The "Schmiss", the distinctive duelling scar traditionally associated with German-speaking university student fraternities, was a visible result of Mensur, a highly ritualized form of academic fencing practiced primarily in Germany and parts of Central Europe from the eighteenth century onward. Unlike competitive sport fencing, Mensur was not intended to determine a winner but rather to test courage, self-discipline, composure, and personal honor under controlled conditions. Participants, usually members of student corps and burschenschaften, stood at a fixed distance and exchanged carefully regulated blows with sharp blades while wearing protective equipment that shielded most of the body but intentionally left portions of the face exposed. As a result, facial cuts were common, and the resulting scars—known collectively as the Schmiss—became symbols of bravery, social status, and aristocratic bearing among many educated and military circles of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A prominent and well-healed Schmiss was often regarded as evidence that its bearer had demonstrated fearlessness and steadfastness in the face of danger, qualities highly valued within the officer corps, academic elites, and conservative society of Imperial Germany. Although some scars occurred naturally during bouts, historical accounts suggest that certain individuals sought particularly noticeable scars to enhance their prestige. By the early twentieth century, the Schmiss had become an iconic marker of German student culture, frequently appearing in literature, photography, and political life, with numerous military officers, civil servants, and public figures displaying such scars. Following the decline of traditional fraternity culture after the Second World War, the social prestige attached to the Schmiss diminished significantly, yet it remains one of the most recognizable symbols of the unique tradition of academic fencing and the honor culture that surrounded German university life for generations.
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HEER
Oberstleutnant
Wilhelm Walther (1910-2010) was one of the most notable officers of the
German special operations forces during the Second World War and became
the first member of the famous Bau-Lehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800
“Brandenburg” to receive the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes.
Originally serving with Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 of the 2.
Panzer-Division, Walther transferred to the secretive Brandenburg
commando formation in March 1940 and was soon entrusted with a daring
mission during the invasion of the Netherlands. On 10 May 1940, as an
Oberleutnant and Stoßtruppführer of the 4. Kompanie, Bau-Lehr-Bataillon
z.b.V. 800 “Brandenburg”, he led a small assault team disguised as Dutch
military police escorting German prisoners in order to infiltrate and
seize the strategically vital railway bridge over the Maas River near
Gennep. Despite being heavily outnumbered, facing armed Dutch guards,
and operating deep behind enemy security positions, Walther displayed
exceptional initiative and courage, improvising under pressure when the
mission appeared compromised. During the fierce struggle for control of
the bridge, he and his men cut communication lines, prevented demolition
preparations, and secured the crossing long enough for German armoured
forces to advance. Walther himself was wounded when a bullet struck his
helmet, but he continued directing the operation until the bridge and
surrounding defenses were fully captured. The successful seizure of the
Gennep bridge opened a crucial route for advancing German forces toward
the Dutch defensive lines and contributed significantly to the rapid
breakthrough into the Netherlands. In recognition of his leadership,
personal bravery, and the strategic importance of the operation, Wilhelm
Walther was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 24 June
1940, beginning a distinguished wartime career that later saw him
command formations within the Division “Brandenburg” and participate in
operations across the Balkans, Greece, and the Eastern Front.
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LUFTWAFFE
Generalmajor Dr. Ing. Ernst Bormann (1897-1960) was born on 5 November 1897 in Kirchbrak and joined the German army as a Fahnenjunker in Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 82 on 17 August 1915 during the First World War. After transferring to aviation and completing pilot training with Fliegerersatz-Abteilung 7 and related units, he served as a pilot with Feldflieger Abteilung 42 before joining the prestigious Jagdstaffel 2 “Boelcke” on 4 May 1918, where as a Leutnant he achieved 17 aerial victories by the war’s end. Demobilized in 1919 and leaving active service as Charakter als Oberleutnant in 1920, he earned a doctorate in engineering and worked as a flying instructor at the secret German aviation school in Lipetsk in the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1930. Reactivated in the Luftwaffe as Hauptmann in 1934, he commanded a Staffel in Kampfgeschwader Boelcke, later led III. Gruppe of Lehrgeschwader 1, and on 26 February 1941 became Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader 76, rising to Oberst. He received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 October 1941 as Oberstleutnant and Kommodore of Kampfgeschwader 76 for the unit’s successes during the Battle of Britain and the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, including the first attacks on Moscow and the Leningrad-Moscow railway. The Eichenlaub followed on 3 September 1942 as Oberst and Kommandeur of the Gefechtsverband Bormann (an augmented Kampfgeschwader 76) for further bomber operations on the Eastern Front, notably during the Briansk-Vyazma pocket battles, the Dnieper crossing east of Cholm, strikes against the Rybinsk aircraft factory, the fighting of 9. Armee near Rzhev, and actions on the southern sector. Subsequent postings included Fliegerführer Krim and, as Generalmajor from 1 October 1944, Flughafen-Bereichskommandant in Mähren. Captured by Soviet forces on 10 May 1945, he remained a prisoner until his release on 9 October 1955 and died in Düsseldorf on 1 August 1960.
Oberst Dr. jur. Ernst Kupfer (1907-1943) was born on 2 July 1907 in Coburg, where he attended the Ernestium secondary school before completing a banking apprenticeship; after a period of unemployment he finished his Abitur and studied jurisprudence for several semesters at the University of Heidelberg, earning his Dr. jur. degree on 4 March 1937. On 1 October 1928 he entered military service with the 5. Eskadron of the 17. Bayerisches Reiterregiment of the Reichswehr, rising through the ranks of the Heer to Rittmeister before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1939 and undergoing training as a Stuka pilot. Assigned in September 1940 to Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 „Immelmann“, he soon became Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel (nicknamed 7. Schwadron in reference to his cavalry background) and flew his first combat sorties during Unternehmen Merkur over Crete. On 22 May 1941 he contributed decisively to the sinking of the British cruiser HMS Gloucester with a direct hit; later, during attacks on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt in September 1941, he claimed a cruiser and scored a 1 000 kg bomb hit on the battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, yet was himself shot down three times by ground fire, the final crash leaving him with multiple skull-base fractures, other broken bones and severe concussion. While still in hospital he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 November 1941 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän 7./StG 2 „Immelmann“ after approximately 260 sorties. Recovered, he assumed command of II. Gruppe / StG 2 on 1 April 1942 as Major, once landing under fire beside a downed crew to rescue them; for his bold leadership of the Staffeln against the factory districts of Stalingrad and for completing his 500th combat mission he received the Eichenlaub on 8 January 1943. Promoted to Geschwaderkommodore of StG 2 in March 1943, he directed the unit through the Kuban battles and Operation Citadel at Kursk, temporarily commanding the ad-hoc Gefechtsverband „Kupfer“. In September 1943 he was appointed General der Schlachtflieger and Oberstleutnant, advocating the replacement of the Ju 87 and Hs 123 by the Fw 190. After 636 combat missions he was killed on 6 November 1943 when the Heinkel He 111 in which he was returning from an inspection flight crashed in bad weather in the Belasiza mountains roughly 60 km north of Thessaloniki; posthumously promoted to Oberst, he was awarded the Schwerter on 11 April 1944 for his personal and command successes over the Kuban, Kursk and the Orel salient.
Source :
"Brandenburger: Wartime Photographs of Wilhelm Walther" by Anthony Rogers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dueling_scar
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