The Medal for Merit in War (german: Medaille für Verdienst 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 Ernestin ...

, established 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 ...

on 7 March 1915 by Bernhard III,

Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen (; german: Sachsen-Meiningen ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine line of the House of Wettin, Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day Germany, German state of Thuringia. Esta ...

. For officers, there was the

Cross for Merit in War The Cross for Merit in War (german: Kreuz für Verdienste im Kriege) was a military decoration of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen established by Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen on 7 March 1915. Criteria The Cross for Merit in War was awarded to o ...

, while the Medal was for enlisted personnel.

Criteria

The medal was awarded to enlisted personnel and some officers for acts of military merit (both combatants and non-combatants), to all members of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

, but especially to those serving in the regiments affiliated with Saxe-Meiningen. Those included the 32nd and 95th Infantry Regiments.Medaille für Verdienst im Kriege 1915 in Bronze
Ehrenzeichen-Orden. Accessed 23 December 2016.

Description

On the front side, the medal had an oak leaf wreath on the edge, bound in each quarter by two crossed ribbons. At the center was a curved cross with a round center sign with the letter "B" in the center. Between the cross arms there were three leaves sticking out of the center. On the back side, there was a shield in the center, with Saxe coat of arms is stylized with cross strips and an oblique diamond ridge. Between the cross-arms, there were three leaves sticking out. Between the middle and the border was the circulatory script: ''FUR VERDIENST IM KREIGE 1914/15''. The medal manufacturer was AWES coin (A. Werner & Söhne) in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Lauer from Nuremberg took over production of the war metal.

Sources

References

Literature

*Lundström, Richard, and Krause, Daniel. ''Awards of military orders and honorary marks of the Ernestine Duchies of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Saxe-Meiningen in the First World War, 1914-1918'' (''Verleihungen von militärischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen der Ernestinischen Herzogtümer Sachsen-Altenburg, Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha und Sachsen-Meiningen im Ersten Weltkrieg, 1914-1918''). 2008. {{Orders, decorations, and medals of Saxe-Meiningen Orders, decorations, and medals of the Ernestine duchies Awards established in 1915 Awards disestablished in 1920