(Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse)

Date Instituted

1 September 1939

Requirements

* Awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class
* Three to five acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty.

Number Awarded

~ 450.000 (2 women, Else Grossmann & Hanna Reitsch)

Award Documents

Leutnant Joachim Peeck

Known makers/markings

4, 6, 8, 15, 20, 26, 52, 65, 100, 107, L/10, L/11, L/12, L/13, L/15, L/16, L/18, L/19, L/50, L/52, L/53, L/54, L/55, L/56, L/57, L/58, L/59, L/73
L/11, L/21, L/56, L/57 (1939 bar)

Estimated price (2009)

€170-700


Panzer soldier with Iron Cross 1st Class

(Courtesy of KS)

Generalleutnant Willifrank Ochsner with the First World War bar

(Courtesy of D.W. Paul)

HJ Oberkameradschaftsführer

(Courtesy of Allan Rose)

Oberst Bernhard-Hermann Ramcke awarding the Iron Cross 1st Class at Maleme, Crete

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Comments

Recipients of the Iron Cross 1st Class who had been awarded the 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class during World War I were awarded a bar which was worn on the upper left breast pocket above the old Iron Cross (1939 bar to the 1914 Iron Cross (Spange 1939 zum Eiseren Kreuz 1914)).


Photo courtesy of Rusfront & Craig Wagner

Sources used

Christopher Ailsby - World War 2 German medals and political awards
John R. Angolia - For Führer and Fatherland: Military awards of the Third Reich
David Littlejohn - Orders, decorations, medals and badges of the Third Reich
Detlev Niemann - Price Guide Germany 1871-1945 (2009)