Hitler's Table Talk

I2O
WEHRMACHT AND PARTY DECORATIONS
no gift for command. One can reward courage by a Knight's
Cross, without implying a subsequent promotion to a higher
rank. Moreover, the man must have favourable circumstances,
if his courage is to reveal itself. Command, on the other hand,
is a matter of predisposition and competence. A good commander
can earn only the oak leaves. What is decisive, for him,
is to rise in rank. A fighter-pilot receives the swords and
diamonds. The commander of the air-fleet neither has them
nor can earn them. The Knight's Gross ought to carry a
pension with it—against the event of the holder's no longer being
able to earn his living. It's the nation's duty similarly to ensure
that the wife and children of a soldier who has distinguished
himself do not find themselves in need. One could solve this
problem by awarding the Knight's Cross posthumously.
To escape any resulting depreciation, I shall create an Order
of the Party which will not be awarded except in altogether
exceptional cases. Thus all other decorations will be eclipsed.
The State can grant whatever it likes: our decoration will be
the finest in the world, not only in its form but also because of
the prestige that will be attached to it. The organisation of the
Order of the Party will comprise a council and a court, which
will be entirely independent of one another and both placed
under the immediate authority of the Fuehrer. Thus this distinction
will never be awarded to persons undeserving of it.
There are cases in which one no longer knows how to reward
a leader who has rendered outstanding services. The exploits
of two hundred holders of the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross) are
nothing compared to the services of a man like Todt.
In the Party, the tradition should therefore be established of
awarding distinctions only with the utmost parsimony. The
best way of achieving that object is to associate such an award
with the granting of a pension.
The Party's insignia in gold ought to be superior to any distinction
granted by the State. The Party distinctions cannot
be awarded to a stranger. When I see a man wearing the
Blutorden (Blood Order) I know that here is somebody who has
paid with his own person (wounds or years of imprisonment).