Like the Knight's Cross, the Grand Cross (GroÃkreuz) was worn suspended from the collar. Since the Iron Cross was issued over several different periods of German history, it was annotated with the year indicating the era in which it was issued. The Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic (1921â35), the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany (1935â46), and the Bundeswehr (1 October 1956 to present) also inherited the use of the emblem in various forms. The egalitarian nature of this award contrasted with those of most other German states (and indeed of many other European monarchies), where military decorations were awarded based on the rank of the recipient. One of the Muslim SS members to receive the award, SS Obersturmführer Imam Halim MalkoÄ, was granted the Iron Cross (2nd Class) in October 1943 for his role in suppressing the Villefranche-de-Rouergue mutiny. Also, during the Nazi period, those attaining more than one award, for example, an officer who had attained an Iron Cross 1st Class, an Iron Cross 2nd Class and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with the Oak Leaves, were entitled to wear a pin which exhibited three Iron Crosses with an exaggerated swastika, thereby consolidating the awards. The multitude of awards reduced the status and reputation of the decoration. It was originally intended to have outer edges lined in gold, but this was changed to silver before the award was presented. There was also the "1957" issue, a replacement medal for holders of the 1939 series which substituted an oak-leaf cluster for the banned swastika. The Prussian Army black crosses pattée was also used as the symbol of the succeeding German Army from 1871 to MarchâApril 1918, when the Balkenkreuz replaced it. In 1821 Schinkel crowned the top of his design of the National Monument for the Liberation Wars with an Iron Cross, becoming name-giving as Kreuzberg (cross mountain) for the hill it stands on and â 100 years later â for the homonymous quarter adjacent to it.[1]. The iron cross, although a controversial tattoo design, does not stand for racism, and hence, can be sported by people all over the world. One had to possess the 2nd Class already in order to receive the 1st Class (though in some cases both could be awarded simultaneously). The medal is a larger version of the Knight's Cross,[16] measuring 63 mm (2.5 in) wide as opposed to about 44 mm (1.7 in) for the Iron Cross and 48.5 mm (1.9 in) for the Knight's Cross. The eight points on the cross have layers of meaning. In some cases, Minox miniature cameras were given to people together with an Iron Cross.[19]. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) recognized military valour or successful leadership. Louise was the first person to receive this decoration (posthumously). Iron Cross,, German Eiserne Kreuz, Prussian military decoration instituted in 1813 by Frederick William III for distinguished service in the Prussian War of Liberation. He, together with several other Bosnian Muslims, was decorated with the EK. A cross has been the symbol of Germany's armed forces (now the Bundeswehr) since 1871. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed from earlier forms of eight-pointed crosses in the 16th century. The 1957 law also authorized de-Nazified versions of most other World War IIâera decorations (except those specifically associated with Nazi Party organizations, such as SS Long Service medals, or with the expansion of the German Reich, such as the medals for the annexation of Austria, the Sudetenland, and the Memel region). After World War II, the medal was discontinued but neo-Nazis and other white supremacists subsequently adopted it as a hate symbol and it has been a commonly-used hate symbol ever since. De Bouillon believed that the cross symbolized Jesus Christ and the city of Jerusalem which is the root of Christianity. In 1956, it was re-introduced as the symbol of the Bundeswehr, the modern German armed forces (with the "ends" of the white border removed, as in the Balkenkreuz of 1918). Both were civilian test pilots during World War II. The non-combatant version of this award had the same medal, but the black and white colors on the ribbon were reversed. On 17 March 1813 King Frederick William III of Prussia â who had fled to non-occupied Breslau (today WrocÅaw) â established the military decoration of the Iron Cross, backdated to 10 March (the late Queen Louise's birthday). Among the holders of the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class was Adolf Hitler, who served as an Austrian citizen in the Bavarian Army with the rank of Gefreiter (lance-corporal), he received these medals for showing bravery on the field of battle. Iron Cross in AZ Dictionary (n) a posture on the bands where the gymnast keeps the rings straight-out on either side of the body. The Maltese Cross formally adopted by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John in 1126, stylistically owes its origins to the crosses used in the crusades, when it was identified as the symbol of the âChristian warriorâ: Its eight points denote the eight obligations or aspirations of the knights, namely âto ⦠The Swastika is a sign of the sun as well as Jesus is. Iron Cross definition: the highest decoration for bravery awarded to the German armed forces in wartime :... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples II personally by Himmler in the days after the mutiny. [6], King Wilhelm I of Prussia authorized further awards on 19 July 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. Iron Cross Symbolic Meanings While the iron cross is no longer used for war, it is used for one thing in particular, bikers. It was reserved for general officers for "the most outstanding strategic decisions affecting the course of the war". All rights reserved. However, it does not have the traditional form of the Iron Cross (instead more closely resembling the Prussian Military Merit Cross), but is seen as a supplement of existing awards of the Bundeswehr. Germany reintroduces Iron Cross Since the end of World War II, Germany has been reluctant to focus much attention on its fighting forces. 0 0. [7] Exact numbers of awards are not known, since the Prussian military archives were destroyed during World War II. info), abbreviated EK) is a former military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871â1918) and Nazi Germany (1933â1945). Manley, V.C.". [21], In the United States, the Iron Cross also became adopted by outlaw bikers, more to signify rebellion or to shock than for any white nationalist ideology. Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration (rather than Prussian), and continued the tradition of issuing it in various classes. Fire and Police organizations often utilize this cross to show commendable service and incredible bravery on the job. iron cross synonyms, iron cross pronunciation, iron cross translation, English dictionary definition of iron cross. Yet another showed the names of French and Belgian towns attacked or destroyed during the retreat from Mons on the ends of the upper arms of the cross; these included Rheims, Louvain and Amiens on one side, and Antwerp, Dinant and Ghent on the other, with the date 1914 on the lower arm, and a central W for Kaiser Wilhelm as on the original. Even in 1813, there were second and first-class Iron Crosses. [3] The Iron Cross was awarded to soldiers during the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon. It also appeared on certain Nazi flags in the upper left corner. The Iron Cross awarded during World War II has a swastika in the center. The sides of the cross were curved, like most original iron crosses. Hitler did not care for the Pour le Mérite, as it was a Prussian order that could be awarded only to officers. [11] The Spanish double-agent Juan Pujol GarcÃa, known to the Germans as .mw-parser-output span.smallcaps{font-variant:small-caps}.mw-parser-output span.smallcaps-smaller{font-size:85%}Arabel and the British as Garbo received the 2nd Class Iron Cross,[12] and an MBE from King George VI four months later. Recipients of the 1870 Iron Cross who were still in service in 1895 were authorized to purchase and wear above the cross a Jubiläumsspange ("Jubilee clip"), a 25-year clasp consisting of the numerals "25" on three oak leaves.[2]. The traditional design in black is used on armored vehicles and aircraft, while after German reunification, a new creation in blue and silver was introduced for use in other contexts. In these instances, the iron cross is ⦠567 talking about this. Maerz, Dietrich/Stimson, George "The Iron Cross 1. The Iron Cross 2nd Class, and the larger Grand Cross, were suspended from different ribbons: the Grand Cross from a neck ribbon, the 2nd Class from a ribbon on the chest. The 195⦠[18] It is likely that Reichsmarschall Göring was the intended eventual recipient. In 1914, a variety of very crude anti-German propaganda versions of the Iron Cross were created by the Allies, and sold to raise money for the War effort and the relief of Belgian refugees. [9] The Iron Cross of World War II was divided into three main series of decorations with an intermediate category, the Knight's Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the highest, the Grand Cross. Like the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, it was for bestowal upon successful general officers. In 1817 a total of 670 chevaliers had received the Iron Cross 1st Class. When the Iron Cross was brought back in 1914, other variants appeared. Prussia did have other orders and medals which it awarded on the basis of rank, and even though the Iron Cross was intended to be awarded without regard to rank, officers and NCOs were more likely to receive it than junior enlisted soldiers. The ribbon of the medal (2nd class and Knight's Cross) was different from the earlier Iron Crosses as 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 Nazi Germany). It was designed by neoclassical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, based on Friedrich Wilhelm III. The Black Cross (Schwarzes Kreuz) is the emblem used by the Prussian Army and Germany's army from 1871 to the present. During the 1930s, the Nazi regime in Germany superimposed a swastika on the traditional medal, turning it ⦠[13] William Manley is possibly the only recipient of both the Iron Cross and the Victoria Cross. When the Quadriga of the Goddess of Peace was retrieved from Paris at Napoleon's fall, it was re-established atop Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. It is unfortunate that the Iron Cross is not held in such high esteem as these other medals. The Ehrenzeichen der Bundeswehr (Badge of Honor of the German Armed Forces) series was instituted on 10 October 2008. Because of his Muslim faith, he only wore the ribbon, and not the cross. The only recipient during the Second World War was Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, who was awarded the decoration on 19 July 1940 for his command of the Luftwaffe, after the Battle of France in 1940.[15]. [10] 39 women, chiefly female nurses from the german Red cross were granted the Iron Cross 2nd Class, such as for example Elfriede Wnuk, wounded in 1942 on the Eastern Front, Ilse Schulz, or Grete Fock who served in the African campaign. Sometimes mistaken for the Maltese Cross , the Iron Cross is one of the most visually powerful and recognizable military awards of all time. Two such examples were Hanna Reitsch, who received the Iron Cross 2nd Class and Iron Cross 1st Class, and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who received the Iron Cross, 2nd Class. Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (, Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (. One was inscribed "FOR KULTUR" in raised letters, another "FOR BRUTALITY" . This was pinned to the uniform above the original medal. The Iron Cross awarded during the second world war was imprinted with 1939 in the center, indicating the year of its reintroduction. Bikers, or people who take great pride in riding motorcycles, still use this symbol. These recipients were recognized with the award of a clasp featuring a miniaturized 1914 Iron Cross on a metal bar. During these three periods, the Iron Cross was an award of the Kingdom of Prussia, althoughâgiven Prussia's pre-eminent place in the German Empire formed in 1871âit tended to be treated as a generic German decoration. The Iron Cross 1st Class and the Iron Cross 2nd Class were awarded without regard to rank. By the early 2000s, this other use of the Iron Cross had spread from bikers to skateboarders and many extreme sports enthusiasts and became part of the logo of several different companies producing equipment and clothing for this audience. The Black Cross was used as the German Army symbol until 1915 when a simpler Balkenkreuz replaced it. The iron cross meaning is also associated with the Knights Templar. [20] On 6 March 2008, President Horst Köhler approved a proposal by Minister of Defense Franz Josef Jung to institute a new award for bravery. The ribbon color for the 1939 EKII was black/white/red/white/black. [16] It is often called the Blücher Star (Blücherstern), after its first recipient.[17]. The ribbon for the 1813, 1870 and 1914 Iron Cross (2nd Class) was black with two thin white bands, the colors of Prussia. The design is ultimately derivative of the black cross used by the Teutonic Order. When in formal dress, the entire cross was worn mounted alone or as part of a medal bar. The Iron Cross is a famous German military medal dating back to the 19th century. The Iron Cross was usually a military decoration only, though there were instances awarded to civilians for performing military functions. The 1813, 1870, and 1914 Iron Crosses had three grades: Although the obverse of the medals of each class was identical, the manner in which each was worn differed. The Iron Cross being used 'by Nazis is only recent. Legally, it is based on the "Enactment for the re-introduction of the Iron Cross" (Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes) of 1 September 1939. [15] The award case was in red leather with the eagle and the swastika outlined in gold. An even higher decoration, the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (also called the Blücher Star), was awarded only twice, to Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher in 1813 and to Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg in 1918. The Iron Cross is probably the most famous German award. The original Grand Cross presented to Göring (personally by Hitler) was destroyed during an air raid on his Berlin home. For example, Bavarian officers received various grades of that Kingdom's Military Merit Order (Militär-Verdienstorden), while enlisted men received various grades of the Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz). The reverse of the 1870, 1914 and 1939 series of Iron Crosses have the year "1813" appearing on the lower arm, symbolizing the year the award was created. For the 1st Class award, the Spange appears as an eagle with the date "1939". Antisemitism Uncovered: A Guide to Old Myths in a New Era, Support ADL through a wire transfer donation, Support ADL through your Donor-advised Fund. However, they do not relate it to Hitler, or any other war leader. King Frederick William III of Prussia established it on 17 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awâ¦
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