Adolf Hitler
restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration (rather than
Prussian as in earlier versions), continuing the tradition of issuing
it in various grades. The Iron Cross of World War II was divided into
three main series of decorations with an intermediate category, the
Knight's Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the
highest, the Grand Cross. The Knight's Cross replaced the Prussian Pour
le Mérite or "Blue Max". Hitler did not care for the Pour le Mérite, as
it was a Prussian order that could be awarded only to officers.
The
ribbon of the medal (2nd class and Knight's Cross) was different from
the earlier Iron Crosses in that the color red was used in addition to
the traditional black and white (black and white were the colors of
Prussia, while black, white, and red were the colors of Germany).
Hitler also created the War Merit Cross as a replacement for the
non-combatant version of the Iron Cross.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
