Cross of Honour of the German Mother [Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter] - First Class

Cross of Honour of the German Mother - First Class. A gilded Christian Cross. The obverse is a round shield was affixed to the cross, bearing the inscription 'Der Deutschen Mutter' encircling a black enamel Nazi swastika on a white enamel field. Behind the shield and between the arms of the cross was a projection of rays. The arms of the cross were blue enamel with white enamel edges. The reverse is plain with the date '16 Dezember 1938' followed by a facsimile of Hitler's signature. It has a fixed square bar suspender loop and has a 10mm blue ribbon with two white stripes at each edge.

This award was instituted on 16 December 1938 as part of Hitler's initiative to encourage Aryan population growth. Only women of German origin qualified for such awards, though women from absorbed Germanic countries and areas (such as Austria, the Sudetenland and Danzig) were also eligible. A mother could be awarded a bronze, silver, or gold cross depending on the number of children she had borne. Eight or more would entitle the woman to a gold cross, six or seven for silver, and four or five for bronze.

The medal was not a permanent award, as mothers stood to be stripped of the Mother's Cross if they proved themselves unworthy through neglect of their children, marital infidelity, or any other social offense.

The crosses were awarded annually on the second Sunday in May (Mothering Sunday), so despite its institution in 1938, the first awards were given in May 1939. The last awards were presented in 1944.

The first woman to receive the Cross of Honor of the German Mother was Magda Goebbels, the wife of Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. The couple had six children, and Magda was awarded the Silver Medal.