The first German orders of the new era began to be developed in the 20s of the twentieth century before the Nazis came to national power in Germany, with political awards on an early party form. Most early Nazis also showed rewards that they could receive as soldiers and sailors during WWI or earlier.
History
After 1933, the state began to issue various civilian awards that could be awarded to any German citizen. Thus, some of them (for example, “Sports Badges”) were handed to members of the Nazi party, German military and ordinary civilians. Many standard German orders, such as awards for military and public service, medals for saving lives were redesigned taking into account the Nazi swastika symbol.
Nazi military promotions are by far the most widely known. Military awards for long service, awards for participating in the Spanish Civil War and medals for the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland were among the first, but the largest number were awarded in 1939 after the outbreak of World War II in Europe. The rules for issuing prizes also allowed the simultaneous wearing of military, civilian and political outfits on any military or paramilitary form of Nazi Germany, which allowed the use of a wide variety of combinations of clothes and awards.
Nazi awards were discontinued after the defeat of Germany in 1945. After the end of World War II, new German military awards were created under the leadership of the West German military and the East German communist regime.
Star of the Iron Cross
This majestic medal was the highest military adornment of the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire.
This star was awarded to the most prominent of the generals who performed the feats at the highest level in favor of the Prussian, and then the German state. It was awarded only twice, with an interval of a century, to Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher in 1815 for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg in 1918 for winning the Battle of Tannenberg. This German order is widely known as the “Blücher Star” (Blücherstern) in honor of its first bearer, von Blucher.
Grand Cross
Paul von Hindenburg received this award on December 9, 1916, to which the Golden Star was added on March 25, 1918.
During the reign of Nazi Germany, Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering ordered a new version of the medal, intending to hand it to Adolf Hitler after Germany won the Second World War. Since Germany was defeated in 1945, the award was never presented to the intended recipient. After the Allied victory in May 1945, the U.S. Army captured the only known prototype, which was stored in a bunker. He is currently part of the collection of the Museum of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
Origin
Like many other German orders, this cross has its own history. It was a decoration intended for the victorious generals of the Prussian army and its allies. It was the highest (usually awarded) class of the Iron Cross. Along with the Iron Cross of the 1st and 2nd classes, the Great Cross was introduced during the Napoleonic Wars. It was renewed in 1870 for the Franco-Prussian war and again in 1914 for the WWII. When Hitler again introduced and updated the Iron Cross as a German (and not strictly Prussian) decoration, he also updated the Grand Cross.
German cross
The German Cross (Deutsches Kreuz) was established by Adolf Hitler on September 28, 1941. He was awarded two divisions: gold for repeated acts of courage or achievement in battle, and silver for outstanding military service. The German cross in gold was higher than the Iron Cross of the first class, but lower than the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and the German cross in silver was higher than the military for the merits of the first class with swords, but lower than the Knight's Military for merits with swords.
The German Cross was issued in two versions: gold and silver (the color of the laurel wreath around the swastika), the first of which was awarded for repeated acts of courage or repeated outstanding achievements in battle, and the last for numerous outstanding services in the war. Very appreciated by lovers of military antiques.
The third article of the law governing the German cross states that the prerequisite for the representation of the German cross in gold or silver is the possession of the Iron Cross (1939) of the 1st class or the fastener for it (1939) of the 1st class or the Cross for military merit of the 1st class with swords.
iron Cross
The Iron Cross Award is a traditional military decoration - first in the Kingdom of Prussia, and then in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). It was introduced by King of Prussia Frederick William III in March 1813 in honor of the birthday of his late wife Queen Louise in the era of the Napoleonic Wars. Louise was the first to receive this jewelry (posthumously). The newly launched Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War, as well as the First and Second World Wars, and then reintroduced with a swastika added to the center. The highest degree of this award was the Knight's Cross with oak leaves. In addition to the Germans, he was also awarded several foreigners, among whom were allies of the Third Reich - Romanians, Japanese, Italians and representatives (usually leaders) of collaborative movements.
The Iron Cross Award was usually only a military adornment, although there were cases when it was handed over to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hannah Reich, awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st grade, and Melitta Schenk Grefin von Stauffenberg, awarded the Iron Cross 2nd grade, for her actions as pilots during the war.
The design of the symbol of the cross was black with white or silver contours, was ultimately drawn from the emblem of the Teutonic Order, which was used by knights in the 13th century. Military antiques today is replete with both a multitude of iron crosses and similar accessories of the Teutonic Order, which allows us to see the obvious visual similarity between them.
The black godmother "patte" (badge) of the Prussian army was also used as a symbol of the German army from 1871 to March-April 1918, when it was replaced by a similar symbol - "Balkenkreuz". In 1956, he was re-introduced as a symbol of the Bundeswehr, the modern German armed forces. The German Order (also known as the Teutonic Order) thus emerged as a peculiar ancestor of all German military symbols.
Black cross
The Black Cross (Schwarzes Kreuz) is an emblem used by the Prussian army and the German army from 1871 to the present. It was developed on the occasion of the German campaign of 1813, when Frederick William III ordered the Iron Cross as the first military decoration, open to all ranks, including military personnel. Since that time, the Black Cross also appeared on the Prussian military flag next to the Black Eagle. It was designed by the neoclassical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel based on a sketch by Friedrich William. The design is ultimately derived from the black cross used by the Teutonic Order. This heraldic cross took various forms throughout the history of the order, including the simple Latin cross, the cross-power, the cross-fleury, and sometimes the cross patte.
When the Quadriga of the Goddess of Peace was found in Paris after the fall of Napoleon, she was rebuilt at the top of the Berlin Brandenburg Gate. The Iron Cross was inserted into the laurel wreath of the World, turning it into the Goddess of Victory. In 1821, Schinkel crowned the top of his project of the National Monument of the Liberation Wars with an iron cross, becoming a name named Kreuzberg (Cross Mountain) in honor of the hill on which he stands, and 100 years later - for the quarter of the same name adjoining it.
The black cross was used on the naval and combat flags of the German Empire. He was a symbol of the German army until 1915, when he was replaced by a simpler Balkenkreuz. The Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic (1921–35), the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany (1935–46) and the Bundeswehr (from October 1, 1956 to the present) also inherited the use of the emblem in various forms. The traditional black design is used on armored vehicles and aircraft, while after the reunification of Germany a new version of the blue and silver colors was introduced for use in other contexts.
Military Cross of Merit
This award (German: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was an adornment of Germany during World War II and could be awarded to both military and civilians. Towards the end of the war, the cross was released in four degrees and had the appropriate civilian decorations. It was reprinted in 1957 by the Bundeswehr in a denazified version for veterans.
This German award was created by Adolf Hitler in October 1939 as a successor to the Iron Cross, which was not used in combat and was used in earlier wars (a similar medal, but with a different ribbon). The award was awarded in the same way as the Iron Cross: for services to the war of the second class, first class and the Knights Cross for services to the war. The award had two options: with swords awarded to soldiers for exclusive service “not in direct connection with the battle”, and without swords awarded to civilians for their merits in “contributing to military efforts”. Recipients should have received a lower promotion score before moving on to the next level.
Cross Ribbon
The ribbon of the Cross for military service was red-white-black-white-red; that is, red and black colors were flipped from the tape version of the Iron Cross during World War II. The ribbon for the medal for military merit was similar, but with a narrow vertical red stripe in the center of the black field. The soldiers who received the Cross for merit of the 2nd class with swords wore a small device with crossed swords on the ribbon. The 1st Class Military Merit Cross was a medal with a pin on the wrist worn on the tunic’s pocket (like the 1st Class Iron Cross). The ribbon of the Military Cross for the merits of the 2nd class could be worn like a ribbon at the Iron Cross of the 2nd class (through the second loop). However, military personnel generally regarded the Military Cross for their services of low respect, referring to those who wear them in the Training of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the War of Merit was a neck ornament and was worn just like the Cross of the Knights of the Iron Cross.
Army Honor Clasp
The Clasp of the Honorary Link of the Army (German: Ehrenblatt des Heeres) was a German award decoration during World War II. A total of 4,556 people were awarded it. Among them, primarily military personnel and members of the Waffen-SS.
There were no special qualifications for this award; it was presented at the discretion of the German High Command. Awarding took place very economically, i.e., it was not handed to everyone to preserve a high level of prestige and honor. The Waffen-SS was not legally part of the German army, but nevertheless had the right to the same awards as the army.
Honorary Cross of World War II
Honorary Cross of the World War 1914-1918 (Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkriegs 1914-1918), also known as the Hindenburg Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Republic, by order of July 13, 1934, to honor the memory of German soldiers of the Great War. It was the first official military award of the Third Reich for the soldiers of Imperial Germany who took part in the war, and if the chosen soldiers had died by that time, it was awarded to their surviving next of kin. Shortly after the award was issued, the Nazi government declared it the only official service decoration for veterans of the Great War and prohibited the further wearing of the Free Corps awards on any military or paramilitary form of state or organization of the Nazi party. Outwardly, it slightly resembles the Order of Blood.