Blood Order

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The Blood Order, officially known as the Decoration (of the Munich putsch) of 9 November 1923, was one of the most prestigious decorations in the Nazi Party. Instituted in March 1934, the medal is solid silver, with the obverse bearing a depiction of an eagle with a wreath in its talons. with the date 6.Nov. within the wreath and the inscription München 1923-1933 to the right. The reverse bears a picture of the Feldherrnhalle in Munich (where the coup ended in defeat), a swastika and the inscription: UND IHR HABT DOCH GESIEGT ("...and you were victorious after all").

This decoration was awarded to participants in the putsch who had joined the party or one of its formations by January 1932 (continuous service). All medals were numbered and awarding was done very carefully. Unlike other medals, the ribbon was worn on the right breast of the uniform tunic in the form of a rosette. In May 1938, to the dismay of the putsch participants, the award was extended to persons who had (a) served time in prison for Nazi activities before 1933, (b) received a death sentence which was later commuted to life imprisonment for Nazi activities before 1933, and (c) been severely wounded in the service of the Party before 1933. It could also be bestowed on certain other individuals at the discretion of Adolf Hitler, the last recipient being Reinhard Heydrich (posthumous). If a holder of this medal left the party, the medal would have to be relinquished. Two women received this award (one putsch participant and one posthumous outstanding service). Given the number of original marchers in the putsch, the number of posthumous awards given under the 1938 extensions (436), and the awards for outstanding service under those same extensions, the total number of recipients numbered less than 6,000.

[edit] Sources

• Jörg Nimmergut, Orden & Ehrenzeichen 1800-1945, Deutschland-Katalog, Munich 1980