Iron Cross

The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. The Iron Cross is only awarded in wartime. In addition to the Napoleonic Wars, the Iron Cross was awarded during the Franco-Prussian War, and the First (WWI) and Second World Wars. It has not been awarded, nor any other form of a military decoration to honor or bravery, since May 1945 in the german Bundeswehr.

Second World War

Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration (rather than Prussian as in earlier incarnations), continuing the tradition of issuing it in various grades. The Iron Cross of the Second World War was divided into three main series of decorations with an intermediate category, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the highest, the Grand Cross. The Knight's Cross replaced the Prussian Pour le Mérite. Hitler did not care for the Pour le Mèrite as it was a Prussian order which could only be awarded to officers. The ribbon of the medal (2nd class and Knight's Cross) was different to the earlier Iron Crosses in that the color red was used in addition to the traditional black and white (black and white were the colors of Prussia, while black, white and red were the colors of Germany). Hitler also created the War Merit Cross as a replacement for the non-combatant version of the Iron Cross.

Related Topics:
Adolf Hitler - 1939 - Pour le Mérite - War Merit Cross

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Iron Cross

The standard 1939 Iron Cross was issued in the following two grades:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Iron Cross 2nd Class
• Iron Cross 1st Class

The Iron Cross was awarded for bravery in battle as well as other military contributions to a battlefield environment. The Iron Cross Second Class was worn as a chest ribbon with the cross suspended from the ribbon. The Iron Cross First Class was a pin-on medal worn centered on a uniform breast pocket. The Iron Cross was a progressive award, with second class having to be earned before the first class and so on for the higher degrees.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is estimated that some 2.3 million Second Class Iron Crosses were awarded in the Second World War, and 300,000 in the First Class. Two Iron Cross First Class recipients were women, one of those being test pilot Hanna Reitsch.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) recognized extreme battlefield bravery. The Knight's Cross was divided into five degrees:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (mit Eichenlaub)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten)
• Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds

In total, 7,313 awards of the Knight's Cross were made, but only 883 received Oak Leaves and 159 received Oak Leaves and Swords. Only 27 men were ever awarded the Diamonds grade of the Knight's Cross, and Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.

Related Topics:
Oak Leaves - Hans-Ulrich Rudel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Knight's Cross was worn as a neck order suspended from the collar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:RK_EK.png|Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:RK_EK_mit_einchenlaub.png|With Oak Leaves

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:RK_EK_mit_ol_sw.png|With Oak Leaves and Swords

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:RK_EK_mit_ol_sw_di.png|With Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Image:RK_EK_gold.png|With Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939)

Like the Knight's Cross, the Grand Cross was also worn suspended from the collar. The only recipient of the Grand Cross during the Second World War was Hermann Göring, who was awarded the decoration on July 19, 1940. The medal is in effect an oversized Knight's Cross. It had the same overall characteristics as the Knights Cross, but was much larger, measuring 63mm in width as opposed to about 44mm for the Iron Cross and 48.5mm for the Knight's Cross. It was originally intended to have outer edges lined in gold, but this was changed to silver before the award was presented.

Related Topics:
Hermann Göring - July 19 - 1940

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Grand Cross was worn with a 57mm wide ribbon bearing the same colors as the Knights Cross and 2nd Class ribbons. The award case was in red leather, with the eagle and the swastika outlined in gold.

Related Topics:
Eagle - Swastika

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Grand Cross was not a bravery award. It was reserved solely for General Staff officers for "the most outstanding strategic decisions affecting the course of the war". Hermann Göring received the Grand Cross for his command of the Luftwaffe during the successful 1940 campaign against France, Belgium, and the Netherlands (at the same time as he was promoted to Reich Marshall of the Greater German Reich).

Related Topics:
France - Belgium - Netherlands

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The original Grand Cross that was presented to Göring (personally by Adolf Hitler) was destroyed during an air raid in his Berlin home. Göring had extra copies made, one of them with a platinum frame which he was wearing at the time of his surrender to the allies in 1945.

Related Topics:
Adolf Hitler - Platinum

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Several times in official photographs, Göring can be seen wearing his Pour le Mérite, his Knights Cross, and Grand Cross around his neck at the same time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939)

This award was manufactured, but it was never awarded to any recipient. The only known example was found by Allied occupation forces at the end of the war, and was eventually added to the West Point military collection. The design was based on the 1914 version of the Star of the Grand Cross, but with the 1939 Iron Cross as the centerpiece.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This award was meant to be worn like the Iron Cross First class (as a pendant). Like the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, this award was not intended to be bestowed for bravery. It was intended to be bestowed upon the most successful General officer at the conclusion of the war. One would think that it was intended for Reichs Marshall Göring as he had already won the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~