Medal Guidance

[Captain Birdseye]

Hi guys,

Can someone give me some sort of guidance on how to hand out awards with SH3 Commander?

I have no in-depth knowledge on how and when medals were handed out in the Kreigsmarine.

Were the medals handed out on a recommendation basis by superior officers? How often did the regular sailors get them?

Thanks.

[Jimbuna]

If you for example have had a particularly successful patrol and received a measure of damage before getting back to base you could reward the hydrophone, torpedo and watch officers (flack gunners or deck gunners even if you've downed an aircraft or sunk a ship whilst surfaced)....It is really up to you to decide who merits the reward.

In RL I believe it was the officers who tended to receive the medals first (just as in other navies).

[Captain Birdseye]

Thanks Jim.

At the moment two of my officers have recieved the Iron Cross second class, on our 7th patrol.

How many seaman recieved the IC second class? was it a common medal? What would merit a promotion to first class?

Sorry if I seem to be missing the point

[mookiemookie]

The U-boat war badge was not awarded until the sailor had completed 2 or 3 patrols. I wait to hand that one out.

I think ordinary seamen were probably last in line to get medals unless they did something outstanding during the patrol. I remember awarding IC 2nd classes to my entire damage control team after one particularly hairy depth charging session that I barely managed to make it out of.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Captain Birdseye

Thanks Jim.

At the moment two of my officers have recieved the Iron Cross second class, on our 7th patrol.

How many seaman recieved the IC second class? was it a common medal? What would merit a promotion to first class?

Sorry if I seem to be missing the point

Check these links

http://www.ironcross.org/

http://www.uboat.net/men/decorations/index.html

[Captain Birdseye]

It's amazing isn't it?

I was looking through the links you suggested there Jim, and found a medal I have had for some time now. It's the Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern (Or a cross with swords).

It's possible that my medal could have been awarded to a member of the Kreigsmarine during training .

It's dated 1939, and here are some pics:
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00268.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00269.jpg

[warispeace]

If you DON'T hand out a medal, will it still show up after the next patrol, or do you lose it?

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Captain Birdseye

It's amazing isn't it?

I was looking through the links you suggested there Jim, and found a medal I have had for some time now. It's the Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern (Or a cross with swords).

It's possible that my medal could have been awarded to a member of the Kreigsmarine during training .

It's dated 1939, and here are some pics:
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00268.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00269.jpg

That is really interesting, do you know if it is authentic or a replica?

[WilyPete]

Originally Posted by Captain Birdseye

It's amazing isn't it?

I was looking through the links you suggested there Jim, and found a medal I have had for some time now. It's the Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern (Or a cross with swords).

It's possible that my medal could have been awarded to a member of the Kreigsmarine during training .

It's dated 1939, and here are some pics:
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00268.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00269.jpg

If that is original (not saying it isn't but you might've bought a replica on purpose...some people do)...but if that is original...I am very envious. Very nice.

Oh and I found this: "
Kriegsverdienstkreuz

(The War Merit Cross) Similiar to the Iron Cross it was awarded to non-combattant achievments. For U-boat men mostly in the training flotillas."

So yes, it was awarded mainly in the training flotillas.

[Murr44]

Originally Posted by Captain Birdseye

It's amazing isn't it?

I was looking through the links you suggested there Jim, and found a medal I have had for some time now. It's the Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern (Or a cross with swords).

It's possible that my medal could have been awarded to a member of the Kreigsmarine during training .

It's dated 1939, and here are some pics:
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00268.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/DSC00269.jpg

What you have there is a War Merit (some people call it Service) Cross 2nd Class with swords: KVK. Unfortunately it's not very rare but it's still a nice medal. I have one myself, along with an award document issued to a KM civilian employee in September 1943. The KVK was instituted in 1939 to replace the non-combatant version of the Iron Cross. It came either with swords (bravery in a non frontline action) or without swords (for meritorious service). The cross came in 3 grades: 2nd class, 1st class, the Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross & a War Merit Medal (the lowest class of the award). Over 2,000,000 of the 2nd Class with Swords were presented while the 2nd Class without swords is less common. Unfortunately the KVK lost a lot of prestige because it was so liberally passed out. Early 2nd classes were bronze plated (or sometimes solid bronze) while later issues were zinc with a bronze wash (chemically treated to look like bronze). The wash tends to fade over time & you end up with a dull grey medal. Fakes do exist but there's a pretty good chance that your cross is original as the medal is very common and inexpensive; not really worth the time & effort to counterfeit. You can often find a maker's mark (hallmark) on the ring attachment but many 3rd Reich awards were produced without these marks. Collectors can often tell which company made an unmarked award by the style of the piece; whether it conforms to other known originals.