Collector Basics - The Iron Cross

IRON CROSS
(EISERNES KREUZ)

The Iron Cross was first instituted by Friedrich—Wilhelm III of Prussiaon 10th March 1813 and remained a purely Prussian decoration until theend of the lst World War.

Originally there were three classes; 2nd Class, 1st Class and Grand Cross. A special grade in the form of a gold breast star with the cross in the centre, known as the Star of the Grand Cross, was awarded to Blucher after Waterloo and to Hindenburg in 1918.

The Iron Cross has to be reconstituted for each major war. Since 1813 this has happened three times, i. e. in 1870, 1914 and 1939. It was not revived for the German colonial campaigns or for the wars of 1864 and 1866 or the Spanish Civil War.

Until 1918, there was both a combatant and a non-combatant Iron Cross; the former had a black ribbon with two white stripes, the later a white ribbon with two black stripes.

On lst September 1939, Hitler reconstituted the Iron Cross but changed its grading, its design and its ribbon. The non-combatant Iron Cross was abolished and a new grade, the Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz), was introduced to bridge the very considerable gap between the lst Class and the Grand Cross. As the war progressed, higher grades of the Knight's Cross had to be added. By the end of the war the grading was as follows: (the dates of institution of each are given in brackets)

2nd Class (1. 9. 39)
(lst Class (1. 9. 39)
(Knight's Cross (1. 9. 39)
(Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (3. 6. 40)
(Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (21. 6. 41)
(Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (15. 7. 41)
(Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (29.12. 44)
(Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1. 9. 39)

The Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse), usually referred to by the Germans as E. K. 2, hangs from a red, white and black ribbon. Normally only the ribbon was worn, either on a medal ribbon bar ordiagonally from the second button hole.

The Iron Cross lst Class or E. K. l, is a pin-back cross with a plain reverse. Worn on the left breast pocket at all times.

The Knight’s Cross is larger than the lst and 2nd Class and the silver edges are of genuine silver, usually hall-marked on one of the arms with a tiny 800 or 900. The Knight's Cross was worn round the neck at all times; there was no provision for an "undress" version.

The Oak Leaves (Eichenlaub) are a silver cluster attached to the suspension loop. They were presented separately in a small black case. The first recipient of the Oak Leaves was General Dietl, who received them on 19th July 1940 for his successful conduct of the Battle of Narvik.

The Swords (Schwertern) are two silver crossed swords added to the suspension loop below the Oak Leaves. The first to receive Swords was Adolf Galland for his 70th aerial victory in the Battle of Britain.

The Diamonds (Brillanten) are numerous small brilliants studded over the oak leaf cluster and the hilts of the two swords. The fighter ace, Werner Molders was the first recipient of the Diamonds.

The Golden Oak Leaves (Goldenen Eichenlaub) were awarded only once; The recipient was the Stuka pilot, Col. Hans Ulrich Rudel who survived the war.

The Grand Cross (Grosskreuz) is larger than the Knight's Cross. It was worn from a 57mm wide ribbon round the neck and could be conferred only on officers of General rank for an action which had had a decisive effect on the course of a war. The only recipient in the 2nd World War was Goering who got it after the Battle of France. He had already received the Knight's Cross (on 30th Sept. 1939) and wore his Grand Cross above it. The original Grand Cross which the "Reichsmarschall" received on 19th July 1940 was lost when his Berlin home was destroyed in an air raid. He had a more elaborate copy made as a replacement and was wearing this on his uniform at the time of his capture, but the authors have not been able to trace its present location.

In theory no distinction of rank was made for an award of any grade of theIron Cross (except the Grand Cross), but in practice the Knight's Cross was conferred much more frequently upon officers than other ranks

Some two and a half million awards of the Iron Cross 2nd Class and about 300, 000 of the 1st Class are said to have been made, but complete figures will certainly never be available.

The Knight's Cross can not be compared with the V. C. (of which 182 were awarded in World War II) since the V. C. was awarded only for acts of heroism in battle and not, like the Knight's Cross, "for military leadership".

The Knight's Cross citation has the following wording "ln the name ofthe German people I award (rank and name of recipient) the Knight's Cross of the lr0n Cross". Beneath is Hitler's signature and date. The citation is enclosed in a red or white morocco folder on which in gilt tooling (sometimes in gilt metal) is the national eagle and swastika.

It was necessary to hold the 2nd Class before the lst Class could be awarded, but, in exceptional circumstances both could be conferred together. Each grade awarded presumes possession of the previous lower grade or grades.

The original 1939 Grand Cross had gold instead of silver outer edges but this "gold frame" version was never issued.

Circumstances of investiture varied with the course of the war, but generally those awarded the Oak Leaves (and above) were personally invested by Hitler. Other grades could be conferred by local commanders in the field.

At the end of the war,U.S. intelligence officers found, in Austria, an example of a projected "Star" of the Grand Cross(1939). This is made in silver gilt and measures 87mm across. The accompanying photograph of this projected award was kindly supplied bythe Museum of the U. S.Military Academy at West Point (where it is now located).

1939 BAR TO 1914 IRON CROSS
((SPANGE 1939 ZUM EISERNEN KREUZ 1914)

With the reconstitution of the Iron Cross in September 1939, a "Bar" was instituted for those who had received the Cross in the lst World War and were again awarded the same grade in the Second.

The 1st Class bar is silver coloured and measures 45mm. It was worn above the 1914 Iron Cross lst Class on the left breast pocket, sometimes actually attached to the upper arm of the cross.

The 2nd Class bar is also silver coloured, but is slightly smaller (normally 31mm but there is also a 24mm version). It was worn on the black and white ribbon of the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class when worn from the second button hole. When the ribbon was on a medal ribbon bar, a small replica of the 1939 Bar was worn on it (measuring 15mm on the full-size ribbon or 11mm on the half-size ribbon). Over 100, 000 of these "bars" (lst and 2nd Class) were awarded during the Second World War.

ROLL OF HONOUR CLASPS
((EHRENBLATT-SPANGEN)

In July 1941, a "Roll of Honour of the German Army" (Ehrenblatt des Deutschen Heeres) was started in which were recorded accounts of heroic deeds performed by German soldiers.

In February 1943, the German Navy initiated a similar Roll (or table) of Honour (Ehrentafel der deutschen Kriegsmarine).

The Luftwaffe also had its own Roll (or List) of Honour (Ehrenliste der Deutschen Luftwaffe), but it was not until 1944 that those whose names appeared in these Rolls of Honour received any visible token of the fact.

The Roll of Honour Clasp of the Army (Ehrenblatt Spange des Heeres) was instituted on 30th January 1944, the clasp for the Navy (Ehrentafel). Women as well as men were eligible, but an award to a woman was extremely rare. Hannah Reitsch, the distinguished woman pilot, was awarded both the 1st and 2nd Class. She was the first woman to receive the Iron Cross in the 1939-45 war and was invested with the 2nd class in March 1941, and the 1st Class in October 1942, both personally by Hitler. This was in recognition of her great courage and skill as a test pilot of military aircraft and aerial combat devices. Some Front-line nurses were also recipients of the Iron Cross but their number was small.

The Iron Cross could also be conferred on foreigners (even Britons have been among the recipients, these being in 1870-71). The Knight's Cross was not frequently given to non-Germans, but a few commanders of foreign volunteer legions and also some Italian submarine commanders received it.

Awards of the Iron Cross were also made to boys of the Hitler Youth fighting in the defence of Berlin in 1945.

The Iron Cross could be awarded "en masse" to an entire ship's crew. This happened on lst April 1941, when the whole complement of the"Admiral Scheer" (some 1, 300 men) got it; similar awards went to the crews of the Auxiliary Cruiser "Kormoran" and the U 47 which sank the "Royal Oak" (October 1939).

In the Luftwaffe, the Iron Cross was awarded on a "points" basis. One point was given for the shooting down of a single engined fighter, two for a twin engined plane and three for a four engined bomber. Night victories counted as double, thus the pilot who brought down a "Lancaster" got six points. Usually about 20 points were needed for the Knight's Cross, but the requirements varied at different times during the war and the difficulties of the front were taken into consideration.

Commanders of U Boats had to sink about 50, 000 tons of enemy shipping to get the lst Class, about 100, 000 to get the Knight's Cross and about 200, 000 to get the Oak Leaves, but again these figures were subject to considerable variation.

The number of awards of the various grades of the Knight's Cross was as follows:

Knight's Cross alone... 6,973
(K. C. and Oak Leaves ... 853
(K. C. and Oak Leavesand Swords ......... 150
(K. C. and Oak Leaves Swords, Diamonds ... 27
( K. C. with Golden Oak Leaves, etc. ... 1

The above figures apply only to German recipients and do not include the small number of non-Germans to receive the Knight's Cross and very small number to receive the K. C. and Oak Leaves.

David Littlejohn and Col. C.M. Dodkins, ORDERS, DECORATIONS, MADALS AND BADGES OF THE THIRD REICH (INCLUDING THE FREE CITY OF DANZIG), R. James Bender Publishing, 1968

bender-publishing.com

Iron Cross Second Class Award Documents

The Iron Cross, (Eisernes Kreuz), is probably the mostly widely recognizedand well known award of Germany. It isalso the most commonly encountered award from WW2. No matter how much of a novice a collector is, he still knows that Germany awarded the Iron Cross in large numbers for bravery. And for that matter, the Iron Cross is usually one of the first medals a new collector acquires. The same is true for award documents. Iron Cross documents are probably in every document collection and are some of the most sought after. It was an award not merely for service but for bravery - a single brave act in combat. The Iron Cross First Class, or EKI, was usually awarded for multiple acts of bravery beyond the Second Class. All branches of service, including Red Cross nurses and Hitler Youth kids were eligible for these awards.

It is estimated that between 5 million (The Iron Cross - A History 1813-1957, by Williamson) and 2,300,000 (For Fuhrer & Fatherland, by Angolia, Auszeichenungen des Deutschen Reichs, by Kleitmnnn) EK2's were awarded. This lends itself not only to the actual medal but also to the award document. However, a soldier could have received more than one copy of a document for the same award. It was not unusual to receive a preliminary award document in the field; often done on a crude form with a field typewriter and at a later date receive an official printed award. The printed formal award was also sometimes mailed to the recipient's home for safe keeping.

The standard size for an Iron Cross award document is 14 cm by 20 cm and vertical in format.The paper varies with the particular award. It is heavier than a sheet of typing paper thought lighter than a postcard, and may be watermarked, but frequently not. Its smooth, almost slick to the touch but is neither a coated nor glossy stock. Documents were most commonly letter press printed although a few were lithographed, none were offset printed. A field made award can be done on almost anything.

All EKII awards included the recipient'srank and name typewritten onto the award. (somewere handwritten) and they usually contain his unit. It seems that the Kriegsmarine did not include a sailor's ship or unit. Also typewritten onto the document was the place and date the award was made. Note that this was not necessarily the place were the soldier earned the award and was basically never the date that he earned it. The paper work was usually months behind. Each award was signed by a commander including his rank and position. It was then rubber stamped in the lower left corner of the document. This stamp corresponds to the commander's position or unit, instead of the recipient's. The posthumous EK2 document is the exception to this. It was a unique award, done in its own style and presented to the recipient's survivors. These are rarely encountered.

The value of EKII award documents depend on several factors. A base price is about $35. That would be for a document to an ''unknown'' soldier, in a common unit, bestowed by a commander who was not a Knight's Cross holder, or famous. Price increases as the unit becomes more interesting. Any Waffen-SS recipient's award should sell for over $100. The same is true for Fallschirmjager. Should the award be to someone who later won the Knight'sCross, the price could be several hundred dollars. The signature of the bestowed can also greatly affect the price, such as an EKII document with Rommel's signature. Also of great interest and value is the posthumous EKII award document - a tough one to find. If you locate one, my advise is... buy it!

Emilie Caldwell Stewart, "Iron Cross Second Class Award Documents", Der Gauleiter, 1989

The Iron Cross

Arguably the best-known military decoration in the world, the Iron Cross, more commonly termed the 'EK' (Eisernes Kreuz), was instituted by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in 1813 to recognise bravery during the War of Liberation. It was reinstituted with minor design changes in 1870 for the FrancoPrussian War and in 1914 for World War 1 and, as such, was the only major decoration awarded by the Nazis which had existed prior to the advent of the Third Reich in 1933. Its early history, however, falls outside the scope of this book.

On 1 September 1939 Hitler again reinstituted the EK, anticipating a major conflict as a result of his invasion of Poland. For the first time it became a German rather than a purely Prussian decoration and, initially at least, was referred to as an 'Order'. During the next six years it was awarded to Germans and their allies not only for personal bravery but also for outstanding military achievements and for successful war planning. Officers frequently received higher grades of the cross in recognition of the bravery of the men under their command. The EK was open to all branches of the Wehrmacht and members of the noncombatant civil uniformed organisations such as the police, fire service and railway service were also eligible. This should be borne in mind when considering the large numbers of the EK which were distributed. Contrary to wartime Allied propaganda, it was certainly not 'dished out with the rations': it was much-prized, and rightly so.

The EK of 1939 initially comprised four grades or classes, but these had increased in number to eight by 1945. It was necessary that a recipient hold the lesser grade(s) before a higher class could be rendered. All grades awarded were worn simultaneously.

The lowest grade was the Iron Cross Second Class, or EK2. It measured about 44mm in diameter and was suspended from a ribbon bearing the colours of the Third Reich - black, white and red. The cross itself was made of three parts; a core, an obverse rim and a reverse rim. In construction both rims were soldered together, 'sandwiching' the core between them. The core obverse displayed a mobile swastika rotated to stand on one leg, (thus giving the impression of an advancing movement) on its centre and the date 1939 on its lower arm. The reverse was plain save for the date 1813 on the lower arm. The core was normally of solid iron, either painted or chemically treated to give a matt or semi-matt black finish. Some crosses were produced with blackened brass or copper cores and these were popular with naval personnel whose iron-cored crosses tended to rust after weeks at sea. The rim of the EK2 was polished and lacquered 'German silver' (an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel) with a frosted beading. A few late-war issues had unplated zinc frames, with a greyish finish, but their quality of manufacture and crispness of detail remained consistently high. Most EK2 suspension rings were stamped with a manufacturer's code number. Like all Nazi awards, the EK2 was issued unnamed.

When presented, the EK2 was hung from the second buttonhole of the tunic in the traditional German fashion. Thereafter, the recipient usually wore the ribbon alone, either from the buttonhole or on a ribbon bar above the left breast pocket. The cross itself was worn only during parades or at other ceremonial occasions. An estimated 2,300,000 awards of the EK2 were made during World War 2. The youngest recipient was 12-year-old Hitler Youth Alfred Zeck of Goldenau who rendered first aid to 12 wounded German soldiers pinned down by enemy fire in his home town in March, 1945. A total of 27 females, mainly front-line nurses, received the cross.

The Iron Cross First Class, or EKI was the next higher grade. It had the same dimensions and obverse design as the EK2 but had a plain reverse as it was worn on the left breast pocket at all times. The EKI was normally attached to the pocket by means of a wide, tapering bar on the reverse but the recipient could, if he desired, purchase an official copy with a screw-back device. This latter type had a retaining head protruding from the rear of the cross which was pushed through a hole in the tunic pocket and was then fixed in place by a round plate and threaded pin screwed on from behind the pocket. Screw-back crosses were less likely to become detached in action and were frequently bent to a slightly convex shape to improve fit. A small hook on the reverse upper arm prevented the screw-back cross from swivelling around on the tunic pocket. A few recipients had cloth versions of the EKI made for combat wear, but these were strictly unofficial and usually very crude. Most holders preferred to buy official copies for everyday use, enabling them to keep their presentation crosses safe at home or in their barracks. Such copies were always of excellent quality and indeed some had a better finish than the issued pieces.

Construction of the EKI was much the same as that of the EK2, except that some EKls featured hollow alloy cores making them lighter to wear and easier to bend into a convex shape if desired. Again, the manufacturerer's 'L' number often appeared on the EKl, either stamped on the securing bar or on the lower reverse arm. Reproductions of the EKI tend to be made from a soft lead-based alloy which can readily be twisted out of shape by mere finger pressure. They are normally of one-piece construction (ie without a separate core) are roughly painted and feature a thinner pin bar on the reverse.

About 300,000 awards of the EKI were made between 1939 and 1945 and a few examples follow to give an idea of the wide criteria for award. U-boat commanders were usually nominated for the EKI on sinking 50,000 tons of enemy shipping, while Luftwaffe pilots might expect to receive it on downing four or five aircraft. The army or Waffen-SS soldier could be recommended for the EKI on performing three or four brave acts over and above that which gained him the EK2, or for one act of exceptional courage or daring. Indeed, on a very few rare occasions, the EKI and EK2 were conferred simultaneously, as in the case of SS-Oberfuhrer Eduard Diesenhofer who received both classes on 26 June 1940 for actions on the western front with the SS Totenkopf Division. Kapitan Reinen of the German merchant navy won the EKI for defusing bombs in the hold of a ship in Tripoli harbour and SS-Brigadefiihrer Jurgen Stroop received it for supervising the quelling of the 1943 Warsaw ghetto uprising, when 57,000 rebels were captured at a cost of only 16 German dead and 85 wounded. A mere two females were awarded the EKI - test pilot Hanna Reitsch and Red Cross Sister Else Grossmann - both for personal bravery.

Immediately above the EKI was the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - 'das Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes' usually known as the RK. It was instituted on 1 September 1939 as an entirely new grade of the Iron Cross and was intended to fill the gap which had been left by the abolition after 1918 of the old military Order 'Pour le Merite', the famous 'Blue Max'. The Knight's Cross was therefore the highest gallantry award which Germany could bestow at the outbreak of World War 2 and as such it is always much sought after by collectors.

The RK retained the same basic design as the EK2 but was larger, measuring 48mm across. It was worn around the neck on all occasions. The frame was made of real silver, which could vary in purity from 80% to 93.5% and it was stamped accordingly on the reverse upper rim with the continental silver hallmark, ranging from 800 to 935. The suspension loop was similarly hallmarked. Makers' code numbers, if any, were normally featured on the reverse upper rim alongside the frame hallmark.

In construction, the RK followed the same general process as the EK2. The presentation piece was always of superb quality, with a high swastika and dates having sharp, well-defined edges. The obverse and reverse rims were finely soldered together so as to leave only a hairline trace of the join, with no spaces, and the core fitted perfectly between them.

Robin Limsden: :A Collector's Guide to Third Reich Militaria, 1987, Hippocrene Inc.