Iron Cross 1930s
Iron Cross
Zoom This! The Iron Cross was a military decoration established by King Frederick William III of Prussia. It was first awarded on March 10, 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars, and later awarded during the Franco-German War, World War I, and World War II. Although it was primarily used as a military decoration for the Kingdom of Prussia, as well as Germany, it was occasionally awarded to civilians for performing extraordinary military functions.
Adolf Hitler reinstituted the EK (Eisernes Kreuz), a more common term for the Iron Cross, on September 1, 1939. For this reason, the date 1939 is molded into the bottom of the cross. This award was issued in two different grades; Iron Cross Second Class and Iron Cross First Class, both awarded for bravery in battle along with other military contributions in a battlefield environment. The only difference in appearance of the two medals is the way each is worn. The Iron Cross First Class (EKI) was pinned onto a uniform breast pocket. It was a pin-on medal with no ribbon. The Iron Cross Second Class (EK2) came with a ribbon attached to the top and could be worn several different ways. The ribbon was black, white, and red, which were the colors of the Third Reich. The different methods of wear were to attach it to the second button of the tunic, for formal wears, the entire cross was worn mounted alone or as part of a medal bar, and lastly, in everyday wear, only the ribbon was worn from the second hole in the tunic button. This was a progressive award, meaning in order to have earned the Iron Cross First Class, you would have had to have previously earned the second class award.
During the Second World War, it is estimated that some four and a half million Second Class Iron Crosses were awarded, and only 300,000 of the First Class. Out of all the EKI recipients, only two were woman. The youngest recipient of either of the awards was Alfred Zeck of Goldenau. He was twelve years old and had given first aid to twelve wounded German soldiers and was awarded the EK2. It was a quite prestigious award and a great honor to even receive the EK; an even greater honor to receive the EK2.
Tags: 1930s, Artifacts, Medals, War