Cross of Honor of the German Mother, 3rd Class Order, Bronze Cross
Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Ehrenkreuz der deutschen Mutter [Cross of Honor of the German Mother] was a civilian award instituted following a December 16, 1938, decree by Adolph Hitler to encourage German women to bear more children. Recipient were nominated by the Nazi Party or a government official and had to be of pure German origin and good character. The medal was issued from 1939-1944 in three levels: first class, gold, for mothers with eight or more children; second class, silver, for six to seven children; third class, bronze for four to five children. Known as the Mutterkreuz (Mother's Cross), approximately three million medals were presented to German women.
- Date
-
commemoration:
1938 December 16
- Geography
-
manufacture:
Munich (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Phillip Sloan and Katherine Tillman
- Markings
- a. front, on center band, embossed : DER DEUTSCHEN MUTTER [THE GERMAN MOTHER]
b. reverse, engraved : 16. / Dezember / 1938 / Adolf Hitler [in cursive, illegible]
c. base, imprinted : CARL POELLATH SCHROBENHAUSEN GmBh - Contributor
-
Manufacturer:
Carl Poellath Schrobenhausen GmBh
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Awards
- Category
-
Medals
- Object Type
-
Medals, German (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Medals
- Physical Description
- a. Cross pattee styled, bronze colored metal medal with an elongated lower arm. The arms are blue enamel with a white enamel border, edged in bronze colored metal. Over the intersection is a circular medallion with a band with raised German text. In the center is a black enamel swastika, outlined in gold, on a white enameled field. A 5 rayed sunburst fills the space between the cross arms. German text is engraved on the smooth, flat back. A ribbon (b.) is inserted through the keystone shaped bail on the top point.
b. Grosgrain ribbon neckband with 5 vertical stripes: narrow white, narrow blue, narrow white, wide blue, narrow white, narrow blue, narrow white. It is looped throught the bail of a medal (a.)
c. Narrow, rectangular, fiberboard presentation box with a metal hinged lid, covered with black, vinyl like plastic resembling leather. There is a push button release and catch on the front base interior and exterior. The lid interior is padded and covered with pale yellow satin. The base interior has an inset white cardboard box covered with pale yellow velvet. In the center is an upright cardboard panel with a central notch to secure the medal (a.) - Dimensions
- a: Height: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm) | Width: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
b: Height: 14.500 inches (36.83 cm) | Width: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
c: Height: 4.375 inches (11.113 cm) | Width: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Depth: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) - Materials
- a : metal, enamel
b : ribbon
c : cardboard, plastic, cloth, paint
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by Phillip Sloan and Katherine Tillman, the son-in-law and daughter of John V. Tillman.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-06-06 10:17:44
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn607882
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Also in John Vincent Tillman collection
The collection consists of a Mother's Cross medal, documents, two reels of 16mm film, one photograph, and publication relating to the experiences of John Vincent Tillman as an American student in Germany from 1935 and 1936 and after his return to the United States.
Date: 1935-approximately 1938
John Vincent Tillman papers
Document
The John Vincent Tillman papers include his diary and manuscript describing his travels in Germany in 1935 and 1936, a photograph of him, and pamphlets from the “Schaffendes Volk” exhibition in Düsseldorf.
[Newspaper]
Object
[Magazine]
Object
Die Buhne (Berlin, Germany) [Magazine]
Object
Special double issue of the illustrated German theater periodical, Die Buhne, for Empire Theater Week in Munich, Germany, in May 1936. It has a preface by the Reich Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Joseph Goebbels.
