- For the medieval military order, see Teutonic Knights.
The German Order (German: Deutscher Orden) was the most important award that the Nazi Party could bestow on an individual for "duties of the highest order to the state and party". This award was first made by Adolf Hitler posthumously to Reichsminister Fritz Todt at his funeral in February, 1942. A second posthumous award of the German Order was given to SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich at his funeral in June of that same year. Cynics called the award the "dead hero order" as it was almost always awarded posthumously. The only two persons who received the German Order who survived the war and its consequences were Konstantin Hierl and Arthur Axmann. The German Order was originally to be awarded in three grades, but only the neck order (the highest grade) was ever awarded. This award ranks the second rarest award in the Third Reich (second only to the National Prize for Art and Science). The holders of this award were supposed to form a confraternity. Adolf Hitler viewed this award as his personal decoration to be bestowed only upon those whose services to the state and party he deemed worthy. For this reason, plus the fact that the reverse of the medal bears a facsimile of his signature, it was also informally known as the 'Hitler Order'. There were in all eleven confirmed recipents of this award between 1942 and 1945. According to some documents, the order was intended to be awarded to Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler and Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, but this was never done.
Confirmed recipients and date of award
- Fritz Todt (posthumous), February 12, 1942
- Reinhard Heydrich (posthumous), June 9, 1942
- Adolf Hühnlein (posthumous), June 21, 1942
- Viktor Lutze (posthumous), May 8, 1943
- Adolf Wagner (posthumous) April 17, 1944
- Artur Axmann, April 28, 1945
- Josef Bürckel (committed suicide September 28, 1944), October 3, 1944
- Rudolf Schmundt (posthumous), October 7, 1944
- Konstantin Hierl, February 24, 1945
- Karl Hanke (killed during an POW escape attempt at a transport, June 8, 1945), April 12, 1945
- Karl Holz (killed in action April 20, 1945), April 19, 1945
