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Tag: Nazi Germany

The German Cross (Nazi-Germany)

The German Cross (Deutsches Kreuz) was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941 and awarded in gold and silver.

The German Cross (or Deutsches Kreuz in German) was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941 and awarded in gold and silver.

The German Cross in Gold (ranked higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross), was awarded for repeated acts of bravery or achievement in combat. The German Cross in Silver (ranked higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords) was awarded for distinguished non-combat war service.

The German Cross Classes

The German Cross was available in two versions: gold and silver, distinguished by the color of the laurel wreath surrounding the swastika.

  • The Gold German Cross: The gold version was conferred upon military personnel for repeated acts of bravery in combat or for exceptional military leadership, typically requiring 6–8 such acts.
  • The Silver German Cross: The silver version was awarded for multiple distinguished services to the war effort and served as a continuation of the War Merit Cross with swords. When a recipient was awarded both versions, only the gold version was authorized for wear.

The German Cross Design

The order consists of a star badge with a swastika (in German a Hakenkreuz or “hooked cross”, hence the medal’s name). The German Cross has a diameter of 6.5 cm and was worn on the right-hand side of the tunic. If a recipient had been awarded both the silver and gold divisions, the gold division should be worn only.

In 1957 alternative de-nazified replacement versions of the German Cross were authorized for wear by the Federal Republic of Germany. These medals replaced the swastika with a representation of the Iron Cross for the gold division, and the War Merit Cross with Swords for the silver division.

Colonel Hans von Luck called the German Cross “Hitler’s fried egg“, in response to its gaudiness.

German Cross in Silver, Gold, and with Diamonds. Post-war denazified versions shown below.
German Cross in Silver, Gold, and with Diamonds. Post-war denazified versions shown below.

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The Anschluss Commemorative Medal

The Anschluss Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany instituted on 1 May 1938 and awarded during the interwar period. 

The Anschluss Commemorative Medal (or Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938 in German) was a decoration of Nazi Germany instituted on 1 May 1938 and awarded during the interwar period.

The medal commemorated the annexation of Austria to the German Reich, or Anschluss. The move was the first in Hitler’s quest for Lebensraum, and it strengthened German flanks while weakening those of Czechoslovakia.

The medal, known as the “Anschluss medal“, was awarded to all those Austrians who contributed to or participated in the annexation as well as the members of the Austrian National Socialism movement. It was also awarded to German State officials and members of the German Wehrmacht and SS who marched into Austria.

The Anschluss Commemorative Medal Design

The Anschluss Commemorative medal is round, highly detailed, die-struck and based on the 1938 Party Day Badge and designed by Professor Richard Klein.

On the obverse of the medal, symbolic of Austrian adhesion to the German realm, a man holding the Nazi flag stands on a dais bearing the emblem of the “Third Reich”; he assists onto the dais a second man, on whose right hand a broken shackle still may be seen. On the reverse is the inscription “13. März 1938” (13 March 1938), the date of the Anschluss; the date is surrounded by the words, “Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer” (“One People, One Empire, One Leader”).

The Anschluss Commemorative Medal was awarded until 31 December 1940, and a total of 318,689 medals were awarded.