Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
The Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Stern zum Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) was the highest military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire. It was considered a senior decoration to the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross.
The Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to the most outstanding of generals who performed feats of leadership to the extreme benefit of the Prussian and later German state. It was awarded only twice, a century apart, to Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher in 1815 for his part in the victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, and to Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg on 25 March 1918 for his conduct of the 1918 Spring Offensive.[1] Hindenburg had received the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 December 1916.
The award is commonly known as "Blücher's Star" (Blücherstern) after its first recipient.[2]
A second world war version of the Star was devised, but never formally instituted or awarded.[3] Following the Allied victory in May 1945, the US Army seized the only known prototype, which had been stored in a bunker. It is now a part of the collection of the Museum of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.[4]
- Images
1813 Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
1914 Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
1939 Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross Prototype
Notes
- Price 2011, pp. 136–137.
- Zabecki 2014, p. 1628.
- Littlejohn & Dodkins 1968, p. 120.
- Price 2011, p. 137.
References
- Littlejohn, David; Dodkins, Colonel C. M. (1968). Orders, Decorations, Medals and Badges of the Third Reich. R. James Bender Publishing, California. ISBN 978-0854200801.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Price, Judith (2011). Lest We Forget: Masterpieces of Patriotic Jewelry and Military Decorations. Lanham: Taylor Trade Pub. ISBN 9781589796867.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598849813.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)