When was the motto ‘Gott mit uns’ (German for ‘God with us’) first used by the military?

‘Gott mit uns’, a German phrase that translates in English ‘God with us’, was a phrase first used by the Teutonic Order (c. 1192 - present), an organization formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals. Its members were known as the Teutonic Knights, a small voluntary and mercenary military contingent, serving as a crusading military order.

Later evidence of the motto’s use by the military, appears In the 17th century, when the phrase was used as a ‘field word’, a means of recognition akin to a password by the army.

When German unification occurred in 1871, the imperial standard bore this same motto on the arms of an Iron Cross, a military decoration. Plus, Imperial German 3 and 5 mark silver and 20 mark gold coins had the motto inscribed on their edge.

In WWI, German solders had the motto inscribed on their helmets and then in WWII, German soldiers wore this motto on their belt buckles.

While the first use was by the Teutonic Order of Knights, the motto ‘God with us’ has ancient non-military roots in biblical writings, including in the Hebrew Scriptures, written in Isaiah 7:14, glossing the name Immanuel as ‘God with us’. Then it was later reflected in the New Testament gospel writings in Matthew’s 1:23 description of the name of the newborn child interpreting the name Emmanuel as ‘God with us’.