On the military culture of remembrance in Münster after 1918

When the Münster regiments finally returned to their home garrisons in 1918 and 1919 and were almost completely disbanded, the German Reich sank into revolutionary turmoil. Against the backdrop of the Weimar Republic, the processing of the military defeat began — a defeat that allegedly had not occurred (the "stab-in-the-back legend"); the myth of the front-line soldier and a culture of remembrance and commemoration developed.

Remembrance was maintained by the survivors, and the post‑1918 period developed numerous forms of remembrance for the fallen. Even today numerous war memorials in Münster primarily commemorate the fallen of the units stationed here. They point to the past, and their form language, which seems antiquated to the contemporary viewer, invites one first to question the significance of war memorials for social, political and cultural everyday life in general and then to approach the relics of this culture of remembrance that still exist in Münster.

Illustration in brief: the first cuirassier memorial, which was erected without authorization and later had to be reinstalled. Contemporary postcard.

The term monument is not unambiguously defined. Monuments can, however, be described as follows: artistic monuments in public places intended to recall something, e.g. culturally or generally historically significant persons, events or objects. Monuments make something intelligible; they are signs of remembrance and aids to memory. They are nonverbal remains of the past and (frequently) stone remnants of the past. Monuments served (and serve) as sites of remembrance. Through the materials used, such as bronze, granite, marble, etc., they claimed and claim permanence. A variant of monuments are war memorials. War memorials claim to commemorate soldiers who fell, went missing or died as a result of wartime effects. They aim, more or less clearly, to ascribe meaning to a soldier’s death, to give an appeal or lesson for the present and the future. They are called memorials of honor, memorial monuments, reminders or victory monuments and present themselves in a wide variety of forms. One finds columns, stelae, obelisks, pyramids, Victoria and Germania figures, eagles, lions and the cross in different forms, e.g. as the Iron Cross.

Before the Enlightenment and the French Revolution and with the emergence of mass armies under general conscription, war memorials for individually named fallen soldiers were not common. But already in the 17th century a gradual stylization of the soldier’s death before the enemy as the better death began. The soldier was raised in status and the modern-era honoring of warriors developed, commemorating all war dead by name. In the course of the Wars of Liberation (1813–15) the cult of monuments was officially promoted. On 17 March 1813 the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III ordered that "a memorial plaque" be hung in every church at the parish's expense. The names of all the community’s fallen were to be listed on this plaque. In regimental churches this was done at state expense. The euphoric national mood after the wars of unification in Germany led to a further increase in war memorials. However, it was the interwar period that recorded a veritable explosion of the memory of the fallen. Now there were memorial and welcoming speeches, memorial leaflets, memorial books, commemorative coins, memorial medals, memorial bell ringing, sporting events in honor of the fallen, war novels/films, house signs. In 1919 the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge was founded. Provincial advisory offices for war commemorations also emerged. These were mainly supported by regimental and veterans’ associations. But municipalities or municipal districts, clubs (e.g. sports clubs, etc.), schools, authorities and companies commemorated their fallen, primarily through memorial leaflets and inscription plaques. The establishment of a central memorial site (Reichsehrenmal) was discussed for a long time. After 1935 the Tannenberg Memorial, erected between 1924–27 at Hohenstein (pol. Olsztynek; today Poland) in East Prussia, was called the Imperial Honor Memorial Tannenberg.

The National Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag) was already proposed in 1919 by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge as a day of remembrance for the German soldiers who fell in the First World War. The first commemorative hour in the Reichstag took place in 1922. In 1926 it was decided that Volkstrauertag should be regularly observed on Reminiscere Sunday (the 5th Sunday before Easter). It was, however, not declared a public holiday. The National Socialists adopted this day of remembrance and established it as a state holiday. In the law on holidays of 27 February 1934 Volkstrauertag was renamed Heldengedenktag (Day of Commemoration of Heroes). Its character was completely changed. It was no longer to center on the remembrance of the dead but on hero worship. After 1945 the tradition of Volkstrauertag was resumed. The day is intended to commemorate "the dead of two wars at the fronts and at home" as well as the victims of the tyrannies of all nations.

War memorials always represent a particular consciousness of history. It is not timeless. Through their formal language and choice of form they document a specific — at the time relevant — assessment of violent death (in war). For war memorials the question of siting was always particularly important. In Catholic areas they are often found in cemeteries. The choice of location can also be a place of victory or of preserving tradition (e.g. a barracks). War memorials are frequently found on battlefields as well. However, these are usually far from family members and therefore of little public effect. A surrogate grave was therefore needed. In this respect we distinguish monument foundations on the battlefield or on a military cemetery and in the homeland or garrison.

War memorials are not a German invention; they belong to the political culture of all states. They are always an expression of a particular cult of the dead and fulfill various functions. Thus they serve to commemorate fallen relatives or comrades and to help survivors come to terms with the past. For survivors the memory of the fallen is felt as a duty of honor. It is an emotional need. War memorials should also promote national identity; they should shape attitudes and create traditions. Thus war memorials were and are means of pedagogical influence and had the purpose of educating towards loyalty. It is obvious that war memorials did not arise in an ideology‑free space. They served to glorify and exalt the soldier’s death. For this reason they possess a certain symbolism and formal language. The symbolism is temporally quite varied, since war memorials at different times served different goals.

The war memorials erected after the Wars of Unification (1864, 1866 and 1870/71) served to sustain patriotic euphoria. From the perspective of contemporaries the dead had fallen for a higher purpose, namely German unification. In the sign of victory over France and the establishment of the German Empire a patriotic exuberance was palpable. In this era the Victoria or Germania or an eagle with outstretched wings often adorned war memorials. The exterior of war memorials was strongly influenced by national monuments. The war memorials erected in the interwar period after World War I often aimed to serve as admonition and/or call for revenge. Optical elements regularly found here were the Iron Cross, oak leaves, a sword and the steel helmet. After 1933 the appearance of war memorials changed. They were now to radiate combat readiness, courage and certainty of victory. Appropriate reliefs symbolized these values. After the lost Second World War heroic elements were largely removed. Christian motives, e.g. palm branches, then predominated the exterior of war memorials (cf. e.g. the memorial in Kinderhaus adorned with the Archangel Michael).

Sources:

Armanski, Gerhard, .... und wenn wir sterben müssen. Die politische Ästhetik von Kriegerdenkmälern, Hamburg 1988.

Giller/ Mader/ Seidl, Wo sind sie geblieben ...? Kriegerdenkmäler und Gefallenenerhung in Österreich, Wien 1992.

Kosseleck, Reinhard, Der politische Totenkult. Kriegerdenkmäler in der Moderne, München 1993.

Rehmann, Klaus, Der Toten Tatenruhm. Kriegerdenkmäler aus zwei Jahrhunderten, Norderstedt 2002.

Schneider Gerhard, .... nicht umsonst gefallen? Kriegerdenkmäler und Kriegstotenkult in Hannover, Hannover 1990.

War memorial for the Westphalian Train Battalion No. 7

War memorial for the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 (2nd version)

War memorial for the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13.

War memorial for Field Artillery Regiment No. 69.

War memorial for the 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22.