Wehrmachtbericht

After the occupation of Denmark, 10th April 1940, and faced with the ongoing fights in Norway (Operation Weserübung) as well as the preparations for the big attack against France and BeNeLux the Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres Walter von Brauchitsch saw a need for a new honour for his soldiers.

He established a new prominent not wearable award "namentliche Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht" (in today´s German: Namensnennung im Wehrmachtsbericht), or in English "naming in the armed forces report", on 27th April 1940 (published in: HVBl. from 06.05.1940, part C, 27 edit., p. 189, no. 520).

Von Brauchitsch stated the following in his establishing decree: "In future the names of soldiers who excelled them at combat actions in an outstanding way will be named. This is a very special honour. Thus only deeds will be recognized wich call such a special attention from others that they justify a public mentioning in front of the German people.
The task of the generals in command is to judge if the deed does correspond to these high claims. In calm times an other criterion should be used then in times of important combat actions."

The awarding was registered in the Wehrpaß/Soldbuch and personal file.
This honour braught the mentioned soldier a special popularity, because he was mentioned by name and picture in newsletters and radio shows. But in reality it was less worth than the Knight´s Cross of the Iron Cross or the Honour Roll Clasp of the Army.
According to the explanatory notes of the OKH for the commanders the mentioning of the name in the armed forces report (Wehrmachtbericht) did not automatically lead to the naming in the Ehrenblatt des Deutschen Heeres (Honour Roll of the German Army). If the commanding general regarded the deed as so exceptional that the soldier should be named in the Honour Roll of the German Army, this had to be requested separately.

Of the round about 1,631 German soldiers from senior private to field-marshall named in the Wehrmachtbericht some 832 were members of the army and 47 members of the Waffen SS, or together 54 % of the awarded.