Description
Vivat ribbons were very popular German patriotic items, primarily during the early and mid-war periods. They were made of silk. Most measure approximately 2 ½” x 16.” In addition to being patriotic, they also often benefitted the German Red Cross. This example commemorates the Battle of Luettich. The color is a dark salmon-pink. The German general-in-command at the battle, General von Emmich, appears at its top framed by a wreath emblazoned with the year 1914. Below him is a charging German soldier, brandishing his Mauser in one hand and his regimental standard in the other. Below him is a Pour le Mérite embellished with the word “Luettich.” The PLM is surrounded by the words “VIVAT not Kennt kein Gebot” (Necessity knows no commandment). The Berlin manufacturer’s name and the attribution that the German Red Cross benefitted from the Vivat’s sale appear at the bottom.
