The History of The Iron Cross, A Thread

The Iron Cross was the highest medal of honor in the German military from 1871 to 1945, but it's history spans even before that. So before we talk about the big bad Nazis, let's talk about the big bad Prussians, and before we talk about the big bad Prussians, let's go Crusading!

The Teutonic Order was one of the many orders that spawned during the Crusading eras. Formed in Acre, they moved North to Transylvania. They soon took part on the Northern Crusades and gained land for themselves.

They were awarded their insignia by Pope Innocent III ( who, if the charge was war crimes, totally was not innocent) and is known as the Black Cross, what you see here.

In 1525, Grand Master Albert of Brandenburg converted to Lutheranism and became a Vassal state of Poland, becoming Prussia. In 1640, The Elector of Brandenburg Fredrick William became Duke of Prussia forming Brandenburg Prussia

This is a story for another time, but Prussia eventually gained it's independence from Poland, and thanks to the exploits of this GOAT, Frederick II (Frederick The Great) it became one of the biggest powers in Europe.

This brings us to the creation of the Black Cross. It was designed during the War of The 6th coalition and was open to all enlisted men. It was actually sketched by the King himself Frederick William III (the names are clapped, don't worry about it)

The cross is derivative from the cross of the Teutonic Order which itself is just simply a Latin cross, a staple of Catholicism. It was then added to the Prussian flag. It was also influenced by napoleon's legion of honor, hence allowing all enlisted men to obtain one

It is a WAR TIME MEDAL which means that it cannot be given during peace and it every time it has to be reestablished meaning it'll have the year of the war on it for when it was given 1813, 1870, 1914 etc and had 3 classes

Generals and Troops were able to get the medal, but had different criteria. Troops had to be brave, generals had to be successful. Civilians could also procure the medal if they contributed substantially to the war effort

It's second appearance was 1870 when Prussia slapped up France. (someone should make a thread on that...) The medal was also given to allies of the war. The important thing to note here is that Prussia and other German states formed to create a unified Germany.

So the Germans deliberated on weather to add red to the cross, to match their new (ugly) flag. It didn't happen, but the Prussian culture associated with the flag melted away and it became a symbol for loyalty to the fatherland and a commitment a soldier had to their morals

So at this point, the cross represents the zeitgeist of German sovereignty. They had liberated themselves from Napoleon, and formed a united state in Germany. Some saw it as a 'Heiliges Kampfsabzeichen'. A Holy Combat symbol.

It was put on graves, used on every day items, the air force adopted it, and it was awarded fairly frequently. One soldier reported that winning it was the greatest moment of his life. His name was Adolf, wonder what happened to him...

So, the Nazis come into power. The Cross was usually issued by Kings and Emperor's, but they weren't a fan of the whole monarchy thing. Non combat roles could no longer obtain the cross.

So the Iron Cross 1939 issue had no crown like it's predecessor but it did have a swastika in the middle... (I ain't putting a picture up go fuck yourself). So it had the colors of Black White and Red, meaning the Prussian colors were now gone

After the Nazi defeat, The Iron Cross was banned until swastika less versions could be reissued (1957) it became an emblem for the West German Army. There was pressure to reinstate the cross in 2007.

Instead, the Ehrenkreuz Der Bundeswehr Für Tapferkeit (bro I hate german)was issued. Iron Crosses to this day can be bought on eBay. In the US, the cross was adopted to biker gangs, to signify rebellion. Now, that brings us back to Raikkonen and the REAL issue with him wearing it

Raikkonen got his mask from West Coast Choppers. Which is fine....

Wanna know who owns west coast choppers....

THIS GUY

So Raikkonen wearing an Iron Cross mask isn't really a problem. If that is illegal, normal army suits or mercedes of being nice to animals would be illegal, the problem is the guy he got it from. It's not a good look.

The cross itself isn't a Nazi thing, it's a German thing, a Prussian thing that they just slapped a swastika on. I'm still side-eyeing Raikkonen though...

Anyways, thanks for reading