Figure 4: The SMS Bremen.

Figure 5: The SMS Hamburg.

Figure 6: The SMS Lubeck.

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Figure 7: Obverses of the Hanseatic crosses. From left to right, the Bremen Cross, the Hamburg Cross and the Lubeck Cross.

to citizens caring for the wounded in the Hansa towns or at the front. Finally, to all sailors serving on the SMS Bremen (Figure 4), the SMS Hamburg (Figure 5) and the SMS Lubeck (Figure 6), citizen-sailors serving on other ships, and to the crews of ships stationed at Hansa towns. All awards by the Senates were without regard to social status. As the war went on the criteria for awarding the crosses was relaxed to include soldiers and sailors from other parts of Germany not on Hanseatic soil or in Hanseatic units. Further, civilians serving the war cause also became eligible. Lubeck authorized the awarding of crosses on August 12, 1915, Hamburg on September 10, 1915 and Bremen on September 14, 1915. The crosses are identical except for the differences in ribbon/drape pattern and on the obverse of the crosses where each center contains the individual coat of arms of each city. A friend translated the Hamburg decrees which indicates that the crosses (Figure 7) are Hanseatic crosses that are symmetrical and 40mm across and they are made of copper-bronze. The arms of the crosses are finished in almost brilliant red enamel which makes these crosses attractive display pieces for new and "old hand" collectors. In the center of the cross arms one finds a circle with the coat of arms of each city. Bremen displays the silver key, Hamburg the three silver towered castle, and Lubeck’s black double-headed eagle with a red and white shield.

Close examination with a magnifying glass reveals Hamburg’s towers are surmounted with a center cross which represents a church of the city flanked by what appears to be two Stars of David. This is not the case as the stars are the Stars Of Mary (Mariensterne) emblems tthat signify Hamburg was once the seat of an archbishopric.6 Bremen’s silver key is the attribute of Saint Peter, the patron saint of the Church of Bremen. Finally, Lubeck’s double eagle represents the Imperial Eagle, as Lubeck was an imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.7 The red and white shield’s meaning is unknown but it is believed to be

from the Hanseatic period when most cities of northern Germany and members of the Hanseatic League utilized red and white in their flags or coats-of-arms. The reverse of the crosses (Figure 8) are silver in color and the center of the crosses bear the words: FUR VERDIENST IM KRIEGE, 1914 which translates

to "For Meritorious Service in Wartime, 1914."

Aside from the coats of arms, the only other difference between the crosses is the color pattern of the drapes. The Bremen drape starts with a white vertical stripe and alternates white to red to end with a white stripe. The Hamburg drape begins white a thin white vertical strip to a broad red strip, to white, to red and ends with a thin white strip. The Lubeck drape starts from the left with

Figure 8: Reverses of the Hanseatic crosses. From left to right, the Bremen

Cross, the Hamburg Cross and the Lubeck Cross.

Vol. 56, No. 6 21

a broad white vertical stripe that covers half the drape and the rest of the drape is red. All drapes are attached to the medal by three rings. ~.

The awards were issued in boxes with a certificate from

the city Senate. The author has a Hamburg cross with

its box and certificate. The box is of beige cardboard

with a gold impressed city coat-of-arms on the lid. The

box measures two and a half inches wide by four and a

half inches long and three quarter inches high. The award

certificate measures eight inches wide and thirteen inches

long. The city seal, which is top center of the document,

and all lettering is in black ink and the document is very

plain. The author has seen two Bremen Crosses for sale

on the internet, and both boxes were red in color with one being cardboard and the other of wood with a red

leather covering, which may be a custom made piece.

During the war, the 75th Bremen Infantry Regiment and the 76th Hamburg Infantry Regiment served in the 17th Infantry Division, which was part of the IX Army Corps while the 162nd Lubeck Infantry Regiment became part of the 17th Reserve Division. I purchased a postcard written by a soldier in the Lubeck unit. The card is dated September 3, 1915, and is addressed to a Mr. J. Brinkmann of Rostock. It tells all that all is well in the trenches. The picture on the cover of the card shows twenty-three men digging trenches with two officers standing. In the top right corner of the card is "1915Aus dem Lubecker Schutzengraben " which means "1915 From the Lubecker Protection Ditch." It must be noted that Hamburg lost 40,000 soldiers8 and each town contributed a large number citizens to the German forces.

The Hansa sailors served on many German ships but many choose to serve on their city namesakes: the SMS Bremen, SMS Hamburg and the SMS Lubeck. These ships according to Janes, 1909 were all of the same light cruiser class and identical in all respects. The postcard photographs the author acquired of each vessel confirms the identical design of this class of ship, which was old by naval standards at the start of World War I. The ships began service on the following years: Bremen, 1903, Hamburg, 1903 and Lubeck, 1904. The ships could make 23 knots, weighed 3250 tons, had a crew of 286 men and had a 17-foot draft.9 Armament consisted of ten 4.1 -inch guns in single mounts, seventeen seven-inch torpedoes (two submerged)1° and more armament was added to all three vessels once the war started.~ SMS Bremen and SMS Hamburg saw foreign station service before the war, while SMS Lubeck performed fleet and coastal service. With the outbreak of war the Bremen and Lubeck served with the Baltic Fleet and on December

17, 1915 SMS Bremen was sunk by either a Russian mine

or the British submarine, E-9~2 SMS Hamburg was at

the Battle of Jutland and then joined SMS Lubeck

performing rear area fleet duties until scrapped well after

World War One.

Thus the Hanseatic League cities of the Middle Ages, although reduced to three, still maintained their traditions in the well-designed medals they awarded to their citizens and other Germans from Napoleonic times to World War One. But it does not end there. The award of Hanseatic medals continues in the arts, and another article must be done to explain the World War I Hindenburg Cross or the German Field Honor Badge of Hamburg!

My thanks to Mrs. B. Bryce who translated the postcards, award document and the medal text. Many thanks to the anonymous translator, who currently serves our nation, for translating the Hamburg Cross Decree and to Warrant Officer Tony for the SMS Lubeck photograph.

Endnotes:

1. Nash (1929), p. 15.

2. Pendlebury (2005), p. 1. 3. Ibid., p. 261. 4. De Bourrienne (1891). 5. Internationales Militaria Magazin, April-June, 1997.

6. Bakker (1999). 7. Stadler (1997). 8. Danner (2005). 9. Janes (1909).

10. Ibid.

11. www.Warships2.com (2002).

12. Smith (2002).

Bibliography:

Bakker, Jarig. "Coat-of-Arms, Hamburg, Germany."

Hamburg Wappan. March 30, 1999.

Bremen Class Leichter Kreuzer. www.Warships 1.com. 2002

Danner, David. Militaria Hansastaedte. http://home.att.net/

-david.danner/militaria/hansastaedte.htm, 2005.

De Bourrienne, Louise. Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte. R. Phipps,

Col., ed., Publisher unknown, 1891.

"Hamburg Senate Decree,"Internationales Militaria Magazin,

Anonymous translator, April-June, 1997.

Janes, 1909. London: Janes, 1909.

Nash, E. Gee. The Hansa. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1929.

Pendlebury, Alan. "The Hanseatic Legion." Flags of the Napoleonic

Wars. Callnetuk.com, 2005.

Smith, ed., WW1 Campaigns, Baltic. www.Naval-History.net.,

November 18, 2002.

Stadler, K. Deutsche Wappen-Bunderrepulik Deutschland

Angelsachsen Verlog, 1964-1971.8 Volumes. Reissmann, 1997.

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