Iron Cross 1st Class

Date Instituted:

September 1st, 1939

Awarded To:

Men and women of all ranks within any branch of the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS orthe auxiliary service organizations.

Required Qualifications:

In general:

The previous award of the EK2 or its Spange, and
3-5 outstanding actions of combat bravery above and beyond the callof duty.

For the Luftwaffe:

The previous award of the EK2 or its Spange, and
Accumulation of 5 points total, 1 point for downing a single-engine aircraft, 2 pointsfor a twin-engine aircraft and 3 points for a four-engine aircraft. All points werex2 at night.

For the Kriegsmarine:

The previous award of the EK2 or its Spange, and
Accumulation of 50,000 tons sunk for U-boats, or
3-5 outstanding actions of combat bravery above and beyond the callof duty.

First Awarded:

An exact date is not known for the first award of the EK1 or its Spange.

Number Awarded:

450,000+ (incl. awards of its Spange).

Grades/Variations:

The EK1 came in one version, the version shown. A slight variation existedin an example that could be screwed to the uniform, versus pinned. Anothervariation existed unofficially in a cloth version, but this was very rarelyused, if at all. The Spange can be considered avariation on the EK1 in the sense that it was awarded in place of the actualmedal if the individual being awarded had previously held the Iron Cross IstClass during WWI. The 1914 Spange for the EK1 was slightly larger than the 1914 Spange for the EK2.

Method of Wear:

When awarded, the EK1 was worn centered on the lower left breast of the individualsuniform. It took precedence over all other awards worn on the lower leftbreast, except those with diamonds. If the Spange had been awarded in place of the actual 1939 EK1, theSpange was worn in conjunction with the individuals original 1914 EK1, bothon the lower left breast of the uniform, the Spange directly above the originalaward.

Notes:

The EK1 could also be awarded to non-Germans who either were serving directly inthe German Wehrmacht or the auxiliary services as volunteers, or to those foreignersthat were serving along side Germany in an Axis Allied unit either under Germancontrol or in conjunction with German forces. Two German women are known tohave been awarded the EK1 during WWII.