Iron Cross (1939)

Iron Cross (1939) was the principal German military decoration re-instituted at the outbreak of World War II by Adolf Hitler. It served as an evolution of the 1813 Iron Cross tradition associated with Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, and Weimar Republic, marking awards across campaigns including the Invasion of Poland, Battle of France, and Operation Barbarossa. The decoration existed in multiple classes for bravery and leadership and became one of the most widely recognized symbols associated with Wehrmacht, Schutzstaffel, and various branches of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe.

Background and Origins

The 1939 re-creation of the award was proclaimed by Adolf Hitler on 1 September 1939 to coincide with the invasion of Poland, echoing the legacy of the 1813 establishment under King Frederick William III of Prussia and later uses in the Austro-Prussian War and Franco-Prussian War. Its revival referenced precedent decorations such as the Pour le Mérite and the 1914 Iron Cross used during World War I, connecting recipients to figures like Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. The decoration’s issuance was regulated alongside other Third Reich honors including the Knight's Cross, the German Cross, and the War Merit Cross, and intersected with organization-level awards from Heer, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe. Its symbolism and manufacture involved firms with historical ties to Prussian awards, and the policy for re-institution drew on precedent from the Reichsgesetzblatt and administrative practice under officials such as Wilhelm Frick and Hermann Göring.

Design and Classes

The 1939 design retained the Maltese cross silhouette of the 1813 and 1914 iterations with additions specific to the Third Reich, including the year "1939" and the national emblem, referencing earlier motifs used by Kingdom of Prussia medalists and manufacturers. The award system comprised several classes: the basic Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class, and higher grades like the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with successive augmentations (Oak Leaves, Swords, Diamonds, Golden Oak Leaves), paralleling distinctions similar to the Pour le Mérite hierarchy. Parallel to these were related badges and devices issued by service branches, including the U-boat War Badge awarded by Kriegsmarine commands and pilot-related badges connected to Luftwaffe leadership such as Hermann Göring. Decorations featured makers’ marks and were produced by companies with histories linked to Berlin and Essen metallurgy.

Award Criteria and Regulations

Criteria for each class drew on combat performance, command achievement, and repeated acts of bravery, administered under regulations from the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and influenced by senior commanders across theaters such as Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, and Fedor von Bock. The Iron Cross 2nd Class typically required a single act meriting recognition, while progression to the 1st Class or the Knight's Cross necessitated further distinguished service, often documented in reports by unit commanders or corps staff under the protocols of the Heerespersonalamt. Awards could be revoked under disciplinary statutes enforced by courts-martial and political offices including the Reichskriegsgericht. Presentation ceremonies were conducted by figures like divisional commanders, theater commanders, or by the head of state, following procedures akin to those used for the German Cross and other contemporaneous honors.

Notable Recipients and Statistics

The Iron Cross (1939) and its higher grades were conferred on a wide range of personnel from frontline soldiers to high-ranking officers. Prominent Knight’s Cross recipients included field commanders such as Erwin Rommel, Günther von Kluge, Heinz Guderian, and aviators like Erich Hartmann and Hermann Graf. Submariner recipients included U-boat aces such as Otto Kretschmer and Erich Topp. Waffen-SS figures who received grades included leaders like Sepp Dietrich and armored division commanders such as Michael Wittmann. Statistically, hundreds of thousands received the Iron Cross 2nd Class, tens of thousands the 1st Class, and several thousand were awarded the Knight’s Cross and its higher augmentations, numbers tracked in postwar compilations and wartime award rolls maintained by agencies including the Bundesarchiv and private researchers in Munich and Berlin.

Post-1945 Legacy and Controversy

Following Nazi Germany’s defeat, the Iron Cross’s association with the Third Reich led to complex legal and cultural outcomes. The Federal Republic of Germany eventually authorized denazified versions for wear by veterans in the 1957 reauthorization law allowing replacements with removed swastikas, affecting veterans from organizations such as the Bundeswehr and veteran associations in West Germany and later Germany (reunified). The decoration’s imagery remains controversial in public history, museum contexts like the Deutsches Historisches Museum, and media depictions involving World War II-era units including Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. Debates persist over commemoration versus condemnation, intersecting with laws such as postwar bans on Nazi symbols and policies by cultural institutions in Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, and elsewhere. The Iron Cross continues to appear in historical studies, collector circles, and popular culture, referenced in scholarship on figures like Ian Kershaw and in exhibition catalogs curated by national and regional archives.

Category:Orders, decorations, and medals of Germany Category:World War II military awards and decorations