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Ehrenkreuz der deutschen Mutter [Cross of Honor of the German Mother] bronze medal acquired by a US soldier

Object | Accession Number: 2012.194.2
2012.194.2 front Ehrenkreuz der deutschen Mutter [Cross of Honor of the German Mother] bronze medal acquired by a US soldier Click to enlarge 2012.194.2 back Ehrenkreuz der deutschen Mutter [Cross of Honor of the German Mother] bronze medal acquired by a US soldier Click to enlarge

Cross of Honor of the German Mother bronze medal [Ehrenkreuz der deutschen Mutter] acquired by 19 year old Norman Holloway, while a soldier in the United States Army, 6th Armored Division, in Germany in 1945. A December 16, 1938, decree by Adolph Hitler instituted the award to encourage German women to bear more children. A recipient could be nominated by the Party or a government official and had to be of pure German origin and good character. The medal was issued in three levels: first class, gold, for eight or more children; second class, silver, for six to seven children; third class, bronze, for four to five children. Medals were awarded from 1939-1944 to over three million German women. Norman was with the 6th Armored Division when it liberated Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, on April 11, 1945. The SS guards had fled and the prisoners had control of the camp, which held 21,000 survivors. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, and the divsion returned home in September.

Date
commemoration:  approximately 1938 December 16
found:  1945 May
Geography
issue: Germany
Language
German
Classification
Awards
Category
Medals
Object Type
Medals, German (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Annmarie Ekey

About This Object

Physical Description
Bronze, cross pattee styled medal with an elongated lower arm. The arms are blue enamel with a white enamel border, with each section edged in bronze. In the center is a black enamel swastika with a bronze border on a circular, white enamel mound surrounded by a bronze band with raised, German text. A bronze, 5 rayed sunburst fills the space between the cross arms. There is German text engraved on the reverse. A frayed, discolored 12 inch ribbon with a central wide blue stripe flanked by a set of narrow stripes: white, blue, white, is threaded through a rectangular loop on the top of the cross and tied in a knot. There is missing enamel and red residue on the sunbursts.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Width: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
Materials
overall : metal, ribbon, enamel paint
Markings
front, center band, embossed : DER DEUTSCHEN MUTTER [THE GERMAN MOTHER]
reverse, engraved : 16. / Dezember / 1938 / Adolf Hitler [in cursive, illegible]
Contributor
Subject: Norman K. Holloway
Biography
Norman Keith Holloway was born on April 10, 1926, to Harry George and Mary Barrie Holloway in Heasley Mill, England. Harry was a blacksmith, born in 1894 in North Molton. Mary was born in Lanark, Scotland. The family lived with their children in North Molton. Norman was one of seven children: George Robert, Victor Ian, Douglas Roy, Jean, Beryl, and Hector. When he was six years old, Norman immigrated to the United States with his mother and siblings on June 23, 1932, joining his father and grandmother, Agnes Barrie, in New York.

On December 11, 1941, the US declared war on Germany. Norman enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the 6th Armored Division. By March 1945, the unit, which had landed in Normandy in July 1944, was advancing into central Germany. Norman, with his division, had reached Weimar, Germany by April 9, 1945. On April 11th, the Super Sixth liberated Buchenwald concentration camp and Norman was with the troops that entered the camp that day. The SS guards had fled and the prisoners were in charge of the camp, which held 21,000 survivors. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. The 6th Armored Division was placed on occupational duty in Germany. The division was inactivated and the troops returned home on September 18, 1945.

Norman married Jean Marie Ferris. The couple had two sons and two daughters. Norman continued his military career, serving in the Korean and Vietnam wars. After his retirement, Norman joined the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department in 1979, serving as the department’s president and commissioner. Norman, age 85, died on April 16, 2011.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The collection was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 and 2013, by Annmarie Ekey, the daughter of Norman K. Holloway.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use

 
Record last modified: 2022-08-02 15:48:12
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn73566

Also in This Collection

Norman Keith Holloway photograph

Norman Keith Holloway photograph

Document

The Norman Keith Holloway photograph is a photocopy of a photograph of Norman Holloway taken in Weimar, Germany on April 9, 1945. It was taken a day before he and the United States 6th Armored Division liberated Buchenwald concentration camp on April 10, 1945.

Oral history interview with Norman K. Holloway

Oral history interview with Norman K. Holloway

Oral History

Norman K. Holloway discusses his experiences as a soldier in the United States Army 6th Armored Division in Germany during the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp.

View All 3 Items in the Collection