Hero of the German Democratic Republic

Hero of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was an honorific title awarded by the former East German state, accompanied by a certificate and medal.[2] The title was instituted by the politburo of the Socialist Unity Party on 29 October 1975 as the most prestigious award of the GDR and first awarded on 28 November 1975.[3][4] In total, it was awarded on 17 occasions to 11 recipients.

Hero of the German Democratic Republic
Held der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (German)
1977 – 1987 pattern[1]
Awarded by the Socialist Unity Party
TypeState
Established29 October 1975
CountryEast Germany
StatusDefunct
Statistics
First induction28 November 1975
Last induction1987
Total inductees11
Precedence
Next (lower)Order of Karl Marx


Award criteria

The title could be awarded to people who had—by rendering extraordinary service or acts of heroism[4][1]—contributed to the development and strengthening of the German Democratic Republic, its international standing and authority, or its military security.[4] A demonstration of commitment to duty and the willingness to make personal sacrifice were required, as were proven bravery and audacity.[4][5] The following categories of person were generally eligible to receive the award:[4]

Medal and privileges

Following the example of the Soviet honorific title Hero of the Soviet Union,[9] the award Hero of the GDR entitled the holder to wear a five-pointed gold star medal, be presented with a certificate, and receive a financial reward.[2]

After 1978, recipients were also required to become members of the Order of Karl Marx.[2] Both the medal and the certificate were to be returned to the state upon the death of the recipient.[10]

Originally, an annual quota of 10 awards was envisaged.[11] Recipients could receive the award multiple times, resulting in some being honoured as 'twice Hero', or—solely in the case of Leader of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev—'three times Hero' of the GDR.[12]

History

The new title was first awarded on 28 November 1975 to General of the National People's Army, Heinz Hoffmann, on the occasion of his 65th birthday.[13]

The first foreign national to be honoured as a Hero of the GDR was Leonid Brezhnev, on 13 December 1976. Brezhnev also received the award in 1979 and again in 1981.[14][15][16]

Only two of the original 11 recipients are still alive: the Cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok and Aleksander Ivanchenkov, who crewed EO-2[17] of the Soviet orbital space station Salyut 6.[18] Jähn (d. 2019)[19] was the last citizen of the former GDR to bear the title,[20][21] as both Kovalyonok and Ivanchenkov are Russian (formerly USSR) citizens.[22][23]

Recipients
Cosmonaut Col. Sigmund Jähn wearing the medals of a Hero of the GDR (left on upper left breast) and a Hero of the Soviet Union (right on upper left breast) in April 1981 at Trollenhagen Air Base in Neubrandenburg, GDR.

Members of the GDR Government

Members of the USSR Government

Cosmonauts

Order of precedence of awards of the GDR

There was a specific order of precedence laid down in its gazette for the wearing of the some 195 GDR medals and awards, devised according to the relative prestige of each honour.[8] The following senior distinctions were to be worn on the upper left breast (top left to bottom right as viewed) in this order:[32]

  1. Hero of the GDR
  2. Order of Karl Marx
  3. Hero of Labour
  4. Star of People's Friendship
  5. Patriotic Order of Merit
  6. Banner of Labour
  7. Scharnhorst Order
  8. Blücher Order
  9. Combat Order of Merit for the People & Fatherland

See also

References
  1. "ODM of East Germany: Hero of the German Democratic Republic". www.medals.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  2. Eichler, Heinz (1978-09-20) [1978-09-20]. Staatsrates der DDR (ed.). "Bekanntmachung" (PDF). Gesetzblatt der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (law gazette) (in German). Vol. 34, no. 1. [Ost] Berlin: Staatsverl. der DDR (published 1978-10-09). p. 369. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  3. Meyers Jahreslexikon 1975/76: Was war wichtig? 1.7.1975-30.6.1976 (in German). Bibliographisches Institut ; Meyers Lexikonverlag. 1976. ISBN 978-3-411-01365-4.
  4. Sindermann, Horst (1975-10-28) [1975-11-03]. Ministerrat der DDR (ed.). "Verordnung über die Stiftung des Ehrentitels "Held der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik" (PDF). Gesetzblatt der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (law gazette) (in German). Vol. 41, no. 1. [Ost] Berlin: Staatsverl. der DDR (published 1975-11-03). p. 681. Retrieved 2023-08-05. Verordnung über die Stiftung des Ehrentitels „Held der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik" vom 28. Oktober 1975. §1 In Anerkennung und Würdigung vollbrachter Heldentaten für die Deutsche Demokratische Republik wird der Ehrentitel „Held der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik" gestiftet. §2 Einzelheiten der Verleihung werden durch die Ordnung über die Verleihung (Anlage) geregelt. §3 Diese Verordnung tritt mit ihrer Veröffentlichung in Kraft. Berlin, den 28. Oktober 1975.
  5. Ahrends, Martin (1986). Trabbi, Telespargel und Tränenpavillon: das Wörterbuch der DDR-Sprache (in German). W. Heyne. ISBN 978-3-453-02357-4.
  6. Gestwa, Klaus. ""Kolumbus des Kosmos"—Der Kult um Jurij Gagarin" (PDF). Osteuropa (Zeitschrift) (in German). 59 (10): 121–151.
  7. Gerovitch, Slava (2011-09-25). "The Human inside a Propaganda Machine. The Public Image and Professional Identity of Soviet Cosmonauts". In Andrews, James T.; Siddiqi, Asif A. (eds.). Into the Cosmos. Pitt Series in Russian and East European studies. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 77–106. ISBN 9780822977469 – via Google Books.
  8. Biering, Petra, ed. (2017-03-01). "Auszeichnungen der DDR" (PDF). Bundesarchiv Internet. Konventionelle Kataloge und Findbücher der Bibliothek (in German). StB 2. Berlin: German Federal Archives. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  9. "Held der Sowjetunion". militaria-berlin.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  10. "Urkunde für Armeegeneral Heinz Hoffmann zum Ehrentitel Held der DDR - Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek". www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  11. Sindermann, Horst (1975-10-28) [1975-11-03]. Ministerrat der DDR (ed.). "Verordnung über die Verleihung des Ehrentitels "Held der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik" (PDF). Gesetzblatt der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (law gazette) (in German). Vol. 41, no. 1. [Ost] Berlin: Staatsverl. der DDR (published 1975-11-03). p. 682. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  12. Rivers, Joe. "East German Medals and Insignia". Organization of NVA Uniform Collectors (ONVAUC). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  13. "Hoffmann, Heinz | Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur". www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  14. Lohmann, Helmuth (1979-10-06) [1979-10-06]. "Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Soviet politician, 1906 – 1982". AKG Images. Associated Press. AKG184074. Retrieved 2023-08-04. Visit of Leonid Brezhnev in East Berlin, on the occasion of the celebrations of the 30th Anniversary of the GDR on 6.10.1979: Brezhnev and Honecker exchange kisses, after the appointment of the Soviet state to the "Hero of the GDR".
  15. Hubrich, Dirk. "Verleihungsliste zum Orden "Großer Stern der Völkerfreundschaft" von 1964 bis 1989" (PDF). Verein für Phaleristik. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde e.V. (in German). Dortmund: 3. Retrieved 2023-08-04. Grundlage für die Erstellung dieser Verleihungsliste waren die Veröffentlichungen in der Zeitung „Neues Deutschland" sowie die Protokolle des Politbüros des ZK der SED (Bundesarchiv DY 30).
  16. "Brezhnev, Leonid Ilich (from 1966 General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party)". AKG Images. AKG Images. 1981-12-19 [1981-12-19]. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  17. "Soyuz 29". Space Launch Schedule. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  18. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  19. "Sigmund Jähn, Germany's first cosmonaut, dies aged 82 – DW – 09/22/2019". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  20. Seidler, Christoph (2019-09-22). "Sigmund Jähn: Nachruf auf den ersten Deutschen im All". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  21. Heiduck, Christina (2020-02-27). "Kosmonauten" (PDF). Compendium Heroicum. SFB 948 Helden-Heroisierungen-Heroismen. Transformationen Und Konjunkturen Von Der Antike Bis Zur Moderne. (in German) (1.0 ed.). Freiburg im Breisgau: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg u. Open Encyclopedia System der Freien Universität Berlin: 4. doi:10.6094/heroicum/kd1.0.20200227.
  22. "Vladimir Kovalyonok". Space Launch Schedule. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  23. "Aleksandr Ivanchenkov". Space Launch Schedule. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  24. "Hoffmann, Heinz | Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur". www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  25. Wunschik, Tobias (2011-03-22). "DA 4/2011 – Wunschik: Risse in der Sicherheitsarchitektur des SED-Regimes". bpb.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  26. "Mielke, Erich". Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  27. "Mielke, Erich | Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur". www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  28. "Dickel, Friedrich | Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur". www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  29. "Erich Honecker". timenote.info (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  30. "Stoph, Willi | Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur". www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  31. "Тихонов Николай Александрович". warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  32. Ministerrat, Deutschland (DDR) (1978). Gesetzblatt der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik: Verordnung über das Tragen der Ehrenzeichen zu staatlichen Auszeichnungen vom 19. April 1978 (in German). Staatsverl. der DDR. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
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