1.
House of Hohenzollern
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The House of Hohenzollern is a dynasty of former princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. The family arose in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century, the first ancestor of the Hohenzollerns was mentioned in 1061. They may have derived from the Burchardinger dynasty, the Hohenzollern family split into two branches, the Catholic Swabian branch and the Protestant Franconian branch, which later became the Brandenburg-Prussian branch. The Swabian branch ruled the principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1849, members of the Franconian branch became Margrave of Brandenburg in 1415 and Duke of Prussia in 1525. The Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were ruled in personal union after 1618 and were called Brandenburg-Prussia, germanys defeat in World War I in 1918 led to the German Revolution. The Hohenzollerns were overthrown and the Weimar Republic was established, thus bringing an end to the German monarchy, Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia is the current head of the royal Prussian line, while Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern is the head of the princely Swabian line. Zollern, from 1218 Hohenzollern, was a county of the Holy Roman Empire and its ruling dynasty was first mentioned in 1061. The Hohenzollerns named their estates after Hohenzollern Castle in the Swabian Alps, the Hohenzollern Castle still belongs to the family today. According to the medieval chronicler Berthold of Reichenau, Burkhard I, Count of Zollern was born before 1025, the Zollerns received the comital title from Emperor Henry V in 1111. As loyal vassals of the Swabian Hohenstaufen dynasty, they were able to enlarge their territory. In 1218 the burgraviate passed to Fredericks younger son Conrad I, he became the ancestor of the Franconian Hohenzollern branch. 1150-1155 and 1160, Gotfried of Zimmern, 4th oldest son of Frederick I before 1171 – c,1200, Frederick III/I Count Frederick III of Zollern was a loyal retainer of the Holy Roman Emperors Frederick Barbarossa and Henry VI. In about 1185 he married Sophia of Raabs, the daughter of Conrad II, after the death of Conrad II who left no male heirs, Frederick III was granted Nuremberg in 1192 as Burgrave Frederick I of Nuremberg-Zollern. Since then the name has been Hohenzollern. The younger brother, Conrad III, received the burgraviate of Nuremberg from his older brother Frederick IV in 1218, members of the Franconian line eventually became the Brandenburg-Prussian branch. The Franconian line later converted to Protestantism, the cadet Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by Conrad I, Burgrave of Nuremberg. Beginning in the 16th century, this branch of the family became Protestant and decided on expansion through marriage, the family supported the Hohenstaufen and Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire during the 12th to 15th centuries, being rewarded with several territorial grants. He ruled the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Ansbach after 1398, from 1420, he became Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
House of Hohenzollern
–
Hohenzollern Castle near
Hechingen
House of Hohenzollern
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House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
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William II was the last
German Emperor and ruled until 1918.
House of Hohenzollern
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Nuremberg Castle (The Emperor's castle, left, and the Burgrave's castle, right)
2.
Order (honour)
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Modern national orders and orders of merit developed in the 19th century, emerging out of the culture of chivalric orders of the Middle Ages. The modern distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most historic chivalric orders imply a membership in a group, in a few exclusive European orders, membership is or was also limited in number. Orders often come in multiple classes, including knights and dames in imitation of the chivalric orders. They were essentially courtly in nature, characterised by close personal relations between the members and the orders sovereign. By the time of the Renaissance, most European monarchs had acquired an existing order of chivalry, or created new ones of their own, to reward loyal civilian. Such orders remained out of reach to the public, however. In the 18th century, these ideas gradually changed and the orders developed from honourable societies to visible honours, an example of this gradual development can be seen in two orders founded by Maria Theresa of Austria. Still today many dynastic orders are granted by royal families to worthy individuals for service, in 1802 Napoleon created the Légion dhonneur, which could be awarded to any person, regardless of status, for bravery in combat or for 20 years of distinguished service. While still retaining many trappings of an order of chivalry, it was the first modern order of merit and is still Frances highest award today. Curiously, orders of merit based on the French Legion of Honour typically retain five classes in accordance with habits of chivalric orders. In communist countries, orders of merit usually come in one to three grades, with only a badge worn with or without a ribbon on the chest, an example of a communist order of merit was the one-class Order of Lenin of the Soviet Union. Unlike Western orders, however, communist orders could be awarded more than once to an individual, after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, most Eastern European countries reverted to the Western-style orders originally established before the rise of communism. Today many countries have some form of order of merit or national decorations, both Thailands Order of the White Elephant and Japans Order of the Rising Sun are over 100 years old. In Canada and some Commonwealth Realms, the Order of Merit is the highest civilian honour, Canada has the Order of Canada and provincial orders such as the Order of Nova Scotia. Australia has the Order of Australia, and New Zealand awards the Order of New Zealand, the Order of Mapungubwe is the highest honour in South Africa, while the Orders of Luthuli, and the Baobab exist alongside other decorations. The United States awards the Medal of Honor to members of its military for acts of valour, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, switzerland does not award any orders. Article 12 of the 1848 Swiss Constitution prohibited the acceptance of honours, the current Constitution of 1999 has no specific prohibition, but a federal statute effectively continues the prohibition by barring holders of foreign orders from holding public office. In 1974 the Cabinet of Sweden passed a regulation forbidding the Monarch of Sweden from awarding membership in orders to Swedish citizens
Order (honour)
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Lemuel Francis Abbott 's portrait of
Admiral Lord Nelson depicting his honours embroidered on his coat jacket
Order (honour)
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Order of the Garter insignia
3.
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
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Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, is the current head of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and of the Kingdom of Prussia. He is the great-great-grandson and historic heir of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, Georg Friedrich is the only son of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen. After the death of his father, Georg Friedrich spent much of his youth in the care and under the guidance of Louis Ferdinand and he attended grammar schools in Bremen and Oldenburg and completed his education at Glenalmond College near Perth, Scotland, where he passed his A-levels. He volunteered for a stint in the Alpine troops of the German army. Georg Friedrich took his degree in economics at the Freiberg University of Mining. Georg Friedrich works for a company specialising in helping universities bring their innovations to market and he also administers the Princess Kira of Prussia-Foundation, founded by his grandmother in 1952. He lives near Bremen and at Hohenzollern Castle, Georg Friedrich claims compensation for expropriated land and palaces in Berlin. The procedure for compensation was started by his grandfather Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia under the Compensation Act in March 1991. Georg Friedrich succeeded his grandfather, Prince Louis Ferdinand I of Prussia as Head of the Royal House of Prussia, a branch of the House of Hohenzollern, on 26 September 1994. However, the Federal Court of Justice of Germany overturned the rulings in favour of Georg Friedrichs uncles. This time both courts ruled in favour of Georg Friedrich and his uncles then took their case to the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany which overruled the previous court rulings in Georg Friedrichs favour. The religious wedding was also broadcast live by local public television, the dinner, which many members of German and European royal families attended, was held in the Orangery Palace at Sanssouci Park. Princess Sophies parents are Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg and his wife, the couple share descent from Charles II, the first reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a brother of Charlotte of Mecklenburg, queen consort of George III of Great Britain. Princess Sophies father is head of the branch of the mediatised princely House of Isenburg, known under the Holy Roman Empire. In 1913 Franz Alexanders grandfather, Franz Joseph, dropped the und Büdingen zu Birstein suffix from his title as Fürst von Isenburg, the boys were baptized in the Chapel of St. Michael at Hohenzollern Castle on 24 June 2013. Their third child, a daughter, was born on 2 April 2015, hI&RH Princess Emma Marie Charlotte Sophie of Prussia Princess Emma was baptized in the Chapel of St. Michael at Hohenzollern Castle on 13 June 2015. Her godparents are Archduchess Katharina of Austria and Prince Otto of Castell-Rüdenhausen, on 17 November 2016, Sophie gave birth to the couples fourth child, a third son. And I am very happy — probably happier than many of my forebearers, I have as head of the House of Hohenzollern no political role — and neither do I aim at such
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
–
The Prince of Prussia at
Komische Oper Berlin in 2007.
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
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Prince Georg Friedrich at the annual meeting of the Order
Pour le Mérite (2014)
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
–
Hohenzollern Castle, Swabia
4.
Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern
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Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern is the eldest son of the late Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern and Princess Margarita of Leiningen. He became head of the Princely House of Hohenzollern upon his fathers death on 16 September 2010 and he read business administration at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He is the chairman and sole owner of Unternehmensgruppe Fürst von Hohenzollern, including estate and forests with 400 employees. According to the 1923 constitution of Romania, Karl Friedrich is the candidate for the defunct throne. However, in a 2009 interview, he stated that he had no interest in the Romanian throne and they were divorced on 21 January 2010, in Sigmaringen. The prince has his offices at Sigmaringen Castle which is open to the public and being used for family weddings. He lives on his hunting estate Josefslust House, whereas the nearby hunting lodge is used by his brother Albrecht,20 April 1952 –6 February 1965, His Serene Highness Prince Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern. 6 February 1965 –16 September 2010, His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Hohenzollern,16 September 2010 – present, His Royal Highness The Prince of Hohenzollern
Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern
–
Karl Friedrich
Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern
–
Sigmaringen Castle
5.
Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown
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The order was presented in one class and consisted of a badge and a breast star. For military merit the award was presented with crossed swords, the order was presented once with diamonds. In each of the compartments between the four arms of the cross is a crown surmounting the royal monogram. The central disc on the obverse of the shows a golden crown with red enamel, surrounded by a blue-enamelled circular band bearing the gold-lettered motto. The disc on the bears the intertwined initials IR W II. The star of the order is a golden eight-pointed star with straight rays, the sash of the order is blue, edged with orange stripes. The medal was awarded only 57 times, general von Gossler was the only person who received the awards in both departments. Zentralstelle für wissenschaftliche Ordenskunde, München 1997, ISBN 3-00-001396-2, kurt-Gerhard Klietmann, Der Verdienstorden der Preußischen Krone, Mitteilung aus dem Institut für Wissenschaftliche Ordenskunde, Der Herold - Band 12,32
Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown
–
Cross of the order
6.
Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania
–
The National Decorations System of Romania is divided into six categories, listed below. It was re-established in 1998, after a 50-year period of during which Romania used a Soviet-style system of decorations and it is very similar to the system used in Romania in the interwar period. The list is ordered in descending order of the rank in the National System of Decorations. The Cultural Merit Order and medal are divided into nine equal classes, there are currently no living Recipients of the Order, except for Former King Michael I. The Decoration was in two types, The Royal Medal - Consisted of three classes of Gold, Silver and Bronze with no specifications, the Decoration transformed into an Order under the reign of King Carol Is nephew King Ferdinand I on 16 December 1915. On 8 September 1940, the Order was abolished and replaced by the Order of St. George under the reign of King Ferdinand Is grandson King Michael I. The Order was abolished during the abolishment of the Romanian Monarchy in 1947, the Order was abolished during the abolishment of the Romanian Monarchy in 1947. The Order was reinstated during the Socialist Republic of Romania, See Socialist Order of Agriculture, on 31 March 2000, the Order was reinstated again, See Republican Order of Agriculture. George The Order was intended to award Civilian and Military air personnel as well as Members of the Royal Romanian Air Force and Air Cadets in times of Peace, the Order was abolished during the abolishment of the Romanian Monarchy in 1947. On 31 March 2000, the Order was re-established, See Republican Order of Aeronautical Virtue, the Order was established to award Civil and Military Personnel of Merit in Medical work in Wars and in Peacetime working in the same field as Queen Marie. The Order was abolished during the abolishment of the Romanian Monarchy in 1947, the Decoration was later awarded to very few individuals who were deemed to prove great leadership. The Decoration was named after the Danube River where The Romanian Army fought the Ottoman Imperial Army, Romanian decorations Decorations of the Romanian Royal House The official website of the Chancellery of the Orders of Romania
Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania
–
National decorations
Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania
7.
German language
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German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, the German-speaking Community of Belgium and it is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg. Major languages which are most similar to German include other members of the West Germanic language branch, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Luxembourgish and it is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English. One of the languages of the world, German is the first language of about 95 million people worldwide. The German speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of publication of new books. German derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, a portion of German words are derived from Latin and Greek, and fewer are borrowed from French and English. With slightly different standardized variants, German is a pluricentric language, like English, German is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects, with many unique varieties existing in Europe and also other parts of the world. The history of the German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the migration period, when Martin Luther translated the Bible, he based his translation primarily on the standard bureaucratic language used in Saxony, also known as Meißner Deutsch. Copies of Luthers Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region that translated words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Roman Catholics initially rejected Luthers translation, and tried to create their own Catholic standard of the German language – the difference in relation to Protestant German was minimal. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that a widely accepted standard was created, until about 1800, standard German was mainly a written language, in urban northern Germany, the local Low German dialects were spoken. Standard German, which was different, was often learned as a foreign language with uncertain pronunciation. Northern German pronunciation was considered the standard in prescriptive pronunciation guides though, however, German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire, which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe. Until the mid-19th century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of the Empire and its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Some cities, such as Prague and Budapest, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain, others, such as Pozsony, were originally settled during the Habsburg period, and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest and Bratislava as well as cities like Zagreb, the most comprehensive guide to the vocabulary of the German language is found within the Deutsches Wörterbuch. This dictionary was created by the Brothers Grimm and is composed of 16 parts which were issued between 1852 and 1860, in 1872, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the Duden Handbook. In 1901, the 2nd Orthographical Conference ended with a standardization of the German language in its written form
German language
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Old Frisian (Alt-Friesisch)
German language
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The widespread popularity of the
Bible translated into German by
Martin Luther helped establish modern German
German language
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Examples of German language in
Namibian everyday life
German language
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German-language newspapers in the U.S. in 1922
8.
Commissioned officer
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An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. In this sense, officers are not enlisted, but hold appointments from their government that typically remain in force indefinitely unless resigned, the proportion of officers varies greatly. Officers typically make up between an eighth and a fifth of modern armed forces personnel, in 2013, officers were the senior 17% of the British armed forces, and the senior 13. 7% of the French armed forces. In 2012, officers made up about 18% of the German armed forces, historically, however, armed forces have generally had much lower proportions of officers. During the First World War, fewer than 5% of British soldiers were officers, in the early twentieth century, the Spanish army had the highest proportion of officers of any European army, at 12. 5%. Within a nations armed forces, armies tend to have a proportion of officers. For example,13. 9% of British army personnel and 22. 2% of the RAF personnel were officers in 2013, having officers is one requirement for combatant status under the laws of war, though these officers need not have obtained an official commission or warrant. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons, in an armed forces environment, a superior officer is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior. Non-commissioned officers in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se, many advanced militaries require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even from the enlisted ranks. In the Israel Defense Forces, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to the rank of lieutenant colonel, the IDF often sponsors the studies for its majors, while aircrew and naval officers obtain academic degrees as a part of their training programmes. In the United Kingdom, there are three routes of entry for British Armed Forces officers, the first, and primary route are those who receive their commission directly into the officer grades following completion at their relevant military academy. The third route is similar to the second, in that they convert from an enlisted to a commission, but these are taken from the highest ranks of SNCOs. LE officers, whilst holding the same Queens Commission, generally work in different roles from the DE officers, in the infantry, a number of Warrant Officer Class 1s are commissioned as LE officers. For Royal Navy and Royal Air Force officer candidates, a 30-week period at Britannia Royal Naval College or a 30-week period at RAF College Cranwell, Royal Marines officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines during a grueling 15-month course. The courses consist of not only tactical and combat training, but also leadership, management, etiquette, until the Cardwell Reforms of 1871, commissions in the British Army were purchased by officers. The Royal Navy, however, operated on a more meritocratic, or at least socially mobile, AOCS also also included the embedded Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate and Naval Aviation Cadet programs. NAVCADs were personnel who held associates degrees, but lacked bachelors degrees, nAVCADs would complete the entire AOCS program, but would not be commissioned until completion of flight training and receiving their wings. After their initial tour, they would be assigned to a college or university full-time for no more than two years in order to complete their bachelors degree
Commissioned officer
–
A commissioned officer and a non-commissioned officer prepare for a mission in Afghanistan.
Commissioned officer
–
The
Royal Navy officer training academy
Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, also known as HMS Britannia
Commissioned officer
–
A
platoon from the Australian
29th Battalion being addressed by their Commanding Officer in August 1918
9.
Hohenzollern-Hechingen
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Hohenzollern-Hechingen was a small principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty, the County of Hohenzollern-Hechingen was created in 1576, upon the partition of the County of Hohenzollern, a fief of the Holy Roman Empire. The County was raised to a principality in 1623, the principality joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 and was a member state of the German Confederation between 1815 and 1850. The democratic Revolution of 1848 was relatively successful in Hohenzollern, and on 16 May 1848, however, the conflict between monarch and democrats continued, and on 6 August, Hohenzollern was occupied by Prussian forces. On 7 December 1849, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Konstantin sold the country to his relative, on 12 March 1850, Hohenzollern-Hechingen officially became part of Prussia, and formed together with Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen the Province of Hohenzollern. After cession of territory to Prussia, the Prince continued to use his title, line became extinct 1869 at Prince Constantines death, and titles passed to the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen line. Almanach de Gotha info about Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Hohenzollern-Hechingen
–
The
New Castle at
Hechingen
Hohenzollern-Hechingen
–
Flag
Hohenzollern-Hechingen
–
Arms of a Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
10.
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
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Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was a small county in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the senior Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the senior Swabian branch is not as well known to history, as is the junior Franconian line which became Burgraves of Nuremberg and later ruled Brandenburg-Prussia and the German Empire. The County of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was created in 1576, upon the partition of the County of Hohenzollern, the principality became a sovereign state in 1815 after the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and an independent realm following the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Its ruler, Charles, was deposed in the revolutions of 1848 and his son, Karl Anton, succeeded him, and turned to Prussia for aid. Prussian troops arrived in August 1849, and in a treaty signed in December Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was annexed by Prussia, the annexation of their state did not, however, mean the end of the importance of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The last prince, Karl Anton, served as Minister President of Prussia from 1858-61, french opposition to the candidacy of Carols elder brother Prince Leopold for the throne of Spain triggered the Franco-Prussian War, which led to the founding of the German Empire in January 1871. From 1806 until 1813 the Hohenzollern lands were a realm of the Confederation of the Rhine, from 1815 until 1849 the principality was a sovereign country and a member of the German Confederation. In 1849 it lost its independence, and was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia as the Province of Hohenzollern, the German Confederation was succeeded in 1866 by the North German Confederation, which itself was succeeded by the German Empire in 1871. In 1918, the kingdom of Prussia became the Free State of Prussia, in 1933 the republic was replaced by the Third Reich. After the defeat of the Nazis the province of Hohenzollern was merged with other territories into the state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern and this state was part of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany until 1952. In that year, the state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern was merged into Baden-Württemberg, Prince Karl Eitel of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen reigned and, being childless, was succeeded by his nephew Ferdinand on the throne of Romania. The modern state of Romania was formed by merger of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 under the Moldavian domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza and he was replaced by Karl Eitel of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1866, who mounted the throne as Carol I, Prince of Romania. During the Russo-Turkish War, Romania fought on the Russian side, in the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, Romania was subsequently recognized as an independent state by the Great Powers. In return for reverting to the Russian Empire three southern Bessarabian districts that had been regained by Moldavia after the Crimean War in 1852, in 1881, the principality was raised to a kingdom and Prince Carol became King Carol I. He reigned until his death in 1914, and was succeeded by his nephew, shortly after taking the throne, Ferdinand, a Roman Catholic like his predecessor, agreed to have his children reared in the Romanian Orthodox Church. In 1918 Transylvania and Bessarabia were incorporated, in 1918-19, confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and the Treaty of Trianon of 1920, most of the Banat became part of Romania. Also, Bukovina was incorporated in 1918 and his eldest son, Crown Prince Carol, having renounced his rights, Carols only son Michael ascended the throne. In 1930, however, Carol reclaimed the throne and was crowned Carol II, Carol was forced to abdicate in 1940, and Michael re-mounted the throne
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
–
Sigmaringen Castle
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
–
Flag
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
–
Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern, head of the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
–
Combined coat of arms of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1849).
11.
Prussia
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Prussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg, and centred on the region of Prussia. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organised, Prussia, with its capital in Königsberg and from 1701 in Berlin, shaped the history of Germany. In 1871, German states united to create the German Empire under Prussian leadership, in November 1918, the monarchies were abolished and the nobility lost its political power during the German Revolution of 1918–19. The Kingdom of Prussia was thus abolished in favour of a republic—the Free State of Prussia, from 1933, Prussia lost its independence as a result of the Prussian coup, when the Nazi regime was successfully establishing its Gleichschaltung laws in pursuit of a unitary state. Prussia existed de jure until its liquidation by the Allied Control Council Enactment No.46 of 25 February 1947. The name Prussia derives from the Old Prussians, in the 13th century, the Teutonic Knights—an organized Catholic medieval military order of German crusaders—conquered the lands inhabited by them. In 1308, the Teutonic Knights conquered the region of Pomerelia with Gdańsk and their monastic state was mostly Germanised through immigration from central and western Germany and in the south, it was Polonised by settlers from Masovia. The Second Peace of Thorn split Prussia into the western Royal Prussia, a province of Poland, and the part, from 1525 called the Duchy of Prussia. The union of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 led to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, Prussia entered the ranks of the great powers shortly after becoming a kingdom, and exercised most influence in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the 18th century it had a say in many international affairs under the reign of Frederick the Great. During the 19th century, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck united the German principalities into a Lesser Germany which excluded the Austrian Empire. At the Congress of Vienna, which redrew the map of Europe following Napoleons defeat, Prussia acquired a section of north western Germany. The country then grew rapidly in influence economically and politically, and became the core of the North German Confederation in 1867, and then of the German Empire in 1871. The Kingdom of Prussia was now so large and so dominant in the new Germany that Junkers and other Prussian élites identified more and more as Germans and less as Prussians. In the Weimar Republic, the state of Prussia lost nearly all of its legal and political importance following the 1932 coup led by Franz von Papen. East Prussia lost all of its German population after 1945, as Poland, the main coat of arms of Prussia, as well as the flag of Prussia, depicted a black eagle on a white background. The black and white colours were already used by the Teutonic Knights. The Teutonic Order wore a white coat embroidered with a cross with gold insert
Prussia
–
... during the
Renaissance period
Prussia
–
Flag (1892–1918)
Prussia
–
... according to the design of 1702
Prussia
–
Prussian King's Crown (
Hohenzollern Castle Collection)
12.
Carol I
–
Carol I, born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the ruler of Romania from 1866 to 1914. He was elected Ruling Prince of the Romanian United Principalities on 20 April 1866 after the overthrow of Alexandru Ioan Cuza by a palace coup détat, in May 1877, he proclaimed Romania an independent and sovereign nation. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War secured Romanian independence and he was proclaimed King of Romania on 26 March 1881. He was the first ruler of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty, which ruled the country until the proclamation of a republic in 1947, during his reign, Carol I personally led Romanian troops during the Russo-Turkish War and assumed command of the Russo/Romanian army during the siege of Plevna. The country achieved internationally recognized independence via the Treaty of Berlin,1878 and he married Princess Elisabeth of Wied in Neuwied on 15 November 1869. They only had one daughter, Maria, who died at the age of three, Carol never produced a male heir, leaving his elder brother Leopold next in line to the throne. In October 1880 Leopold renounced his right of succession in favour of his son William, who in turn surrendered his claim six years later in favour of his younger brother, after finishing his elementary studies, Karl entered the Cadet School in Münster. In 1857 he was attending the courses of the Artillery School in Berlin, up to 1866, when he accepted the crown of Romania, he was a Prussian officer. He took part in the Second Schleswig War, including the assault of the Fredericia citadel and Dybbøl, an experience which would be very useful to him later in the Russo-Turkish war. Although he was frail and not very tall, prince Karl was reported to be the perfect soldier, healthy and disciplined. He was familiar with several European languages and his family was closely related to the Bonaparte family, they enjoyed very good relations with Napoleon III of France. The former Domnitor of united Romania, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, had expelled from the country by the leading noblemen. Cuzas double election, both in Wallachia and in Moldavia) had been the basis on which the Romanian Principalities unification was recognized by the European powers, with him gone, the country was in danger of disintegration. As Romanian politicians searched for a successor, Napoleon suggested Karl, napoleons recommendation weighed heavily with Romanian politicians of the time, since Romania was strongly influenced by French culture. Another factor was Karls blood relation to the ruling Prussian family, ion Brătianu was the Romanian politician who was sent to negotiate with Karl and his family the possibility of installing him on the Romanian throne. Due to the conflict between Prussia and the Austrian Empire, Karl travelled incognito by railroad from Düsseldorf to Baziaș. He received there a Swiss passport from a Swiss public clerk, friend of his family, from Baziaș he travelled by boat to Turnu Severin, as there was no railroad to Romania. As he crossed the border onto Romanian soil, he was met by Brătianu and he was elected Domnitor on 20 April
Carol I
–
Carol I of Romania
Carol I
–
Prince Karl of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen, aged 6
Carol I
–
Prince Karl of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen
Carol I
–
On May 20 [
O.S. May 8] 1866, Karl entered
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
13.
Ferdinand I of Romania
–
Ferdinand I, nicknamed Intregitorul, was King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death in 1927. Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, the Roman Catholic Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, the name was later shortened simply to Hohenzollern after the extinction of the Hohenzollern-Hechingen branch in 1869. The princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen had ruled the principality until 1850, when it was annexed to Prussia, in 1889, the Romanian parliament recognized Ferdinand as a prince of Romania. For agreeing to this, Ferdinand was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, the neighboring Emperor Francis Joseph, monarch of Austria-Hungary and as such, ruler of Transylvania, was Ferdinands grandmothers first cousin. Ferdinand, a stranger in his new home, started to get close to one of Queen Elisabeths ladies in waiting. Elisabeth, very close to Elena herself, encouraged the romance, the affair caused a sort of dynastic crisis, in 1891. Marie and Ferdinand were third cousins in descent from Franz Frederick Anton, Maries paternal grandparents were Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Her maternal grandparents were Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse, the marriage produced 3 sons, Carol, Nicholas and Mircea and 3 daughters, Elisabeta, Maria and Ileana. The marriage was unhappy and the two youngest children, Ileana and Mircea, are generally acknowledged to have been sired by Maries long-time lover. Ferdinand succeeded his uncle on the death as King of Romania on 10 October 1914. He was the 1, 174th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria in 1909, thus he gained the nickname the Loyal, respecting his oath when sworn in before the Romanian Parliament in 1914, I will reign as a good Romanian. As a consequence of this betrayal toward his German roots, Kaiser Wilhelm II had Ferdinands name erased from the Hohenzollern House register. Despite the setbacks after the entry into war, when Dobruja and Wallachia were occupied by the Central Powers, Romania fought in 1917, when the Bolsheviks sued for peace in 1918, Romania was surrounded by the Central Powers and forced to conclude the Treaty of Bucharest,1918. However, Ferdinand refused to sign the treaty, when the Allied forces advanced on the Thessaloniki front, they knocked Bulgaria out of the war, and Ferdinand ordered the re-mobilization of the Romanian Army. Romania re-entered the war on the side of the Triple Entente, the outcome of Romanias war effort was the union of Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania in 1918. A new period of Romanian history began on the day of the Union of Transylvania with Romania and this period would eventually come to an end with the international treaties that led up to World War II. These ceded parts of Romania to its neighbors, as such, they are widely seen as an attempt to provoke the country into taking sides and joining the war. Domestic political life during his reign was dominated by the conservative National Liberal party led by the brothers Ion, the acquisition of Transylvania ironically enlarged the electoral base of the opposition, whose principal parties united in January 1925 – October 1926 to form the National Peasant Party
Ferdinand I of Romania
–
Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand I of Romania
–
Wilhelm and Ferdinand (British
World War I poster)
Ferdinand I of Romania
–
Ferdinand I depicted on a 50
bani fractional note (1917)
14.
Carol II
–
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication in 6 September 1940. Carol was the eldest son of Ferdinand I and became crown prince upon the death of his great uncle and he was the first of the Hohenzollern kings of Romania to be born in the country. Carol, by contrast, spoke Romanian as his first language and was the first member of the Romanian royal family to be raised in the Orthodox faith, possessing a hedonistic personality that contributed to the controversies which marred his reign, his life was marked by numerous scandals. Among them, marriages to Zizi Lambrino and Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark and his continued affairs with Magda Lupescu, obliged him to renounce his succession rights in 1925 and leave the country. Princess Helen eventually divorced him in 1928, King Ferdinand died in 1927 and Carols five-year-old son ascended the throne as Michael I. Carol returned to Romania in 1930 and replaced the regency that had been in place and his reign was marked by re-alignment with Nazi Germany, adoption of anti-semitic laws and ultimately evolved into a personal dictatorship beginning with 1938. On 6 September 1940, he was forced by his Prime Minister Ion Antonescu to leave the country and he was succeeded by his son Michael. Carol was born in Peleș Castle, for his part, Ferdinand fiercely resented being cuckolded. The childless Carol I treated Prince Carol as his surrogate son, Ferdinand was a rather shy and weak man who was easily overshadowed by the charismatic Marie, who would become a much-loved member of the Romanian royal family. Growing up, Carol felt ashamed of his father, whom both his great-uncle and mother pushed around, Carols childhood was spent caught up in an emotional tug-of-war between Carol I and Marie, who had very different ideas about how to raise him. Aspects of both Maries and Carol Is personalities were present in Carol II, largely as a result of the battle between the king and Marie, Carol ended being both spoiled and deprived of love. Romania in the early 20th century was perhaps the most Francophile nation in the entire world, during his teenage years, Carol acquired the playboy image that was to become his defining persona for the rest of his life. Carol I expressed some concern at the direction that Prince Carols personal development was taking and his only serious interest was stamp collecting, and the young prince spent an inordinate amount of time drinking, partying, and chasing after women. In order to teach the prince the value of the Prussian virtues and his time with the 1st Prussian Guards regiment did not achieve the desired results, and Carol remained the playboy prince. In November 1914, Carol joined the Romanian Senate in accordance with the provisions of the 1866 Constitution of Romania, which guaranteed him a seat in the Senate upon reaching maturity. Known more for his romantic misadventures than for any leadership skills, Carol was first married in the Cathedral Church of Odessa, Ukraine, Lambrino, known as Zizi, was the daughter of a Romanian general, Constantin Lambrino. The fact that Carol had technically deserted to marry Lambrino caused immense controversy at the time, the marriage was annulled on 29 March 1919 by the Ilfov Suburban Court. Carol and Zizi continued to live together after the annulment and their only child, Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino, was born 8 January 1920
Carol II
–
Carol II of Romania
Carol II
–
Crown Prince Carol training during World War I with a
Chauchat machine gun
15.
Michael I of Romania
–
Michael I reigned as King of Romania from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his abdication on 30 December 1947. Shortly after his birth, Michaels father Prince Carol had become involved in a relationship with Magda Lupescu. In 1925, Carol was eventually pressured to renounce his rights to the throne, in 1927, Michael ascended the throne following the death of his grandfather, Ferdinand I. As he was still a minor, a council was instituted which composed of his uncle, Prince Nicholas, the Patriarch Miron Cristea. The council proved to be ineffective and in 1930, Carol returned to Romania, as a result, Michael returned to being heir apparent to the throne and was given the additional title of Grand Voievod of Alba-Iulia. Carol II was deposed in 1940, and Michael once again became king, under the government led by the military dictator Ion Antonescu, Romania became aligned with Nazi Germany. In 1944, Michael participated in a coup against Antonescu, appointed Constantin Sănătescu as his replacement, in March 1945, political pressures forced Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government headed by Petru Groza. From August 1945 to January 1946, Michael went on a strike and unsuccessfully tried to oppose Grozas Communist-controlled government by refusing to sign. In November, Michael attended the wedding of his cousins, the future Queen Elizabeth II, shortly thereafter, on the morning of 30 December 1947, Groza requested a meeting with Michael where he was forced to abdicate. Michael was forced into exile, confiscated of his properties, and he married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in 1948 with whom he had five daughters and eventually settled in Switzerland. Nicolae Ceaușescus communist dictatorship collapsed in 1989 and the following year Michael attempted to return to Romania only to be arrested and forced to leave upon arrival. In 1992, Michael was allowed to visit Romania for Easter where he was greeted by huge crowds, alarmed by Michaels popularity, the government refused to allow Michael further visits. In 1997, after Iliescus defeat by Emil Constantinescu, Michaels citizenship was restored, several confiscated properties, such as Elisabeta Palace, were eventually returned to his family. He is the last surviving monarch or other head of state from the Interwar period, although often called the last surviving head of state from World War II, this ignores the childhood reigns of King Simeon II of Bulgaria and the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Michael was born at Foișor Castle, Sinaia, Romania, the son of Carol II of Romania and he was born as the grandson of then-reigning King Ferdinand I of Romania. When Carol eloped with his mistress Elena Magda Lupescu and renounced his rights to the throne in December 1925, Michael succeeded to the throne of Romania upon Ferdinands death in July 1927. A regency, which included his uncle, Prince Nicolae, Patriarch Miron Cristea, and the countrys Chief Justice functioned on behalf of the 5-year-old Michael, when he succeeded Ferdinand in 1927. In November 1939, Michael joined the Romanian Senate, as the 1938 Constitution guaranteed him a seat there upon reaching the age of eighteen
Michael I of Romania
–
King Michael in 2007
Michael I of Romania
–
The young King Michael of Romania during his first reign.
Michael I of Romania
–
Michael and Marshal
Ion Antonescu on the banks of
Prut River
Michael I of Romania
–
Romanian stamp from 1942, commemorating the one year anniversary of the liberation of
Bessarabia from
Soviet occupation, featuring Michael and Antonescu below the text Un an de la desrobire ("A year since liberation") and the fortress of
Bender in the background.
16.
Non-commissioned officer
–
A non-commissioned officer or noncommissioned officer is a military officer who has not earned a commission. Such is also called sub-officer in some countries, Non-commissioned officers, in the English-speaking world, usually obtain their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers hold higher ranks than NCOs, have more legal responsibilities, are paid more, commissioned officers usually earn their commissions without having risen through the enlisted ranks. Mustang is a term in the United States Armed Forces used to refer to a commissioned officer who began his or her career as an enlisted service member. The NCO corps usually includes all grades of corporal and sergeant, in some countries, the naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer, although not all navies class their petty officers as NCOs. There are different classes of non-commissioned officer, including junior non-commissioned officers, the non-commissioned officer corps is often referred to as the backbone of the armed services, as they are the primary and most visible leaders for most military personnel. Additionally, they are the leaders responsible for executing a military organizations mission. NCO training and education typically includes leadership and management as well as service-specific, senior NCOs are considered the primary link between enlisted personnel and the commissioned officers in a military organization. Their advice and guidance is important for junior officers, who begin their careers in a position of authority. In the Australian Army, Lance corporals and corporals are classified as junior NCOs, while sergeants, in the New South Wales Police Force, NCOs perform supervisory and coordination roles. The ranks of probationary constable through to leading senior constable are referred to as constables, all NCOs within the NSW Police are given a warrant of appointment under the Commissioners hand and seal. All officers within the Australian Defence Force Cadets are non-commissioned, ADFC officers are appointed by the Director-General of their respective branch. In the Canadian Forces, the Queens Regulations and Orders formally defined a non-commissioned officer as A Canadian Forces member holding the rank of Sergeant or Corporal. In the 1990s, the term non-commissioned member was introduced to all ranks in the Canadian Forces from recruit to chief warrant officer. In the Royal Canadian Navy, however, the definition of NCO reflects the international use of the term. Junior Non-commissioned officers mess and billet with privates and seamen, their mess is usually referred to as the junior ranks mess, as a group, NCOs rank above privates and below warrant officers. The term non-commissioned members includes these ranks, in the Finnish Defence Force, NCOs includes all ranks from corporal to sergeant major. Ranks of lance corporal and leading seaman are considered not to be NCO ranks and this ruling applies to all branches of service and also to the troops of the Border Guard
Non-commissioned officer
–
Sergeant, Royal Artillery
17.
World War I
–
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany
World War I
–
Clockwise from the top: The aftermath of shelling during the
Battle of the Somme,
Mark V tanks cross the
Hindenburg Line,
HMS Irresistible sinks after hitting a
mine in the
Dardanelles, a British
Vickers machine gun crew wears
gas masks during the Battle of the Somme,
Albatros D.III fighters of
Jagdstaffel 11
World War I
–
Sarajevo citizens reading a poster with the proclamation of the
Austrian annexation in 1908.
World War I
–
This picture is usually associated with the arrest of
Gavrilo Princip, although some believe it depicts Ferdinand Behr, a bystander.
World War I
–
Serbian Army
Blériot XI "Oluj", 1915.
18.
Iron Cross
–
The Iron Cross was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire and Nazi Germany. It was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in March 1813 backdated to the birthday of his late wife Queen Louise on 10 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars, Louise was the first person to receive this decoration. The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War, World War I, the Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. The design of the symbol was black with a white or silver outline. It was ultimately derived from the cross pattée occasionally used by the Teutonic Order from the 13th century, the black cross patty was also used as the symbol of the German Army from 1871 to March/April 1918, when it was replaced by the Balkenkreuz. In 1956, it was re-introduced as the symbol of the Bundeswehr, the Black Cross is the emblem used by the Prussian Army, and by the army of Germany from 1871 to present. It was designed on the occasion of the German Campaign of 1813, from this time, the Black Cross also featured on the Prussian war flag alongside the Black Eagle. The design is due to neoclassical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, based on a sketch by Frederick William, the design is ultimately derivative of the black cross used by the Teutonic Order. This heraldic cross took various forms throughout the history, including a simple Latin cross. When the Quadriga of the Goddess of Peace was retrieved from Paris at Napoleons fall, an Iron Cross was inserted into her laurel wreath, making her into a Goddess of Victory. The Black Cross was used on the naval and war flags of the German Empire, the Black Cross was used as the symbol of the German Army until 1915, when it was replaced by a simpler Balkenkreuz. The Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, the traditional design in black is used on armored vehicles and aircraft, while after German reunification, a new design in blue and silver was introduced for use in other contexts. The ribbon for the 1813,1870 and 1914 Iron Cross was black with two white bands, the colors of Prussia. The non-combatant version of this award had the same medal, but the black, the ribbon color for the 1939 EKII was black/white/red/white/black. Since the Iron Cross was issued several different periods of German history. For example, an Iron Cross from World War I bears the year 1914, the reverse of the 1870,1914 and 1939 series of Iron Crosses have the year 1813 appearing on the lower arm, symbolizing the year the award was created. The 1813 decoration also has the initials FW for King Frederick William III, the final version shows a swastika. There was also the 1957 issue, a replacement medal for holders of the 1939 series which substituted an oak-leaf cluster for the banned swastika
Iron Cross
–
A cap worn by a member of the German-Prussian
Landwehr in the 19th century.
Iron Cross
–
The Iron Cross (as used by the
Fliegertruppe in 1914-15), the symbol is based upon the
cross pattée and usually placed within a square white field.
Iron Cross
–
Various iterations from 1813 to 1870
Iron Cross
–
World War I Iron Cross, 2nd Class
19.
Landwehr
–
Landwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortifications, intended as a national defence force alongside the Royal Hungarian Landwehr, the Landwehr was officially established by order of Emperor Franz Josef on 5 December 1868. In 1887, Archduke Albert wrote that Landwehr units were not ready, in terms of training or discipline, additionally, Austrian fears of the development of the Honved caused the Austrian Reichsrat to vote to increase the Landwehrs strength to 135,000. Additionally, in Tyrol and Carinthia, three units of the Landwehr were specially trained and equipped for mountain warfare, the Austrian Landwehr and the other components of the Austro-Hungarian Army were all full-time standing armies. The Royal Hungarian Landwehr or Royal Hungarian Honved, was the army of the Kingdom of Hungary. The others were its counterpart the Austrian Landwehr, the Common Army, with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 the new tripartite army was brought into being. It existed until the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I in 1918, the Hungarian Landwehr should not be confused with its successor, the Royal Hungarian Army, which went by the same Hungarian name, but existed from 1922 to 1945. After the peace of 1815 this force was made a part of the Prussian army. This, however, retarded the mobilization and diminished the value of the first line, during the Weimar republic, Germany was not allowed a standing army of more than 100,000 men. In Switzerland, the Landwehr used to be a second line force and it was abolished after the army reform in 1965. As a reference to this past, a number of Swiss wind bands bear the name Landwehr in their titles, the Baltic Landeswehr was the name of the armed forces of the puppet Government of Latvia established by the Baltic nobility. The Baltic state was designed to be established from territories that were ceded by Imperial Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918, slovensko domobranstvo Landsturm Volkssturm National Guard
Landwehr
–
Soldier of the Prussian Landwehr 1815
Landwehr
–
Estonian member of the Baltic Landeswehr
20.
Order of Michael the Brave
–
The Order, which may be bestowed either on an individual or on a whole unit, was named in honor of Michael the Brave, a late 16th-century Prince of Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia. Requirements, Awarded to officers only for exceptional deeds on the battlefield and it is the highest ranking Romanian military order. Special Class - During its time as an order of the Kingdom of Romania, this grade was only reserved for the Sovereign, since the revival of the Order, the Grand Master does not wear the Collar. Since its revival this grade has rarely been awarded, the Second Class Insignia of the Order is referred to as a Commander of the Order. The Third Class Insignia of the Order is referred to as an Officer of the Order and this grade was widely awarded rather than the higher grades. ro History of the Order at the Romanian Presidency site Order of Michael the Brave and its recipients at ww2awards. com
Order of Michael the Brave
–
The Order "Michael the Brave" third class, as it looked in the early years of the
Second World War, during the reign of
King Michael. After the
King's Coup, the date was changed. The M in the center of the cross was the cypher of the
King at that time.
Order of Michael the Brave
–
Ribbon of the Order of Michael the Brave
Order of Michael the Brave
–
Obverse of the modern (2000) third class order
21.
Military Virtue Medal
–
The Military Virtue Medal is a Romanian military decoration, instituted on April 8,1872, by King Carol I. The medal had 2 classes, the 1st class being awarded to the officers, and the 2nd class to non-commissioned officers, after the Order of Michael the Brave was instituted, the Military Virtue Medal was issued only to the NCOs and soldiers. This one was given for bravery only during wartime, soldiers who had earned the medal during wartime were able to trade in their old medal for a new wartime version, the War Medal of Military Virtue. List of military decorations National Decorations System Military decoration Military Virtue Medal at worldwar2. ro History of the Medal at the Romanian Presidency site
Military Virtue Medal
–
National decorations
Military Virtue Medal
–
Ribbon for Military Virtue Medal
22.
Frederick William IV of Prussia
–
Frederick William IV, the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 1840 to 1861. In politics, he was a conservative, and in 1849 rejected the title of Emperor of the Germans offered by the Frankfurt Parliament as not the Parliaments to give, in 1857, he suffered a stroke and was left incapacitated until his death. Born to Frederick William III by his wife Queen Louise, he was the favourite son. Frederick William was educated by tutors, many of whom were experienced civil servants. He also gained experience by serving in the Prussian Army during the War of Liberation against Napoleon in 1814. In 1823 he married Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, since she was a Roman Catholic, the preparations for this marriage included difficult negotiations which ended with her conversion to Lutheranism. There were two wedding ceremonies—one in Munich, and another in Berlin, the couple had a very harmonious marriage, but childless. Frederick William opposed the idea of a unified German state, believing that Austria was divinely ordained to rule over Germany, Frederick William became King of Prussia on the death of his father in 1840. Through a personal union, he became the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel. In 1842, he gave his fathers menagerie at Pfaueninsel to the new Berlin Zoo, despite being a devout Lutheran, his Romantic leanings led him to settle the Cologne church conflict by releasing the imprisoned Clemens August von Droste-Vischering, the Archbishop of Cologne. He also patronized further construction of Cologne Cathedral, Cologne having become part of Prussia in 1815, in 1844, he attended the celebrations marking the completion of the cathedral, becoming the first king of Prussia to enter a Roman Catholic building. He committed himself to German unification, formed a government, convened a national assembly. Once his position was more secure again, however, he quickly had the army reoccupy Berlin and in December dissolved the assembly, therefore, Frederick William would only accept the imperial crown after being elected by the German princes, as per the former empires ancient customs. In the kings eyes, only a reconstituted College of Electors could possess such authority, with the failed attempt by the Frankfurt Parliament to include the Habsburgs into a newly unified German Empire, the Parliament turned to Prussia. Seeing Austrian ambivalence towards Prussia taking a powerful role in German affairs. All German states, excluding those of the Habsburgs, would be unified under Hohenzollern authority, the German Confederation remained the common government of German Europe. The lower house was elected by all taxpayers, but in a system based on the amount of taxes paid. This constitution remained in effect until the dissolution of the Prussian kingdom in 1918, Frederick William IV is buried with his wife in the crypt underneath the Church of Peace in the park of Sanssouci, at Potsdam
Frederick William IV of Prussia
–
Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
–
Signature
Frederick William IV of Prussia
–
Silver Coin of Frederick William IV, struck 1860
Frederick William IV of Prussia
–
The
crypt containing the
Sarcophagi of Frederick William IV and his wife Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria in the
Church of Peace,
Sanssouci Park in Potsdam
23.
German Army (German Empire)
–
The Imperial German Army was the name given to the combined land and air forces of the German Empire. The term Deutsches Heer is also used for the modern German Army, the German Army was formed after the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership in 1871 and dissolved in 1919, after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I. When operating together, the units were known as the Federal Army, Prussia formed the North German Confederation and the treaty provided for the maintenance of a Federal Army and a Federal Navy. Further laws on military duty also used these terms, through these conventions and the 1871 Constitution of the German Empire, an Army of the Realm was created. The contingents of the Bavarian, Saxon and Württemberg kingdoms remained semi-autonomous, the Constitution of the German Empire, dated April 16,1871, changed references in the North German Constitution from Federal Army to either Army of the Realm or German Army. After 1871, the armies of the four kingdoms remained relatively distinct. German Army was used in legal documents, such as the Military Penal Code. Württemberg and Saxon units were numbered according to the Prussian system, the commander of the Imperial German Army, less the Bavarian contingent, was the Kaiser. He was assisted by a Military Cabinet and exercised control through the Prussian Ministry of War, the Chief of the General Staff became the Kaisers main military advisor and the most powerful military figure in the Empire. Bavaria kept its own Ministry of War and General Staff, saxony also maintained its own Ministry of War and the Ministry of War of Württemberg also continued to exist. Command of the Prussian Army had been reformed in the wake of the defeats suffered by Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars, the General Staff system, that sought to institutionalize military excellence, was the main result. It provided planning and organizational work during peacetime and wartime, the Prussian General Staff, proven in battle in the Wars of Unification, became the German General Staff upon formation of the German Empire, given Prussias leading role in the German Army. During wartime, the staff of the Army inspectorates formed field army commands, during World War I, a higher command level, the army group, was created. Each army group controlled several field armies, Germany was divided into army inspectorates, each of which oversaw three or four corps. There were five in 1871, with three more added between 1907 and 1913, the corps consisted of two or more divisions and various support troops, covering a geographical area. The corps was responsible for maintaining the reserves and Landwehr in the corps area. By 1914, there were 21 corps areas under Prussian jurisdiction, besides the regional corps, there was also a Guard Corps, which controlled the elite Prussian Guard units. A corps usually included an infantry battalion, a heavy artillery battalion, an engineer battalion, a telegraph battalion
German Army (German Empire)
–
German Army cavalry re-enactment
German Army (German Empire)
–
Kaiserstandarte
German Army (German Empire)
–
German Army
hussars on the attack during maneuvers, 1912.
German Army (German Empire)
–
Draftees of the German Army, 1898.
24.
Hermann Balck
–
Hermann Balck was a highly decorated officer of the German Army who served in both World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of General der Panzertruppe. Balck was born in Danzig - Langfuhr, present-day Wrzeszcz in Poland and he was the son of William Balck and his wife Mathilde, née Jensen. Balck was from a family with a military tradition. His father was a Lieutenant General, William Balck, on 10 April 1913 Balck entered the Hanoverian Rifle Battalion 10 in Goslar as a cadet. From 12 February 1914 he attended the Hanovarian Military College, where he remained until called up with the outbreak of the First World War in August. Balck served as an infantry officer, and his unit played a key role in the Schlieffen Plan. He fought on the western, eastern, Italian and Balkan fronts and he served three years as a company commander, ending the war in command of a machine-gun company. At one point he led a patrol that operated independently behind Russian lines for several weeks. Over the course of the war he was wounded seven times, Balck was nominated for Prussias highest honor, the Pour le Mérite, in October 1918, but the war ended before his citation completed processing. During the interwar period Balck was selected as one of the 4,000 officers to continue on in the serving in the Reichswehr. He transferred to the 18th Cavalry Regiment in 1922, and remained with that unit for 12 years, Balck twice turned down a post in the German General Staff, the normal path for advancing to high rank in the German army, preferring instead to remain a line officer. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Balck was serving as a officer in the Inspectorate of Motorized Troops. In October he was placed in command of one of the regiments of the 1st Panzer Division. The 1st Panzer Division made up a part of Guderians panzer corps, Balcks regiment spearheaded a crossing over the Meuse, and established a bridgehead on the far side. During the winter of 1940 through the spring of 1941 he commanded a panzer regiment and he later commanded a panzer brigade in the same division. He returned to duties in the Inspectorate of Armoured Forces in the OKH in July 1941. In May 1942, Balck went to the Eastern Front in command of the 11th Panzer Division in Ukraine, following the encirclement of the 6th Army at Stalingrad in the Soviet Operation Uranus, the German southern front faced a generalized collapse. Balcks division took part in the efforts to stop the Soviet advance, for this and other achievements Balck was made one of only twenty-seven officers in the entire war who received the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
Hermann Balck
–
Hermann Balck, 1943
Hermann Balck
–
1st Panzer Division crossing a pontoon bridge on the Meuse near Sedan, 1940.
Hermann Balck
–
Balck in command vehicle in Greece, April 1941
25.
Wehrmacht
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The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1946. It consisted of the Heer, the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe, after the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, one of Adolf Hitler’s most overt and audacious moves was to establish the Wehrmacht, a modern armed forces fully capable of offensive use. In December 1941, Hitler designated himself as commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, the Wehrmacht formed the heart of Germany’s politico-military power. In the early part of World War II, Hitlers generals employed the Wehrmacht through innovative combined arms tactics to devastating effect in what was called a Blitzkrieg, the Wehrmachts new military structure, unique combat techniques, newly developed weapons, and unprecedented speed and brutality crushed their opponents. Closely cooperating with the SS, the German armed forces committed war crimes and atrocities. By the time the war ended in Europe in May 1945, only a few of the Wehrmacht’s upper leadership were tried for war crimes, despite evidence suggesting that more were involved in illegal actions. The German term Wehrmacht generically describes any nations armed forces, for example, the Frankfurt Constitution of 1848 designated all German military forces as the German Wehrmacht, consisting of the Seemacht and the Landmacht. In 1919, the term Wehrmacht also appears in Article 47 of the Weimar Constitution, establishing that, from 1919, Germanys national defense force was known as the Reichswehr, a name that was dropped in favor of Wehrmacht on 21 May 1935. In January 1919, after World War I ended with the signing of the armistice of 11 November 1918, in March 1919, the national assembly passed a law founding a 420, 000-strong preliminary army, the Vorläufige Reichswehr. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were announced in May, the army was limited to one hundred thousand men with an additional fifteen thousand in the navy. The fleet was to consist of at most six battleships, six cruisers, submarines, tanks and heavy artillery were forbidden and the air-force was dissolved. A new post-war military, the Reichswehr, was established on 23 March 1921, General conscription was abolished under another mandate of the Versailles treaty. The Reichswehr was limited to 115,000 men, and thus the armed forces, under the leadership of Hans von Seeckt, though Seeckt retired in 1926, the army that went to war in 1939 was largely his creation. Germany was forbidden to have an air-force by the Versailles treaty, nonetheless and these officers saw the role of an air-force as winning air-superiority, tactical and strategic bombing and providing ground support. That the Luftwaffe did not develop a strategic bombing force in the 1930s was not due to a lack of interest, but because of economic limitations. The leadership of the Navy led by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, officers who believed in submarine warfare led by Admiral Karl Dönitz were in a minority before 1939. By 1922, Germany had begun covertly circumventing the conditions of the Versailles Treaty, a secret collaboration with the Soviet Union began after the treaty of Rapallo. Major-General Otto Hasse traveled to Moscow in 1923 to further negotiate the terms, Germany helped the Soviet Union with industrialization and Soviet officers were to be trained in Germany
Wehrmacht
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Werner Goldberg, who was blond and blue-eyed, was used in Wehrmacht recruitment posters as the "ideal German soldier". He was later dismissed after it became known that he was a half Jew.
Wehrmacht
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The straight-armed
Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the
Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
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Inspection of German conscripts
Wehrmacht
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A
Volga Tatar Wehrmacht unit
26.
Ludwig Beck
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Ludwig August Theodor Beck was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Ludwig Beck was never a member of the Nazi Party, though in the early 1930s he supported Adolf Hitlers forceful denunciation of the Versailles Treaty and it was due to public foreign policy disagreements with Hitler that Beck resigned as Chief of Staff in August 1938. From this point, Beck came to believe that Hitler could not be influenced for good, and that both Hitler and the Nazi party needed to be removed from government. He became a leader within the conspiracy against Hitler, and would have been provisional head of state had the 20 July plot succeeded. Reportedly he made an attempt at suicide, and was then shot dead. Born in Biebrich in Hessen-Nassau, he was educated in the Prussian military tradition and he served on the Western Front in World War I as a staff officer. After the war he served in staff and command appointments. In 1931–1932, he led the group of writers, at the Department of the Army which published the German Army Operations Manual entitled Truppenführung. The first section was promulgated in 1933 and the section in 1934. A modified version is still in use today by the Federal German Army and he was promoted to the rank of Generalleutnant in 1932 and, two years later, he replaced General Wilhelm Adam as chief of the Truppenamt, the camouflaged General Staff. In September–October 1930, Beck was a defence witness at the trial in Leipzig of three junior officers, Lieutenant Richard Scheringer, Hans Friedrich Wendt and Hanns Ludin. The three men were charged with membership in the Nazi Party, at that time membership in political parties was forbidden for members of the Reichswehr. The three officers admitted to Nazi Party membership, and used as their defence the claim that the Nazi Party membership should not be forbidden to Reichswehr personnel, at the preliminary hearing, Beck spoke on behalf of the three officers. What is an officer to understand by that. Historians such as Sir John Wheeler-Bennett have noted that Beck was deliberately distorting Hans von Seeckts Führerarmee principle by seeking to apply it to politics. During the course of the 1930 Leipzig trial, Beck first met Adolf Hitler who also testified at the trial, in 1933, upon witnessing the Nazi Machtergreifung, Beck wrote I have wished for years for the political revolution, and now my wishes have come true. It is the first ray of hope since 1918, Beck gained respect with the publication of his tactical manual, Truppenführung. Both Beck and General Werner von Fritsch commanded the 1st Cavalry Division, as Chief of the General Staff, Beck lived in a modest home in the Lichterfelde suburb of Berlin, and worked normally from 09,00 to 19,00 every day
Ludwig Beck
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Generaloberst Ludwig Beck
Ludwig Beck
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Ludwig Beck (right) with
Werner von Fritsch in 1937.
Ludwig Beck
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Site of Colonel General Ludwig Beck's suicide attempt inside the Bendlerblock office where Valkyrie was planned.
27.
Colonel General
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Colonel general is a four-star rank in the army, equivalent to that of a full general in the US Army. North Korea and Russia are two countries that have used the rank extensively throughout their histories, the rank is also closely associated with Germany, where Generaloberst has formerly been a rank above full General and below Generalfeldmarschall. Colonel general was the second-highest rank in the Austro-Hungarian Army, introduced following the German model in 1915, the rank was not used after World War I in the Austrian Army of the Republic. The Peoples Liberation Army had a rank of Da Jiang from 1955 to 1965, Da Jiang corresponded to the Soviet rank of colonel general. The rank system of the Peoples Liberation Army was abolished in 1965, the 1988 system introduced a rank of Yi Ji Shang Jiang. No one had held such rank and it was abolished in 1994, the rank of colonel general was created in the Czechoslovak army in 1950, it was dropped after the 1993 dissolution of the state. The Egyptian Army uses a rank that translates as colonel general and it is equal to the rank of 4-star or full general. Colonel general is, however, junior to the rank of marshal and is an honorary distinction usually held only by defense ministers. In the French Army, under the Ancien régime, the officer in command of all the regiments of a particular branch of service was known as the colonel general. This was not a rank, but an office of the Crown, however, the Bundeswehr does not use the rank. Rank insignia Generaloberst In Hungary, the rank of general was introduced to the Imperial and Royal Army in 1915. The rank replaced the ranks of gyalogsági tábornok, lovassági tábornok, the equivalent rank for Colonel general in Iraq is called Ferik Awwal, in Arabic فريق اول, which is considered the highest rank in Iraqi Army now a days. The North Korean rank of sangjang translates as colonel general, sangjang is senior to that of jungjang and junior to that of daejang. This rank is held by the commanding officer of units along the Korean DMZ. It is also the rank held by the KPA Pyongyang Defense Commands commanding general, the rank of colonel general did not exist in Imperial Russia and was first established in the Red Army on 7 May 1940, as a replacement for previously existing командарм второго ранга. During World War II, about 199 officers were promoted to colonel general, before 1943, Soviet colonel generals wore four stars on their collar patches. Since 1943, they have three stars on their shoulder straps, so Charles Pettibone compares the rank to the US lieutenant general. The rank still exists in the contemporary Russian Army, the combrig rank that corresponded to one-star general only existed in the Soviet Union during 1935–1940
Colonel General
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gorget patch
28.
Oberkommando des Heeres
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The Oberkommando des Heeres was the Supreme High Command of the German Army. It was founded in 1935 as a part of Adolf Hitlers re-militarisation of the Third Reich and its commander held the title Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres, Supreme High Commander of the Army. During the war OKH had the responsibility of planning of Armies and Army Groups. Each German Army also had an Armeeoberkommando, Army Command, or AOK, until the German defeat at Moscow in December 1941, OKH and its staff was de facto the most important unit within the German war planning. OKW then took over this function for other than the Russian front. Hitler had been the head of OKW since January 1938, using it to pass orders to the navy, air force, and army. After a major crisis developed in the Battle of Moscow, Walther von Brauchitsch was dismissed, at the same time, he limited the OKHs authority to the Russian front, giving OKW direct authority over army units elsewhere. Meanwhile, the OKH was subordinated to the OKW of the Wehrmacht, personnel at the sprawling Zossen compound remarked that even if Maybach 2 was completely destroyed, the OKH staff in Maybach 1 would scarcely notice. The camouflaged facilities were separated physically by a fence also maintained structurally different mindsets towards their objectives, on 28 April 1945, Hitler formally subordinated OKH to OKW, giving the latter command of forces on the Eastern Front. Geoffrey Megargee, author of Inside Hitlers High Command, available at the official YouTube channel of the U. S. Army Heritage and Education Center
Oberkommando des Heeres
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Command flag ca. April 1936 - ca. February 1938
29.
Werner von Blomberg
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Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg was a German Generalfeldmarschall, Minister of War, and Commander-in-Chief of the German Armed Forces until January 1938. Born in Stargard, Pomerania, Prussia, Werner von Blomberg joined the army in 1897, in April 1904, he married Charlotte Hellmich. After graduating in 1907, Blomberg entered the General Staff in 1908, serving with distinction on the Western Front during the First World War, Blomberg was awarded the Pour le Mérite. In 1920, Blomberg was appointed chief of staff of the Döberitz Brigade, in 1925, Blomberg was made chief of army training by General Hans von Seeckt. By 1927, Blomberg was a major-general and chief of the Troop Office and this was part and parcel of a broader shift on the part of the German military to the idea of a totalitarian Wehrstaat which had become popular with officers starting in the mid-1920s. The German historian Eberhard Kolb wrote that, Blombergs visit to the Soviet Union in 1928 had the effect of confirming his views about totalitarian powers being the greatest military powers. After arguing with the powerful General Kurt von Schleicher in 1929, however, Blomberg was removed from his post, in 1929, Schleicher came into conflict with Blomberg at the Truppenamt. As a result, Blomberg was demoted from command of the Truppenamt, Blomberg was later to emerge as Schleichers most powerful enemy within the Reichswehr. Blombergs relations with the SA were excellent at this time, many generals saw East Prussia as an model for future Army-Nazi co-operation all over Germany. Blombergs interactions with the SA in East Prussia led him to the conclusion that Nazis made for excellent soldiers, which further increased the appeal of National Socialism for him. But at the time, Blomberg saw the SA only as a junior partner to the Army. In 1931, Blomberg visited the US, where he proclaimed his belief in the certainty. Blombergs first wife Charlotte died on 11 May 1932, leaving him two sons and three daughters. In his reports to Hindenburg, Blomberg wrote that his arch-rival Schleichers attempts to create the Wehrstaat had clearly failed, by late January 1933 it was clear that the Schleicher government could only stay in power by proclaiming martial law, and by sending the Reichswehr to crush popular opposition. Blomberg was one of the channels by which the Reichswehr informed Hindenburg of their wish to see Hitler become the chancellor. Upon learning of this, Schleicher guessed correctly that the order to recall Blomberg to Berlin meant his government was doomed. When Blomberg arrived at the station in Berlin on 28 January 1933, he was met by Major von Kuntzen and by Major Oskar von Hindenburg, adjutant. Kuntzen had orders from Hammerstein for him to report at once to the Defence Ministry, over Kuntzens protests, Blomberg chose to go with Hindenburg to meet the president, who swore him in as defence minister
Werner von Blomberg
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Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg in 1937
Werner von Blomberg
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Blomberg in 1934
Werner von Blomberg
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The flag for the war minister and commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, 23 July 1935 – 5.10.1935
30.
Field Marshal
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Field marshal is a very senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually it is the highest rank in an army, and when it is and it is considered as a five-star rank in modern-day armed forces in many countries. The origin of the dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the kings horses. Promotion to the rank of marshal in many countries historically required extraordinary military achievement by a general. However, the rank has also used as a divisional command rank. The traditional attribute distinguishing a field marshal is a baton, the baton nowadays is purely ornamental, and as such may be richly decorated. That said, it is not necessary for the insignia to be a baton, the exact wording of the titles used by field marshals varies, examples include marshal and field marshal general. The air force equivalent in Commonwealth and many Middle Eastern air forces is marshal of the air force. Navies, which usually do not use the nomenclature employed by armies or air forces, use titles such as fleet admiral, Field marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim was a politician in Afghanistan who served as Vice President from June 2002 until December 2004 and from November 2009 until his death. Between September 2001 and December 2004, he served as Defense Minister under the Afghan Transitional Administration. As military commander of the Northern Alliance, Fahim captured the Afghan capital Kabul in the fall of 2001 from the Taliban government, in 2004 President Hamid Karzai provided Fahim the honorary title Marshal and a year later he became member of the House of Elders. He later became a recipient of the Ahmad Shah Baba Medal, Fahim was a member of Afghanistans Tajik ethnic group. He was affiliated with the Jamiat Islami party of Afghanistan, Sir Thomas Blamey was the first and is the only Australian-born field marshal. He was promoted to the rank on the insistence of the Australian prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies, Blamey was, at the time of his promotion, seriously ill and mostly bed-ridden in the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. He was presented with his marshals baton at a ceremony held in the sunroom at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital by the Governor-General of Australia. Blameys field marshals baton is on display in the Second World War galleries at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Currently, the only Australian field marshal is HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during Imperial rule in China, different dynasty gave different titles to generals. A very similar title is 司馬 in Eastern Han dynasty, which means master of horse
Field Marshal
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Generalfeldmarschall
Field Marshal
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Rank insignia for Afghan National Army (ANA) Field Marshal
Field Marshal
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General Ayub Khan arriving to take command of the
Pakistan Army in 1951
Field Marshal
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Replica of the
marshal's baton of
Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen
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