German Awards - World War II "Iron Cross 1939 of the Year

The Iron Cross was originally a Prussian military decoration. The Iron Cross was first awarded on 10 March 1813 by King Frederick William III. It was created by Prussia for the wars of liberation. The first renewal took place on July 19, 1870 by King William I in the Franco-Prussian war. The last renewal by the Prussian king took place in the 1st World War on August 8, 1914 by William II. instead. Prior to this, the Iron Cross consisted of 3 classes: Grand Cross, 1st Class and 2nd Class. Awarding was carried out to fighters on a black and white ribbon and non-combatant on a white and black ribbon.
The prerequisite for the next upper class was always the former possession of the lower class. Whether the Iron Cross is an order or a badge of honor is still debated. Some writings refer to the Knights of the Iron Cross, which is suggestive of an order. On the other hand, certain signs are absent for this, such as, for example, the council of the order, the grand master of the order and , and.
The award of the Iron Cross without rank and rank earned him a high reputation, especially among the population. This was facilitated by simple and not particularly valuable production, iron cores and silver kings. The Iron Cross during 3 wars became synonymous with valor, patriotism and solidarity of the people. In other German states, the possession of the Iron Cross was also often considered a prerequisite for receiving the highest military awards. During World War I, the Iron Cross became an all-German badge of courage.
After the National Socialists came to power, many symbolic signs known and loved by the German people were included and used. Thus, the old imperial black-white-red colors were deliberately adopted into the National Socialist flag to give only one example.
It is not surprising that on September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler re-established the Iron Cross as a reward for the war. The iron cross was given the 1939 number with a swastika on the front. The Prussian royal crown disappeared. On the reverse, the year 1813 was preserved on the lower cross sleeve as the original year of foundation. The FW cipher and the royal crown were also removed here. This emphasizes the desire to see oneself in the tradition of the Iron Cross myth as a reward for bravery, but at the same time not to identify with the Prussian tradition and originally the Prussian foundation.
Unlike the Prussian award, the Iron Cross during World War II was awarded only to fighters. Rewarding non-combatants was excluded. The Military Merit Cross was established on October 18, 1939. The ribbon of the order was now black-white-red. In addition to pre-existing classes, it was considered 4th. Knight's Cross, which ranks between 1st Class and Grand Cross. For the owners of the Iron Cross of 1914, repeated swords were issued upon re-award. During the awarding period, there was some expansion of the Knight's Cross. On June 3, 1940, Oak Leaves were presented to the Knight's Cross. On September 28, 1941, the Knight's Cross was expanded with Oak foliage with swords and Oak foliage with swords and diamonds. The last expansion took place on December 29, 1944. The knight's cross could now be awarded with gold oak leaves with swords and diamonds.
In this category you will find several variants of each class from different manufacturers. They are gradually being supplemented. With a large number of different manufacturers and variants, only a small part with noticeable differences can be shown here. Collectors can participate.