- Time Period: Nazi Germany (Interwars Period, World War II)
- Institution: March 1934
- Country: Germany
The Blood Order (or Blutorden in German), formally known as the Decoration in Memory of 9 November 1923 (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 9. November 1923), was a highly prestigious Nazi Party decoration.
Established by Adolf Hitler in March 1934, it commemorated the failed Beer Hall Putsch of November 9, 1923.
Initially, the Blood Order was awarded to 1,500 putsch participants who were members of the Nazi Party or its formations before January 1932, or cadets from the Munich Infantry School. These first medals, made of 99% pure silver, were carefully numbered except for those given to Hitler and Göring. Recipients wore the ribbon on the right breast in a rosette form, with the medal sometimes pinned below.
In May 1938, eligibility expanded to include those imprisoned or sentenced to death for Nazi activities before 1933, those severely wounded in service of the Party, Austrian Nazi participants in the 1934 July Putsch, and others at Hitler’s discretion. Reinhard Heydrich was the last posthumous recipient.
The Blood Order or Blutorden Rank
Holders who left the Nazi Party had to return the medal. Among the recipients were 16 women, with fewer than 6,000 total awards given, including the original putsch participants and those from the 1938 extensions.
Hitler’s 1936 “Orders and Awards” decree ranked the Blood Order fifth among top NSDAP honors, after the Coburg Badge, Nürnberg Party Badge of 1929, SA Treffen at Brunswick 1931, and the Golden Party Badge, followed by Gau badges and the Golden HJ Badge.
The Blood Order or Blutorden Design
The medal is silver, featuring an eagle clutching an oak wreath with the date “9. Nov” and “München 1923–1933” inscribed on the obverse. The later medals, struck in 80% silver, carried serial numbers above 1500 and lacked the maker’s name, unlike the initial Type I medals.
The reverse shows the Feldherrnhalle entrance, a swastika with sun rays, and the motto “UND IHR HABT DOCH GESIEGT” (“And after all, you won”).
