The War Merit Cross () was a military decoration of the

Principality of Lippe Lippe (later Lippe-Detmold and then again Lippe) was a state in Germany, ruled by the House of Lippe. It was located between the Weser river and the southeast part of the Teutoburg Forest. It originated as a state during the Holy Roman Empire, an ...

. Established on 8 December 1914, by

Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe (''Leopold Julius Bernhard Adalbert Otto Karl Gustav''; 30 May 1871 – 30 December 1949) was the final sovereign of the Principality of Lippe in northwestern Germany from 1905 until his abdication in 1918. Prior t ...

, it could be awarded to combatants and to non-combatants for significant contributions to the war effort. The cross was awarded approximately 18,000 times to combatants and 1,100 times to non-combatants.

Appearance

The War Merit Cross is a

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

bronze

cross pattée A cross pattée or cross patty (, ), also known as a cross formée or cross formy, or even a Templar cross, is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and often flared in a curve or straight line shape to be broader at th ...

. On the obverse of the cross in the center is the Rose of Lippe surrounded by a laurel wreath. In the upper arm of the cross, at the top of the wreath is the crowned cipher of Leopold IV. The lower arm bears the date ''1914''. On the reverse are the words ''FÜR'', ''AUSZEICHNUNG IM'', ''KRIEGE'' (for distinction in wartime) inscribed in three lines respectively, on the upper, horizontal, and lower arms of the cross. Awards to combatants have a yellow ribbon with red and white edges. Non-combat awards of the Cross hang from a white ribbon with edges of yellow and red.

Notable recipients

* Bernhard, Prince of Lippe *

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, German Emperor *

Wilhelm, German Crown Prince Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last German emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, an ...

Prince Oskar of Prussia Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf Prince of Prussia (27 July 1888 – 27 January 1958) was the fifth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Biography Birth and family Prinz Oskar of Prussia ...

Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine by the Rhine (''Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand''; English: ''Rupert Maria Leopold Ferdinand''; 18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955), was the last heir ...

Prince Leopold of Bavaria Prince Leopold of Bavaria (Leopold Maximilian Joseph Maria Arnulf; 9 February 1846 – 28 September 1930) was born in Munich, the second son of Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria (1821–1912) and his wife Archduchess Augusta of Austria (1825– ...

Prince Franz of Bavaria Prince Franz of Bavaria () (10 October 1875 – 25 January 1957) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a Major General in the Bavarian Army. Early life and military career Franz was born at Schloss Leutstetten, Starnb ...

Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen (Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl; 4 June 1856 – 30 December 1936) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces of the Austro-Hungaria ...

* Joachim von Amsberg *

Werner von Blomberg Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 – 13 March 1946) was a German general and politician who served as the first Minister of War in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1938. Blomberg had served as Chief of the ''Truppenamt'', equivalent ...

Carl Clewing Theodor Rudolph Carl Clewing ( 22 April 1884 – 15 May 1954) was a German operatic tenor/heldentenor, stage and film actor, composer of the song ''Alle Tage ist kein Sonntag'' and professor at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Life Born in ...

* Theodor Duesterberg *

Wilhelm Heye Wilhelm Heye (31 January 1869 – 11 March 1947) was a Prussian and German officer who rose to the rank of Generaloberst and became Chief of the Army Command within the Ministry of the Reichswehr in the Weimar Republic. Family Maximilian He ...

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...

Max Hoffmann Carl Adolf Maximilian Hoffmann (25 January 1869 – 8 July 1927) was a German military officer and strategist. As a staff officer at the beginning of World War I, he was Deputy Chief of Staff of the 8th Army, soon promoted Chief of Staff. Hoff ...

Hermann von Kuhl Hermann Josef von Kuhl (2 November 1856 – 4 November 1958) was a Prussia, Prussian military officer, member of the German General Staff, and a ''General (Germany)#Generalleutnant, Generalleutnant'' during World War I. One of the most competent ...

Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (; 9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general and politician. He achieved fame during World War I (1914–1918) for his central role in the German victories at Battle of Liège, Liège and Battle ...

Max Ludwig Max Ludwig (22 April 1896 – 26 September 1957) was a German bobsledder who competed in the early 1930s. He won the bronze medal in the four-man event at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and finished seventh in the two-man event ...

* Georg Alexander von Müller *

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of th ...

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...

* Friedrich Graf von der Schulenburg *

Walter Stennes Walter Franz Maria Stennes (12 April 1895 – 19 May 1983) was a leader of the (SA, stormtroopers, or "brownshirts") of the Nazi Party in Berlin and the surrounding area. In August 1930 he led a revolt against Adolf Hitler, the leader of the ...

Rudolf Stöger-Steiner von Steinstätten Rudolf Stöger-Steiner Freiherr von Steinstätten (26 April 1861 – 12 May 1921) was a Austro-Hungarian Army#Ranks, colonel general in the Austro-Hungarian army and served as the last Minister of War (Austria-Hungary), Imperial Minister for ...

Jürgen Stroop Jürgen Stroop (born Josef Stroop, 26 September 1895 – 6 March 1952) was a German SS commander and perpetrator of the Holocaust during the Nazi era, who served as SS and Police Leader in occupied Poland and Greece from 1942-1943 (in Poland) an ...

References

{{reflist Orders, decorations, and medals of Lippe Principality of Lippe Awards established in 1914