Andris J Kursietis

The Blue Max in World War I Andris J Kursietis

Andris Kursietis has been a researcher of military history for fifty years, using resources that span the globe. His latest book, "The Blue Max in World War I" concerns the high-ranking officers who are awarded the Pour le Mérite (popularly known as the Blue Max), which was Imperial Germany's highest military award until the collapse of the Empire at the end of World War I, in 1918. The book contains the biographies of the 264 German and allied (Austro-Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman) generals and admirals who received the Pour le Mérite during World War I. For his previous work on the Hungarian military, the Hungarian Knightly Order of Vitéz in 1997 awarded Kursietis its Cross of Merit. He is also the recipient of the Silver Medal of Merit from the World Federation of Hungarian Veterans, as well as the Silver and Bronze Service Crosses and the 2014-2018 Cross from the International Hungarian Military History Preservation Society.