2 for services with the Afrikakorps as nursing sisters in a Field hospital who had served for 2 years, almost all in the Africa theatre. Awarded 13th May 1941 according to NSF.

Regards
Matt Gibbs
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