Original 1990s German 1957 Pattern Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross by S&L with Ribbon in Case Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This award is one of the most desirable of all German Awards, and is usually just called the Knight’s cross. After WWII was over however, many awards and medals were prohibited from display due to the NSDAP symbols they bore. The German Law about Titles, Orders and Honorary Signs (German language: Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen) regulated the wearing of the Knight’s Cross in post World War II Germany.

German law prohibits wearing a swas (hook cross), so on 26 July 1957 the West German government authorized replacement Knight’s Crosses with an Oak Leaf Cluster in place of the swas, similar to the Iron Cross of 1914, and the Iron Cross of 1957, which could be worn by World War II recipients.

This example was made in the 1990s, and is of the 5th grade, with no additional devices added. It is our understanding that these were made by Steinhauer & Lück. It is marked on the hanger ring with 800 (silver percentage). This example is in very good shape, and comes complete with the correct tri-color rayon ribbon.

If you were looking for a Knight’s Cross to add to your display, this may be it!

The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight’s Cross (Ritterkreuz), and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of NSDAP Germany during World War II.

The Knight’s Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of military valor. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht: the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force), as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labor Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia), along with personnel from other Axis powers.

The award was instituted on 1 September 1939, at the onset of the German invasion of Poland. A higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross, was instituted in 1940. In 1941, two higher grades of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves were instituted: the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the end of 1944 the final grade, the Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, was created. Over 7,000 awards were made during the course of the war.

The Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz, abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and NSDAP Germany (1933–1945). It was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in March 1813 backdated to the birthday of his late wife Queen Louise on 10 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). Louise was the first person to receive this decoration (posthumous). The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War (EK 1870), World War I (EK 1914), and World War II (EK 1939, re-introduced with a swas added in the center).

The Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, for their actions as pilots during World War II.