The Cross for Merit in War (german: Kreuz für Verdienste im Kriege) was a military decoration of the

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen (; german: Sachsen-Meiningen ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ernest ...

established by

Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1 April 1851 – 16 January 1928), was the last reigning duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Biography Bernhard was born on 1 April 1851 at Meiningen in what was then the German Confederation, as the eldest son of Georg ...

on 7 March 1915.

Criteria

The Cross for Merit in War was awarded to

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

for outstanding merit displayed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Enlisted personnel were awarded the

Medal for Merit in War The Medal for Merit in War (german: Medaille für Verdienst im Kriege) was a military decoration of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, established during World War I on 7 March 1915 by Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. For officers, there was the Cr ...

for similar deeds. The cross could be awarded to combatants and non-combatants, with the ribbon differentiating between the awards.

Appearance

Cross for Merit in War is a bronze

cross pattee A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, the arms of the cross having curved ends. Between the arms is a wreath of

rue ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bl ...

. The cross is suspended from a five-arched crown. The

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

has a medallion in the center of the cross, bearing the founder's initial ''B''. The entire cross is surrounded by an oak wreath, tied at the cardinal points. The reverse depicts the Arms of Saxony on in the central medallion and the inscription ''FUR VERDIENST IM KREIGE 1914/15'' on the outer edge. The ribbon is black with yellow side stripes and green and white checkered edges for combatants. For non-combatants the ribbon is also black and yellow, separated from a green edge by white stripes.

Notable recipients

Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general, politician and military theorist. He achieved fame during World War I for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914. ...

Gustav von Vaerst __NOTOC__ Gustav von Vaerst (19 April 1894 – 10 October 1975) was a German general during World War II. He was the last commander of the 5th Panzer Army, which was trapped in Northern Tunisia, between 28 February and 9 May 1943. He surrendere ...

Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse Philipp, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (6 November 1896 – 25 October 1980) was head of the Electoral House of Hesse from 1940 to 1980. He joined the Nazi Party in 1930, and, when they gained power with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancel ...

References

Notes

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Saxe-Meiningen Orders, decorations, and medals of the Ernestine duchies