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Various WWII styles of the Balkenkreuz; also see Luftwaffe for official specification versions. The Balkenkreuz (lit. ' beam cross' or 'bar cross ') [1] is a straight-armed cross that was first introduced in 1916–1918 and later became the emblem of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) and its branches from 1935 until the end of World War II.
War flag of Prussia (1816). The Black Cross (Schwarzes Kreuz) is the emblem used by the Prussian Army and Germany's army from 1871 to the present.It was designed on the occasion of the German Campaign of 1813, when Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia commissioned the Iron Cross as the first military decoration open to all ranks, including enlisted men.
German Cross in Gold Kriegsorden des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold 28 September 1941 – 8 May 1945 For continuous bravery before the enemy or excellence in commanding troops (not justifying the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross but having already been awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class) 24,204 (24,190 German, 14 Axis allies) German Cross in Silver
The Nazis' principal symbol was the swastika, which the newly established Nazi Party formally adopted in 1920. [1] The formal symbol of the party was the Parteiadler, an eagle atop a swastika. The black-white-red motif is based on the colours of the flags of the German Empire.
The award of the German Cross was not a prerequisite for the award of the Knight's Cross of either the Iron Cross or War Merit Cross, and the German Cross could be awarded to Knight's Cross holders. [6] While civilians were not eligible, awards could be made to members of uniformed formations including the police and railway workers. [7]
The World War II German Luftwaffe often used such 'low-visibility' versions of their national Balkenkreuz insignia from the mid-war period through to V-E Day, omitting the central black 'core' cross, and only using the 'flanks' of the cross instead, in either black or white versions, which was often done (as an outline only) to the vertical fin ...
The German Law of Titles, Orders and Honours (German: Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen) regulates the wearing of the Knight's Cross in post World War II Germany. German law prohibits wearing a swastika, so on 26 July 1957 the West German government authorized replacement Knight's Crosses with an Oak Leaf Cluster in place of the ...
Symbol Name Meaning Comments Wolfsangel: Liberty and independence The Wolfsangel ('wolf hook') was used as a heraldic symbol alluding to a wolf trap, and is still found on the municipal arms of a number of German towns and cities. It was adopted by a fifteenth-century peasants' uprising, thus acquiring an association with liberty and independence.