Editing Iron Cross (section)

==World War II==
[[File:Iron_Cross_(1939).svg|thumb|1939 Iron Cross]]
[[File:EK I mit Verleihungsurkunde.JPG|thumb|World War II Iron Cross, 1st class, with certificate]]
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. Legally, it is based on the "Enactment for the re-introduction of the Iron Cross" (''{{lang|de|Verordnung über die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes}}'') of 1 September 1939.<ref name="RGBl. I S. 1573">[http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1939&size=45&page=1804 Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I] Nr. 159, 1 September 1939, p. 1573.</ref> The Iron Cross of World War II was divided into three main series of decorations: the Iron Cross (the lowest), the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross|Knight's Cross]] (intermediate), and the Grand Cross (the highest). The Knight's Cross replaced the Prussian ''{{lang|fr|[[Pour le Mérite]]}}'' or "Blue Max". Hitler did not care for the ''{{lang|fr|Pour le Mérite}}'', as it was a Prussian order that could be awarded only to officers. 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). Hitler also created the [[War Merit Cross]] as a replacement for the non-combatant version of the Iron Cross. It also appeared on certain Nazi flags in the upper left corner. The sides of the cross were curved, like most original iron crosses.

===Iron Cross (1939)===

The standard 1939 Iron Cross was issued in the following two grades:
* Iron Cross, 2nd class, (''{{lang|de|Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse}}'' – abbreviated as EK II or E.K.II.)
* Iron Cross, 1st class, (''{{lang|de|Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse}}'' – abbreviated as EK I or E.K.I.)

The Iron Cross was awarded for bravery in battle as well as other military contributions in a battlefield environment.

The Iron Cross, 2nd class, came with a ribbon and the cross itself was worn in one of two different ways:

* From the second button in the tunic from the first day after award.
* When in formal dress, the entire cross was worn mounted alone or as part of a medal bar.

Note that for everyday wear, only the ribbon was worn from the second buttonhole in the tunic.

The Iron Cross, 1st class, was a pin-on medal with no ribbon and was worn centered on a uniform breast pocket, either on dress uniforms or everyday outfit. It was a progressive award, with the second class having to be earned before the first class and so on for the higher degrees.

It is estimated that some four and a half million 2nd Class Iron Crosses were awarded during World War II, and 300,000 of the 1st Class.<ref>Stephen Previtera, ''The Iron Time'', p. 322</ref>

Thirty-nine women, chiefly female nurses from the [[German Red Cross]], were granted the Iron Cross 2nd Class. Examples of such women are: Elfriede Wnuk, wounded in 1942 on the Eastern Front, Magda Darchniger, decorated in 1942, Marga Droste, who remained at her post in the Wilhelmshaven hospital despite her own wounds during a bombing in 1942, Ilse Schulz and Grete Fock, who served in the African campaign, Liselotte Hensel and Miss Holzmann, who were both decorated in 1943 for bravery during a bombing of Hamburg, and the countess [[Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg]], acting as a qualified test pilot and development engineer and decorated in August 1943. Other DRK female auxiliaries who received the Iron Cross for acts of bravery are Hanny Weber, Geolinde Münchge, Elfriede Gunia, Ruth Raabe, Ilse Daub, Greta Graffenkamp, Elfriede Muth, Ursula Kogel, Liselotte Schlotterbeck, Rohna von Ceuern, Anna Wohlschütz, and Dr. Elizabeth Potuz. Two non-German female auxiliaries of the German Red Cross were awarded the Iron Cross: Norwegian nurse Anne Gunhild Moxnes in April 1944, and an unknown Belgian nurse in 1942. A young member of the female youth organisation of the Third Reich, Ottilie Stephan, was also awarded the Iron Cross in February 1945 under unknown circumstances. At least two Iron Cross, 1st class, recipients were women, test pilot (''Flugkapitän'') [[Hanna Reitsch]] and in January 1945 German Red Cross sister Else Grossmann.<ref>{{cite book |last=Williamson |first=Gordon |title=World War II German Women's Auxiliary Services |year=2003 |publisher=Osprey |location=Florida |isbn=978-1-84176-407-8 |pages=37–38 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

One of the [[Muslim]] [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] members to receive the award, SS ''{{lang|de|[[Obersturmführer]]}}'' Imam [[Halim Malkoč]] was granted the Iron Cross (2nd Class) in October 1943 for his role in suppressing the [[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)#Villefranche-de-Rouergue Mutiny (September 1943)|Villefranche-de-Rouergue mutiny]]. He, together with several other Bosnian Muslims, was decorated with the EK II personally by Himmler in the days after the mutiny. Because of his Muslim faith, he wore only the ribbon, and not the cross. Three Finnish Jews were awarded the Iron Cross: Major [[Leo Skurnik]] and Captain [[Salomon Klass]] of the [[Finnish Army]] and nurse [[Dina Poljakoff]] from the [[Lotta Svärd]] organization. All three refused the award.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishquarterly.org/issuearchive/article8d14.html?articleid=194 |access-date=2011-12-24 |author=Rachel Bayvel |work=Jewish Quarterly |title=While Jews serve in my army I will not allow their deportation |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311020925/http://www.jewishquarterly.org/issuearchive/article8d14.html?articleid=194 |archive-date=11 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Spanish double-agent [[Juan Pujol García]], known to the Germans as {{smallcaps|Arabel}} and the British as {{smallcaps|Garbo}} received the 2nd Class Iron Cross,<ref>{{cite book |last=West |first=Juan Pujol with Nigel |title=Operation GARBO: the personal story of the most successful double agent of World War II |year=1985 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=978-0-394-54777-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/operationgarbope00pujo/page/159 159] |edition=1st American |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/operationgarbope00pujo/page/159 }}</ref> and an [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] from King [[George VI]] four months later.<ref name=NatArchives_MBE>{{cite web|title=Security Service Records Release 25–26 November 2002|url= http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/nov2002.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060116162605/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/nov2002.pdf |archive-date=2006-01-16 |url-status=live|publisher=The National Archives (UK)| access-date=10 January 2012|author=The National Archives|quote=25 November Garbo received MBE from King}}</ref>

===Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross===
{{main|Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross}}
[[File:DE Band mit RK (1).jpg|thumb|right|Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (''{{lang|de|Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes}}'', often simply ''{{lang|de|Ritterkreuz}}'') recognized military valour or successful leadership. The Knight's Cross was divided into five degrees:
*Knight's Cross (''{{lang|de|Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes}}'')
*Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (''{{lang|de|mit Eichenlaub}}'')
*Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (''{{lang|de|mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern}}'')
*Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (''{{lang|de|mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten}}'')
*Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (''{{lang|de|mit Goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten}}'')

In total, 7,313 awards of the Knight's Cross were made. Only 883 received the Oak Leaves; 160 both the Oak Leaves and Swords (including [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese]] Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] (posthumously)); 27 with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds; and one with the Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (''{{lang|de|[[Oberst]]}}'' [[Hans-Ulrich Rudel]]).

===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}}