Manufacturing The first section deals exclusively with the technical specifications and manufacturing of the Cross. It contains detailed blueprints, descriptions of manufacturing, and acatalog  with photos and characteristics of each maker.  This is one of the principal sections of the article. Embroidered/ Cases Because the German Cross was a heavy award, a cloth (embroidered) version was authorized for wear.  This type was particularly popular with Pilots, Tank Crews and others forced to operate in tight work environments.  This section also covers the cases the awards were presented in. Documents This section delves into the documentation that accompanied the Order.  It covers the annotations in personal documents (Soldbuch, Wehrpass), transitional award documents, and official award documents of the Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. Conditions Recipient he ultimate reason the award even existed - the men of the Wehrmacht - are reviewed in this division of the study.  How many won the award?   What did they have to do to get it?  These questions and more are answered here. Other & 1957 There are exceptions to every rule, and the authors were able to find three which are detailed in this subdivision.  Also covered here are the miniature version of the cross, meant to be worn on the lapel, and the 1957 "denazified" version to be worn by surviving veterans. Reproductions All German decorations have been faked, and until recently the complicated construction of the DK made it a very difficult award to copy.  Because this has all changed, this segment of the investigation focuses on the issue of reproductions. Wehrmacht-Awards Wehrmacht-Awards.com Index

François Saez and Jacques Calero

The invasion of Russia saw the massive engagement of German troops, and certainly an important increase in acts of bravery.  The German Cross (Kriegsorden) was created on 28 September 1941 (1) by Adolf Hitler (Führer und Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht) in order to publicly reward the heroism of the German Legions dispatched to defeat Bolshevism.  

The award was created in two classes, Gold and Silver, independent of one another.  The type in Gold had as its objective the recognition of repeated acts of bravery or exceptional command not justifying the award of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, but superior to requirements for award of the Iron Cross 1st Class.  The type in Silver was to reward significant performance in military conduct of the war.  Neither were in any way part of the classes of the Iron Cross.  Because of this, recipients might first receive the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and afterwards the German Cross—or vice versa.  The detailed conditions for bestowal are shown in the ‘’Reichsgesetzblatt’’ of 2 October 1941 (Teil I, Nummer III).  

This article deals in detail with this complex decoration by sectioning off the topics as below in order to cover each subject matter in depth.  Throughout the article the pictures are thumbnailed, so clicking on them will lead to a detailed, full size photo.

All sections compiled and written by François Saez and Jacques Calero. Editing and layout by Sebastian Bianchi.
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