Editing Iron Cross (section)

===Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (1939)===
Like the Knight's Cross, the Grand Cross (''{{lang|de|Großkreuz}}'') was worn suspended from the collar. It was reserved for general officers for "the most outstanding strategic decisions affecting the course of the war". The only recipient during the Second World War was ''{{lang|de|[[Reichsmarschall]]}}'' [[Hermann Göring]], who was awarded the decoration on 19 July 1940 for his command of the ''{{lang|de|[[Luftwaffe]]}}'', after the [[Battle of France]] in 1940.{{sfn|Littlejohn|Dodkins|1968|p=117}}

The medal is a larger version of the Knight's Cross,{{sfn|Dorling|1956|pp=210–211}} measuring {{convert|63|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wide as opposed to about {{convert|44|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} for the Iron Cross and {{convert|48.5|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} It was worn with a {{convert|57|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wide ribbon bearing the same colors as the Knight's Cross and 2nd Class ribbons.{{sfn|Littlejohn|Dodkins|1968|p=117}} The award case was in red leather with the [[eagle]] and the swastika outlined in gold.

The original Grand Cross presented to Göring (personally by Hitler) was destroyed during an air raid on his Berlin home. Göring had extra copies made, one of them with a [[platinum]] frame that he was wearing at the time of his surrender to the allies in 1945.{{sfn|Littlejohn|Dodkins|1968|p=117}}