GERMAN MEDALS AND DECORATIONS

1.
Bart 1.
A. GiMRAL OOLiBAT DECORATIONS
I. IROK CBOSS (iiiiserneBKreuz)
1. Iron Cross of lulp (plate 1-1)
The Iron Cross, the oldest and best-known of all German decorations,
•was originally rounded on 10 Lj&rch 1513 by King Friedrich wilhelm III as a
Prussian state medal. This original Iron Cross of 1813 is identical in
shape with the Iron Cross of today. It bears in the center three oak leaves;
the crown of Prussia with the letters "FT/" (Friedrich WilheOjn) belov/ it, is
portrayed at the top while the year M l813 ir is inscribed at the bottom. In
the war years 1813-15, a total of 8542 Iron Crosses were distributed among
soldiers of the. Prussian
Besides the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, King Friedrich 'tVilhelm also
founded the Great Cross of the Iron Cross (Grosskreuz des Sisernen Kreu25es).
This decoration -was awarded only five times during the war of liberation
1813-15* Its recipients were: Blucher for the battle of Katzbach; Bttlow
for the battle of Dennewitz; Tauenzien for the capture of V/itteribcrg; and
Tork for the battles of Laon- Paris. For political reasons, the fifth Great
Cross went to the then Crown Prince of Sweden, the former French General
Berxitidotte.
2 * Iron Cross of 1870 (Plate 1-2)
u?h«s Iron Cross was reintroduced oy King Wilhelra I of Prussia on
19 July 1870, the day France declared war on Prussia. Unlike the Iron Cross
oi' 1313, that of the Franco-Prussian ,.ar was not embellished with the center
oak-leaves. These were replaced by the letter "ft 11 (Viilhelm), while the
Prussian crown appeared at the top, and the year "1070" at the bottom. As
the earlier Iron Cross, this also has three classes: 1st class, 2nd class, and
the Great -Jross. The first recipient of the Iron Gross 1st class of this war
was Lt. Col. von Hellwig, CO. of the 9th Hussars, "Regijnont Bheiji 11 . The
following number of awards were made during the war years of 1870-71: 9 Great
Crosses, 130^ Iron Crosses 1st class, and 43,005 Iron Crosses 2nd class. The
ratio of award was approximately one to every twenty soldiers.
The following were recipients of the Great Cross: Crown Prince Friedrich
Tfilhelm; King ^Libert of Sascony; Grand Duke Friedrich Franz of iuecklenburg-
Schwerin; Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, and the Generals von Moltke, von
Ifitnteuffel, von Goeben, and von Warder• At the conclusion of the war, King
V/ilheLu I, at the entreaty of his General Staff conferred the Groat Cross
upon himself. Crown Prince Friodrich Wilholm was the first recipient of the
Great Cross for his victories at Weisseriburg and Yforth.
RESTRICTED