(The senior grade of the Iron Cross will be covered in this section, though it is not part of or an “upgrade” to the Knights Cross.)

The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (Grosskreuz des Eidernen Kreuzes), which existed since the inception of the Iron Cross, was reinstituted on September 1, 1939. It had the same characteristics as the Knights Cross, but was much larger measuring 63mm. It was originally designed with the frames’ outer edges in gold, but this was changed before the award was ever presented. The Grand Cross was worn at the neck with a 57mm wide ribbon bearing the same colors as the Knights Cross and 2nd Class ribbons. When it was awarded the Grand Cross came in a red leather case, with the eagle and the swastika outlined in gold.

The Grand Cross was not a bravery award and was reserved solely for General Staff officers. It was to be presented by Hitler only for the most outstanding strategic decisions affecting the course of the war. There was only one Grand Cross recipient; Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Goring received the Grand Cross at the Reichstag on July 19, 1940 at the same time as he was promoted to Reich Marshall of the Third Reich. The award was presented in recognition of the Luftwaffe successes and contributions to the 1940 blitzkrieg campaigns in France and the Low Countries.

The original Grand Cross presented to Goring was destroyed during an air raid in his Berlin home. He had several copies made, one of them with a platinum frame which he was wearing at the time of his surrender in 1945.

Reich Marshall Hermann Goring

Iron Cross Index

Iron Cross Recipients Index