The remarkable early successes of the armed forces of the Third Reich prompted the decision that the supreme decoration for personal valour or outstanding leade

On 21 June 1941, as the Wehrmachtstormed forward across the frontiers of the Soviet Union, Hitler instituted a new higher grade of the Knight's Cross decoration

In 1939 a new grade in the Iron Cross series was introduced, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). It was awarded for a varie

On 21 June 1941, as the Wehrmachtstormed forward across the frontiers of the Soviet Union, Hitler instituted a new higher grade of the Knight's Cross decoration

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, to give it its full name, owes its origins to the Pour le Merite (Blue Max), an imperial award dating back to 1740. The Co