The Marine-Offizier-Hilfe e.V. (MOH)
Where do we come from
The MOH was founded on 12 November 1918 in Wilhelmshaven. The association of active and former naval officers was based on the idea of comradely self-help. From 1922 to 1939, the organisation was known as the "Naval Officers' Association"; from 1939 until its dissolution in 1945, it reverted to its original name of "Naval Officers' Aid".
In 1952, the MOH was re-established - again under the name "Marine-Offizier-Hilfe". The purpose was the same as in 1918; the focus was once again on comradely self-help in establishing new professional livelihoods and supporting comrades in need and their families. With the establishment of the German Armed Forces, the organisation also cultivated close ties with the new German Navy.
From 1966 onwards, various organisational changes took account of the change in tasks: - The previous "Marine-Offizier-Hilfe" was given its current name "Marine-Offizier-Vereinigung" (MOV). - A second association was assigned the task of active comrade assistance under the old name "Marine-Offizier-Hilfe" (MOH).
What do we want
The association pursues exclusively and directly non-profit and charitable purposes, in particular by
- Support for needy and distressed members of the former and current German navies and their families
- Care for the elderly, lonely or physically frail of former and current German marines and their immediate family members
- Granting of aid for maritime scientific studies and work
- Contributions to other non-profit and charitable organisations
- The MOH also works together with the German Armed Forces Soldiers' Relief Organisation, among others.
What do we do
The assets of the association are formed on the basis of voluntary contributions, donations and bequests from its members and other persons. The Association's funds may only be used for statutory purposes.
Requests for financial support must be submitted in writing to the MOH management; after careful consideration, a written decision will be issued to the applicant. Financial support is generally granted in the form of monthly or one-off support payments.
Who can become a member with us
Natural persons and legal entities can become members. Membership of natural persons is linked to membership of MOV e.V.. Membership is acquired through a written declaration of membership, the acceptance of which is decided by the Executive Board.
Who is responsible for the MOH
The honorary full Board of Directors consists of the Chairman, his deputy and up to five assessors. Unless delegated, it decides on all measures arising from the Articles of Association. A managing director is responsible for day-to-day business.
Report on the MOH General Meeting 2021
The report is here retrievable.
Marine-Offizier-Hilfe e.V. (MOH) - For the naval community
Every year, the MOH successfully fulfils its charitable and benevolent purpose by providing monetary and other forms of support to those in need or to marines, their families or surviving dependants. Donations to other charitable organisations such as museums, heritage conservation bodies or financial support for scientific studies round off our donations to a large extent.
However, we have to realise time and again that the MOH and its purpose within the Marine Unfortunately, only a few people are aware of this and, from this point of view, potential candidates for charitable Help unfortunately remain unconsidered. Even if the name MOH explicitly refers to the Naval officers the circle of recipients for donations is by no means tied to a rank. Rather, we would like to consciously point out that our members are Naval officers the comradely Help opposite all We are committed to supporting active and former members of the Navy, regardless of whether they are members of the MOV or MOH. This distinguishes us qualitatively from other associations such as the German Naval Association, the Soldiers' Relief Organisation or the BwSozialwerk, which either only want to or are only allowed to look after the active serviceman or the member in accordance with their respective statutes.
I ask all MOV members and, moreover, all members of the navy, wherever our comrades of the Help of the MOH to make these people aware of the opportunities offered by our non-profit organisation, which has been in existence since 1918. All enquiries will of course be treated confidentially.
For information and applications, please contact our office in Wilhelmshaven.
65 years ago: Foundation of the MOH
The emergency community set up on 12 November 1918 to support officers of the Imperial Marine founded Naval officer assistance (MOH) was banned by the victorious powers of the Second World War in 1945. However, after the Second World War, many naval officers came together again to organise local fairs. The Control Council laws of the post-war years initially prevented the re-establishment of the MOH, which was considered at the time. However, at the beginning of 1952, there were limited opportunities to revive the MOH.
On 16 March 1952, the MOH was re-established in Krefeld. The 1st chairman was Captain (ret.) Bonatz. More than 50 young and old comrades - mainly from nearby towns on the Rhine and Ruhr - took part in the founding meeting, with 150 voices broadcast from all over Germany. After a break of eight years, the first issue of MOH-Nachrichten was published in August 1952. On the day it was founded, the MOH had 227 members, by the end of July 1952 there were already 450, by Christmas the MOH had 938 members and one year later the number of members had grown to 2,200. Its purpose was cum grano salis the same as that of 1918: mutual comradely help and support after the lost war, especially in the endeavour to find a new profession/employment.
Read more about the MOH story
With the establishment of the German Armed Forces in 1956, it became necessary to maintain close ties with the new German Navy. In 1966, the MOH was renamed the "Marine-Offizier-Vereinigung" (MOV), which still forms the organisational umbrella today, while the MOH was able to concentrate on performing social tasks. In the long history of the MOV, the period from 1963 to 1978, when former Flotilla Admiral Alfred Schumann (1902 - 1985) held the chairmanship, was probably the most formative time, as it was here that paths were taken that still significantly determine the purpose and activities of the MOV, MOH and DMI today. The chairman and his helpers, who were still in active service and were still young staff officers at the time but no longer serving in the war, were aware that the MOV could not be a veterans' association. They had realised that an association of officers that focused exclusively on cultivating camaraderie no longer appealed to many of the younger naval officers. The MOV therefore began to focus its activities more on public relations. The close links between the military and civilian naval interests of the Federal Republic of Germany had been recognised. To this end, Admiral Schumann wanted to establish a platform for the exchange of maritime ideas. The aim was to promote public understanding of the importance of the sea and the maritime context.
Far-reaching structural changes were necessary to achieve these goals. In 1973, the "German Marine Institute" was founded, since 2011 the "German Maritime Institute" (DMI), a project-related working group with the backing of the MOV to publicly represent and disseminate maritime ideas. The association's magazine was reorganised in 1973 as "Marineforum" to become a specialist publication on sea-related aspects of our security policy, technology, research, economy and history. The "German Maritime Competence Network" (DMKN), an internet forum for the German maritime industry, has been a further organ of the MOV since 2004.
The Naval Officers' Association has been a community of values since it was founded over 90 years ago. In the MOV, active and former naval officers, naval officer candidates and people who feel connected to the navy have come together to form a community that spans three generations in terms of age.
MOV provides a professional and intellectual home for members who see their profession as more than just a job, who are open-minded, independent and think and act critically and constructively, who are interested in maritime issues beyond their specialist tasks and who want to help shape them. Under the umbrella of the MOV, the organisations DMI and MOH, as well as the Marineforum and the DMKN, cultivate comradely togetherness and the exchange of a considerable wealth of knowledge and experience in a wide variety of events and publications through a large network.
Dr Heinrich Walle
The new 2022 holiday catalogue of the Bundeswehr Social Welfare Organisation
Once again this year with interesting and reasonably priced offers for the whole family.
The catalogue can be ordered from the MOV/MOH/DMI office.
[email protected]
Statutes MOH
MARINE-OFFICER-HELP (MOH) e.V.
26382 Wilhelmshaven, Jadeallee 102,
Phone +49 (0) 4421-50047 0 - Fax: +49 (0) 4421 - 50047 29
Articles of Association in the version dated 25 September 2020
Entry in the register of associations at Oldenburg Local Court under
the number: VR 202 318
MOH office
Marine-Offizier-Hilfe e.V.
Jade avenue 102
26382 Wilhelmshaven
Telephone: +49 (0) 4421-50047-15
Fax: +49 (0) 4421-50047-29
e-mail: [email protected]
Bank details:
Commerzbank Bonn
IBAN: DE63 3804 0007 0232 2535 00
BIC: COBADEFFXXX
Postbank Cologne
IBAN: DE85 3701 0050 0219 2635 00
BIC: PBNKDEFF
Responsible persons
Responsible for content according to §10 Abs.3 MDStV:
Managing director and archivist
Dirk Siebenmarck
Former frigate captain
Contact person:
Thorsten Kähler
Rear Admiral (ret.) and
Chairman MOH/MOV
Liability for links:
No liability is assumed for the contents of the links contained in the link list (exclusion of liability in accordance with the judgement of the Hamburg Regional Court of 12 May 1998).
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