Why didnt Hitler get the KC?

[brownshirts]

corporal

yes robert,mussolini awarded it him

[ww2collector]

Hi Matthew,

Also found this one..still looking for one with an SA dagger if it exists

Cheers,
Eric

[Stephen Stout]

My point is this:

If ... this incident ever occurred, Hitler would have been just another face amongst the chaos of war at that particular moment. He was a no-body.

Then 20 years later someone writes that a sniper had "Hitler" himself in his crosshairs??? Riiiiiiight.

You remember the 20th person you passed on the street yesterday?

My point exactly.

It was highly traced in German propoganda and if you read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" there is a reference there.

[Stephen Stout]

Good for AH that he never wore an KC, but better for the IRON CROSS reputation that HE never did it.

Enought damage has been done to the IRON CROSS prestige. If he would had used the KC uffffff.... the IRON CROSS prestige would be buried deeper than it is now (with the help of Hollywood and thing like that).

Just MHO, sorry.

Edgar

Edgar,
I can't see it going any further down cause the iron cross is no longer a German issued award, so the damage has already been done.

[Montgomery Burns]

the wreal reasons

accourding to a dokumentarie off som high ranking officers off ww2

(a seen a long thime agow)

high ranking officers wehre discussing the night cross awarding to hitler at some point,,,

(a beleve it was after taiking Paris)

abbanden it,,, becouse it seemd out off place to do so

becouse he was the founder off the rk

as far as i know it was also hitlers uppiniun to.

best regards kay

[DavidM]

Edgar,
I can't see it going any further down cause the iron cross is no longer a German issued award, so the damage has already been done.

Hello

Stephen, the reason that the Iron Cross is (currently) no longer awarded is because the Iron Cross is only ever instituted (or re-instituted) when Germany is at war. As the German armed forces are only, in the main, part of NATO peace keeping forces, (and the use of the word 'only' should by no means be taken in the wrong context, as all members of all armed forces do a difficult and often dangerous job), then German is not presently at war. As such Germany has made no declarations of war nor had any served on it. Therefore the Iron Cross cannot be re-institued. Whether it ever would be in the event of a formal war is another debate.

Regards
David

[tegunn]

The Iron Cross is usually authorized as a rule when the conflict involves a mobilization of the country's industry,etc. It wasn't authorized for the 1866 conflict with Austria nor should it be for today's GWOT. The only exception I could see would be if Germany took the lead (like the US in Afghanistan), but that's un likely due to the restrictions..
Back to the KC:
Jim Woods stated: "The Iron Cross is a combat award and as Adolf did not see combat action, no spange. True the 1914 Iron Cross had a non-combat ribbon the WW 2 did not."
Actually the WW 2 did have a non-combatant ribbon. I recall that some nurses recieved the award.

I believe Adolph would have to earn the Wiederholungspange 1939 for both classes before the KC..
Unless of course someone can enlighten me whether there was a WWI vet awarded the KC WITHOUT earning the 1939 spangen..
He would be elligible for the DKIG/S though since it was not in the iron cross earning hierarchy...

[Ludwig]

The ICs that nurses, female pilots etc. got, looked exactly like the "male" crosses.

And yes, of course, it was possible for Hitler to award himself the KC or perhaps better the Grand cross, as it was also awarded for military leadership, but as far as I know, Hitler didn´t care much for awards, uniforms, daggers etc when it came down to himself.

[tegunn]

Correct Ludwig, the item different would be the ribbon as it was for the 1914..

I must correct myself, Adolph would have to earn the EK 1939 in order to be elligible for the DKIG/S.

Earning a 1914 EK doesn't mean it carries over to the next war, meaning if I earned the 2nd class 1914 EK, then WW 2 rolled along, I would have to earn the 2nd class 1939 before I could get a 1939 1st class. After the 1939 1st class, I could earn a KC. By the process Adolph would have to earn both 1939's (spangen) then he could put on the KC..
Of course this guy could do anything he wanted-who would argue?

[Tiger 1]

There never was a noncombatant version of the 1939 EKs.

This situation was covered by the KvK without swords.

Some German nurses during WWII recieved the standard '39 EKII and if I remember right one or two nurses were awarded the EKI also.

Tony

[tegunn]

You're right Tiger-I was thinking of the reversed colors of the KVK ribbon..duuuhhh
Randy

[Don D.]

Correct Ludwig, the item different would be the ribbon as it was for the 1914..

I must correct myself, Adolph would have to earn the EK 1939 in order to be elligible for the DKIG/S.

Earning a 1914 EK doesn't mean it carries over to the next war, meaning if I earned the 2nd class 1914 EK, then WW 2 rolled along, I would have to earn the 2nd class 1939 before I could get a 1939 1st class. After the 1939 1st class, I could earn a KC. By the process Adolph would have to earn both 1939's (spangen) then he could put on the KC..
Of course this guy could do anything he wanted-who would argue?

Hitler awarded several complete sets EK2-RK to top commanders after the Polish Campaign. He could easily have done the same for himself and then topped it off with the Grand Cross after the Fall of France.

[robertdmountfor]

There never was a noncombatant version of the 1939 EKs.

This situation was covered by the KvK without swords.

Some German nurses during WWII recieved the standard '39 EKII and if I remember right one or two nurses were awarded the EKI also.

Tony

Not sure about that, what about Hanna Reitsch the test pilot?

[robertdmountfor]

The ICs that nurses, female pilots etc. got, looked exactly like the "male" crosses.

And yes, of course, it was possible for Hitler to award himself the KC or perhaps better the Grand cross, as it was also awarded for military leadership, but as far as I know, Hitler didn´t care much for awards, uniforms, daggers etc when it came down to himself.

This is the correct thought. AH, even if given such an award would only have worn it for very special occasions such as his Blood order ribbon. He was very concious of his image and it is on record that he wanted the German people, whenever they saw an image of him to see the same one every time as regards uniform and awards. It was his wish to bestow awards on his contemporaries for two reasons, one, to genuinely award valour, work etc.. and two, that it made him stand out even more. I think he was the originator of the 'less is more' expression!

[tegunn]

Hitler awarded several complete sets EK2-RK to top commanders after the Polish Campaign. He could easily have done the same for himself and then topped it off with the Grand Cross after the Fall of France.

Before a awardee of the 1914 EK could earn the KC, they would have to earn the 1939 EK's(spange). You can't say that since a WWI vet won a 1914 EK 2cl for example that he would next get the 1939 1st class. He would first have to earn the 1939 2nd class (in the form of the spange) then he could move to the 1939 1st cl/RK
No doubt Hitler did and could have, but the sets would have been Wiederholungspange if the awardee had previously won the 1914's (Hitler included-his case he would award himself two spangen and the RK).
Really, my overall point is that a soldier holding the 1914 1st and second classes EK's has earn it all over again(1939's) in order to recieve/be elligible for the KC, which is not an easy task(unless you are the Fuhrer or a super old dude)..