The Blücher Order () was an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(GDR). It was named after the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned his greatest ...

. He was seen as a hero in the GDR for his part in defeating the invading army of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

History

The decoration was created in 1965 by the Chairman of the Council of State

Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; ; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar republic, Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later in the early development ...

. It was supposed to be awarded to NVA soldiers as a valor award in a time of war. The decoration was never awarded as the GDR was never in a state of war. However on 25 January 1985, the National Defence Council ordered that 8,000 were to be minted immediately.East German Plans for the Conquest and Occupation of West Berlin, Dr. Otto Wenzel, ARMOR — November-December 1994 The decoration came in six classes: the medal grade, which was divided into three classes (bronze, silver and gold), and the cross grade, which was divided into three classes in the same way. Some of the remaining Blücher Orders are now on display in the

Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr The Bundeswehr Military History Museum () is the military museum of the German Armed Forces, the ''Bundeswehr'', and one of the major military history museums in Germany. It is located in a former military arsenal in the Albertstadt which is par ...

. An example of the bronze medal is also on display at the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (CWM) () is a National museums of Canada, national museum on the military history of Canada, country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military hist ...

Design

The cross was shaped as a white cross; in its center there was a portrait of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves (its color was according to the class of the award). The cross was attached to a red ribbon with two yellow stripes on its edges. The silver class has a silver strip in the center and the gold class had a gold strip. The medal was round and featured a depiction of the front of the cross on it. Its ribbon was yellow with blue stripes down its center according to the medal class.

References

External links

photos of the insignia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blucher Order Orders, decorations, and medals of East Germany