Prussian Grand Cross of the Order of the Iron Cross

Prussian Grand Cross of the Order of the Iron Cross. A cross pattée of a blackened iron with a two piece silver beaded edge. Obverse: The Prussian crown over 'W' in the centre and 1914 below. Reverse: The Prussian crown over 'FW' (Friedrich William) on the top arm, a three oak leaf spray in the centre and '1813' on the lower arm. The cross is fitted with a flat silver wire loop suspender and a piece of 55 mm black ribbon with a 13 mm white stripe near each edge.

The highest award in Germany during the First World War was the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. It could only be awarded to men of general's rank. There were five recipients of the Grand Cross in this war. They were Kaiser Wilhelm II, Generalfeldmarschall Paul Ludwig von Hindenburg, General der Infanterie Erich Ludendorf, Generalfeldmarschall Prinz Maximillian Joseph Maris Arnuf, and Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen. Adolf Hitler reinstated the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 September 1939 but only one award was made, to Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering for his command of the Luftwaffe during the campaigns in France and the Low Countries in 1940. The Grand Cross in the Memorial collection is believed to be an authentic unissued example. It forms part of a collection assembled by the Memorial in the 1920s for display.