Order Pour le Mérite in silver-gilt, regulation execution of 1918 in absolute mint condition and without any damage to the enamel. The order cross corresponds to the solid struck type as supplied by the Berlin firms Wagner and Friedländer commissioned by the General Orders Commission. The striking error characteristic of this type in the eagle's plumage on the obverse at 4 o'clock is verifiable with both manufacturers, as they shared the striking dies for producing the highest decoration for valor during this phase of the World War. In the lower arm of the cross is the fineness mark “938” and in the ribbon ring “800” silver. The order cross is complete with the long worn original neck ribbon, finished at the ends with snap fasteners. Only slightly worn, the original gilding still almost completely intact, condition 2.
Included is the large award document for the Order Pour le Mérite. Double-sided document form “We Wilhelm...” for “Major General Wilhelm von Groddeck, Commander of the 208th Infantry Division,” issued “Great Headquarters” on April 9, 1918. With blind embossed seal and autograph signature of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Punch-holes present, dimensions 21.3 x 33.1 cm, condition 2.
The document is housed in a very fine glass frame with antique silver wood molding, the document loosely inserted into the mat (can be easily removed).
Included are 2 fine reproduction photos of the general, death announcement, and in photocopy the excerpt from “History of the Knights of the Order 'pour le mérite' in the World War.”

Wilhelm von Groddeck, born in Schwetz, West Prussia, on April 28, 1861, entered Field Artillery Regiment 15 as officer candidate in 1881, subsequently served as regimental adjutant in the 34th FAR and was detailed to the Great General Staff in 1896. In 1904 he was First General Staff Officer of III Army Corps, later Chief of the War History Section in the Great General Staff and received command of FAR 36 in Danzig in 1912 (in 1913 as Colonel).
Groddeck, promoted to Major General in April 1915, was initially Quartermaster General II in the East after mobilization and after brief service as Commander of the 21st Field Artillery Brigade was appointed Chief Quartermaster of the 4th Army in Russian Poland.
On November 28, 1916, the Kaiser appointed him Commander of the newly established 208th Infantry Division in August, with which he achieved great successes in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917. During the great offensive in March 1918, the 208th ID broke through enemy positions north of St. Quentin and captured Pontru, Le Berguier and the southern artillery positions. For these achievements of his division and the 23 guns and five tanks captured in the process, Major General von Groddeck was awarded the Pour le Mérite by Kaiser Wilhelm on April 9, 1918.
After the war's end, Groddeck as Governor of Thorn helped secure the eastern border, initially became Commander of the 41st ID and finally Commander of Reichswehr Brigade 4 in Magdeburg. Due to his involvement in the Kapp Putsch (which certainly also cost him his promotion to Lieutenant General), he was retired in April 1920; proceedings for high treason were dropped. Major General Wilhelm von Groddeck died on March 6, 1937, at his retirement residence in Wernigerode shortly after completing his “Memoirs,” at age 75.

The complete estate of Major General von Groddeck was auctioned in 2016 at Hermann Historica auction house in Munich. Since then, this order set has been in an important German private collection.

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The Pour le Mérite – Prussia's Highest Military Decoration for Valor

This Pour le Mérite, awarded to Generalmajor Wilhelm von Groddeck on April 9, 1918, represents one of the most prestigious military decorations in European history. As Prussia's highest military honor for officers of all ranks, this cross embodies a tradition of martial distinction stretching from the era of Frederick the Great to the collapse of the Prussian monarchy in November 1918.

Origins and History

The Pour le Mérite was established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. It was named in French, which was the leading international language and the favored language at Frederick's court. Remarkably, the French name was retained despite the rising tide of nationalism and increasing hostility between the French and Germans during the 19th century. The decoration was separated into two classes, each with their own designs: a military and a civil honor. The Grand Cross was awarded to only five recipients. By the First World War, the oak leaves came to indicate that an individual had received a second or higher Pour le Mérite award. A total of 147 awards with crown are documented, serving as 50-year jubilee recognition. Since its foundation, a total of 5,430 persons received this award.

Award Criteria and Significance

The Pour le Mérite was Prussia's highest military award and was in fact given not for individual acts, but rather for repeated and continual gallantry. It represented a recognition of extraordinary personal achievement, rather than a general marker of social status or a courtesy-honor, although certain restrictions of social class and military rank were applied. Unlike the American Medal of Honor or England's Victoria Cross, the recipient of the award needed to be among the living — the Pour le Mérite was not awarded posthumously. This distinction underscores the decoration's unique character among the highest military honors of the major powers.

Physical Description and Wartime Manufacture

The Pour le Mérite takes the form of a blue-enameled Maltese Cross with golden eagles between the arms, based on the symbol of the Johanniter Order. The Prussian royal cypher and the words “Pour le Mérite” (“For Merit”) are written in gold letters on the body of the cross. It is suspended by a 2¼-inch black-and-white-striped ribbon, the white stripes being woven with silver threads.

Due to war-induced shortage of gold and rising manufacturing costs, the General-Orders Commission considered switching from gold to gilt silver as base material for order insignia in early fall 1916. On October 10, 1916, the Commission ordered that gold-based decorations should be crafted only from gilt silver with a silver content of 938/1000. From late November 1916 onwards, crosses made from 938-fine gilt silver were produced and marked with the fineness punch “938” (or “937”).

Officially awarded Pour le Mérites during the First World War were made by the Berlin firms Wagner, Friedländer, or Godet. The present cross corresponds to the solidly struck type from the second half of the war and bears the standard hallmarks: “938” in the lower cross arm for the silver content of the cross body and “800” on the suspension ring. A characteristic flaw in the eagle's wing at 4 o'clock is visible — a feature attributable to both Wagner and Friedländer, who shared the same dies for producing this highest decoration of valor during this phase of the war.

The Recipient: Generalmajor Wilhelm von Groddeck

Wilhelm von Groddeck was born on April 28, 1861, in Schwetz, West Prussia. He received the Pour le Mérite on April 9, 1918, as commander of the 208th Infantry Division. The accompanying award document, issued at the Great Headquarters (Großes Hauptquartier), bears the personal signature of Kaiser Wilhelm II and a blind-embossed seal. Groddeck passed away on March 6, 1937.

Notable Recipients and Legacy

Among the most famous recipients of the Pour le Mérite was the flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron. Fedor von Bock was awarded the Pour le Mérite in 1918 for his efforts leading his battalion at the Somme and Cambrai. German author Ernst Jünger, who died in 1998, was the last living recipient of the military class award.

New awards of the military class ceased with the end of the Prussian monarchy in November 1918. The three different firms charged with producing the award from 1914 through 1918 used the same dies in the 1920s. After the Second World War, the civil class was re-established in 1952, and it is this manifestation of the Pour le Mérite that remains active today.

The present ensemble of cross and award document constitutes a significant historical unit, directly linking the decoration to its recipient and thereby representing exceptional value for collectors and historians alike.