Grand Cross of the Iron Cross

The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was a decoration intended for victorious generals of the Prussian Army and its allies. It was the highest class of the Iron Cross. Along with the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, the Grand Cross was founded on March 10, 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars. It was renewed in 1870 for the Franco-Prussian War and again in 1914 for World War I. In 1939, when Adolf Hitler renewed the Iron Cross as a German, rather than Prussian, decoration, the Grand Cross was again renewed.

The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was twice the size of the Iron Cross and was worn from a ribbon around the neck. The later Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, instituted in 1939, was also worn from the neck; it was smaller than the Grand Cross but larger than the Iron Cross.

1813 Grand Cross

Five men received the 1813 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross for actions during the Napoleonic Wars:

* Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, commander of Prussian forces at the Battle of Waterloo, later elevated to the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
* Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow
* Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden (Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte) - Earlier a Marshal under Napoleon, after becoming regent and crown prince of Sweden, he joined the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon.
* Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien
* Hans David Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg.

1870 Grand Cross

The Iron Cross was renewed on July 19, 1870 for the Franco-Prussian War. Nine men received the 1870 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross for service during that war. Seven Grand Crosses were awarded on March 22, 1871, to:

* Crown Prince Albert of Saxony
* August Karl von Goeben
* Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel
* Helmuth Graf von Moltke the Elder
* Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.
* Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (later Kaiser Friedrich III)
* August Graf von Werder

Kaiser Wilhelm I received the Grand Cross on June 16, 1871 and Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin received it on December 4, 1871. The Kaiser was supreme commander of the Prussian Army, and Moltke was Chief of the General Staff. The others were senior combat commanders of the Prussian Army (Crown Prince Albert initially commanded the Saxon Army as a corps under a Prussian field army, but later took command of a combined Prussian/Saxon field army).

1914 Grand Cross

The Iron Cross was renewed again on August 5, 1914. There were five recipients of the 1914 Grand Cross in the First World War:

* Kaiser Wilhelm II
* Paul von Hindenburg, later elevated to the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
* Erich Ludendorff
* Prince Leopold of Bavaria
* August von Mackensen

1939 Grand Cross

Adolf Hitler reinstituted the Iron Cross as a German decoration in September 1939, with the Grand Cross again as the highest grade (above the various classes of the Knight's Cross). Hermann Göring became the only recipient of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II when it was awarded to him on July 19, 1940. Shortly before his suicide Hitler deprived Göring of the Grand Cross because he felt betrayed by him.

An even higher decoration, the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, was intended to be presented to the most successful German general of World War II once Germany achieved victory. Awarded only twice to Field Marshals Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and Paul von Hindenburg, a prototype 1939 Star was discovered by the Allies in 1945. It is currently on display with Göring's Reichsmarschall baton in the West Point Military Collection.