Germany scraps new Iron Cross (bid to restore Iron Cross medal killed)

Telegraph ^ | 03/08/08 | Bojan Pancevski

[TigerLikesRooster]

Germany scraps new Iron Cross

By Bojan Pancevski

Last Updated: 2:13am GMT 08/03/2008

The German government was yesterday forced to scrap plans to re-introduce the Iron Cross, after opponents said the military medal still carried the "burden" of association with Nazi atrocities.

Iron Cross: the Nazis added a swastika to the design

The medal, the equivalent of the Victoria Cross in Britain, was established during the Napoleonic Wars to reward bravery and valour of officers and enlisted men alike.

But its reputation was tarnished by the Nazis, who added a swastika to the design, linking it to atrocities in the Second World War. It was abolished in post-Nazi Germany. On Tuesday the Defence Minister, Franz Josef Jung, backed a campaign to re-introduce the cross for valour in combat in flashpoints such as Afghanistan. Currently, there are only medals for service.

But within 24 hours the ministry reversed its support after the move led to a public outcry, with critics claiming the Iron Cross was too reminiscent of the Nazi era. "We are not thinking of bringing it back, though we do want to introduce a medal to honour soldiers who show courage," a spokesman said.

A source from the ministry suggested a compromise solution could create a new medal, which would, however, resemble the Iron Cross.

Col Ernst-Reinhard Beck, head of the Reserve Soldiers Association which began the campaign, said "a lot of fear and horror was spread" under the symbol, but added that a modified version was still being used as an emblem of the army.

Mr Beck, also an MP in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party, said: "The Iron Cross has become a sign of hope, aid and solidarity in regions of crisis around the world, and we have no reason to be ashamed of it."

[pepsionice]

There are no heroes in modern Germany....just taxpayers and citizens. The sign of a spiraling republic.

[tlb]

Carrying that reasoning to its logical conclusion, Germany needs to also ban the autobahn system, Porsche, Volkswagon, and the national Olympic team. Each has Nazi associations.

Their call to make but it wouldn’t have offended me to reinstate the medal.

[Spktyr]

If I recall correctly, more Jews won the Iron Cross as a percentage of their population in WW1 than any other group of Germans. I think but am not sure that they also won more Iron Crosses than the rest of the Germans combined.

This may also contribute to why they don’t want to bring the decoration back.

[Herakles]

That's it, grind the past into the dirt; then, when enough hatred arises in the future, it will be unstoppable. From what I see, the next German superstate (if it comes about) will be very busy with those it considers traitors - the current day intolerant liberals.

[SpaceBar]

Don’t forget Bayer, Krupp, BASF, Hoechst (Aventis), BMW.... and um... Ford.

[kaehurowing]

I wouldn’t call it the equivalent of the VC. A closer equivalent of the VC would be the American Medal of Honor. In both cases, award is rare and you often don’t survive to receive the decoration.

However, different classes of the Iron Cross were awarded for all sorts of things, and millions of them were awarded. Hitler even was awarded an Iron Cross as a foot soldier in WWI.

[jws3sticks]

Don’t forget Bayer, Krupp, BASF, Hoechst (Aventis), BMW.... and um... Ford.

Let's not forget history so quickly, please!

[Stonewall Jackson]

The Iron Cross Second Class is roughly the equivalent of the Bronze or Silver Stars and the Iron Cross First Class is about the same as the Distinguished Service Cross. Before WW2, the German equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the American Medal of Honor was the Pour le Merit (aka the Blue Max). During WW2, Hitler created the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to replace it.

As an interesting aside, Hans Rudel, a German ground-attack pilot, was awarded the Knight's Cross five times. He was shot down nine times over the course of the war (he actually flew the last couple of months of the war with only one leg after being hit by anti-aircraft fire in Feb. 1945) but managed to shoot down twelve enemy aircraft, destroy around six hundred tanks, thousands of trucks, artillery pieces, bunkers, and other targets, and he also single-handedly sank the Soviet battleship Marat, a 25,000-ton warship.

[headstamp 2]

I was going to ask about the Blue Max. Thanks for the information.

I remember the movie with George Peppard. (grin)

[Oztrich Boy]

Really the precedent was set 50 years ago

[PLMerite]

Germany still maintains the Pour le Merite’ but only the Peace Class. It’s a funky looking thing totally unlike the version made famous by the movie. They should bring it back as it is untainted by the Nazis. The Iron Cross dates back to 1813 but since it had a Swastika on it for a few years that’s all anyone will ever remember.

For them that don’t know, WWII Knight’s Crosses were awarded in turn:
Knight’s Cross
Oak Leaves
Swords
Diamonds
Golden Oak Leaves (created in 1944 for Rudel)

The Krauts are now totally wussified.

[elhombrelibre]

What would Germany do with a medal for bravery or honor? They could give it to the 30-year old boys on bikes, maybe.

[truemiester]

What no pics of the ‘widow maker’ F-104?

[WoofDog123]

a lot of cultural baggage there; re-introducing the medal in the great war format is the most obvious to us non-BDR citizens, but I guess for them it is a somewhat more complex issue.

Since Germany has rejoined active combat ops in modern times, they need an ultimate (usually posthumous) medal for valor.

[WoofDog123]

I googled the german pilot in question, and his career is quite extraordinary. Since he lived to 1982, I do hope he was willing at some point to do extended recorded interviews on his wartime experiences.

[thundrey]

He wrote an autobiography called ‘Stuka Pilot’ I read it a couple of weeks ago....

[indcons]

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1813 Iron Cross

1870 Iron Cross

1939 Iron Cross First Class

[Bringbackthedraft]

A little over the top you ask me. What next, digging up the Autobahn? The branch badges worn on the military berets still have the WW II designs without the schwatzsticker. BTW, What would the German Army be without their Panzerlied? (rhetorical)

[elcid1970]

Seems obvious - denazify the Iron Cross by reintroducing it without the swastika. Too easy?

And those post-WWII aircraft belong to the Luftwaffe!

The Iron Cross on the F-86 is the same as early in the 1914-18 war.

For decades it was held that the German military would never be deployed outside of Germany, but it’s a different world, now. They need their combat award restored.