The Iron Cross and Knight's Cross
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- A historical overview of the famous Iron Cross award as seen in many war movies.
More War Movie Content: / johnnyjohnsonesq
Second Channel: / @johnnyjohnsonhistory
Movies/Video Games Featured:
Dumb Patrol 1964
Cross of Iron 1977
Knights of the Teutonic Order 1960
1864 (2014)
All Quiet on the Western Front 1979
Downfall 2004
Battle for Sevastopol 2015
Das Boot 1981
The Red Baron 2008
Stalingrad 1993
The Bunker 1981
The Blue Max 1966
All Quiet on the Western Front 2022
Ace of Aces 1982
Battle of Britain 1969
Valkyrie 2008
Waterloo 1970
Herr Meets Hare 1945
Hitler: The Rise of Evil 2003
Schindler’s List 1993
Conspiracy 2001
Gramps Is in the Resistance 1983
Rommel 2012
Inglourious Basterds 2009
The Dick Cavett Show
#history #ww2 #army
Repost. Tried to add some clarity to this complex subject. Fresh video in 24h.
Any hints as to what the fresh vid will be on?
Thanks Johnny, this is why you one of my favorite RUclipsrs oat
@@thekhoifish0146 something frog like
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqfrogmen?
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Amphibious vehicle!?
"none issued due to the lack of war". awesome line
Does that mean we'll see the Iron Cross again in WW3 ???
*cough cough* Afghanistan and the Gulf War *cough cough*
My father when he was younger befriended a ANZAC veteran who had served as a scout on the Western front in WW1, before he died he gave my father several artifacts that he had kept from the war but didn’t want, some of the items he had were from a German soldier he had killed during a trench raid, included with those items was an Iron cross 2nd class, even after a century it still has part of its ribbon still
The Balkenkreuz is also the icon for youtube's "exit full screen" button
Wait.... RUclips was feeding me a nazi symbol,
THIS WHOLE TIME. UNTHINKABLE! quickly brand youtube a nazi!.
I joke, but i saw a meme pointing that out once, also worth noting is that that many youtubers use the youtube symbol as a swastika in the nazi flag, because using the actual symbol would get the video de-monetised as best, or restricted or banned at worst.
Astute
HA. now I cant unsee it.
@MrWooaa nobody who's seen it can - and it's been there for years ☝🏻
I had to go check to see if that was true! 😆
Also the bundeswehr made a ruling that soldiers could wear their iron crosses that were earned in WW2, provided they had been de-nazified.
That is the mentioned 1950s version. Many of the military awards did receive those versions for the veterans who previously got them (no party orders though).
Might not look very good with a shiny patch where the swastika is ground off
@@TheStig505the swastika was replaced with trifoliate oak leaves, similar to the original 1813 iron cross
Take a drink every time he says “cross” 🍻
Your liver must be awarded the Iron Cross after this
yyyeerrraarrsesssarseaandthgrasssmannpunkyeseyahhavinh
@77davidwebb I will be as inebriated as that U-boat captain @ 1:27
*Participates in this drinking game
*Fucking dies
I am starting to see tiny red barons flying around my head bro
I need to stop with the German beer
The Iron Cross was featured in many films, series and documentaries. Hermann Goering's large iron cross knight's cross was actually unique.
@rolfagten857 yeah, it was made only for him. The big fat morphine addict buffoon, who didn't make a right decision in the whole war. His phrase was, yeah, no problem, my luftwaffe can handle that.
Grand Cross.
@@davejohns6694 This is the word. Grsnd Cross. Thanks.
with oakleafs, swords and diamonts etc. which makes him defacto the highest decorated german soldier ever.
Isnt it displayed at west point?
@@westphalianstallion4293 No, Hans Ulrich Rudel was the highest awarded combatant in Germany. He was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, with oakleaves, swords and diamonds in gold. The only recipient to receive this. Goering enjoyed awarding himself awards and pestered Hitler for more. The Grand Cross was nominally the highest award that was bestowed, though unlike Rudel's KC, it wasn't for direct combat.
Love this channel. Videos are packed with information and historic analysis. No long messing around with unimportant background stuff. You cover topics really well.
I own Germanys "Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Bronze" and a neat fact is that yes you get it for Heroic or Brave deeds (you can be the judge what counts towards that) but theres 3 versions of ot with each of them also having a timed served requirement.
I got mine because i was in the army 5+ years.
For Silver you need atleast 10+ years
and Gold is if iam not mistaken 15+ years of service in the army.
Vielen Dank für Ihren Dienst !! Ich wollte schon Immer dienen aber auch Gesundheitlichen Gründen konnte ich nie.
LG
Danke für den Dienst!
Ich wollte ja aber ich bin zu Faul dazu und beschwere mich zu gerne :)
Twice as nice the second time. Thanks Johnny!
But...Nobody's ever tried sharpening the edges and using the Iron Cross as a throwing star, right? And accidentally getting it stuck in the door to their bedroom when they threw it to check the balance? Because that would be silly.
😂
We've seen Regular Nazis, Neo Nazis and even Nazi Zombies. This summer, get ready for.. NINJA NAZIS!
@MM22966 Or if gramps who fought in ww2, opened the door right as you threw the sharpened iron cross. Right in the neck. Lol. The irony.
@@brettschermeister9389Iron-y.
Everybody who read your comment is now dumber somehow. eViL nAzI hUr dUr🥴 with your dollar store education
I enjoy it a second time around with more context
Whatever vid I'm watching at the time, when I'm notified on one of yours, I'll always skip what I'm watching and tune in to yours.
Thanks Johnny. 👍
Love these supportive comments
Another fine presentation and compilation. All my favorites were there, including "Downfall."
"You see this??? I forbid you to talk that way to me!"
Blucher was not a general but a Field Marshal by 1815.
You ought to have stated that the design of all these crosses is a Maltese Cross. That is directly due to the Military Orders, among whom were the Teutonic Knights, the Sword Brethren, and the Livonian Order. The design originated from the pre-Crusade Military Order, the Hospitallars, otherwise known as the Order of St. John. Such was their prestige and success in comating Islam, that by the time they established their base in Malta, the design of the now long established cross became lnown as the Maltese cross, evenbthough that design had been worn centuries before. You could do a whole video on that and a whole mini series on the Medieval Military Orders.
Nice video.
Actually the German Iron Cross was modeled after the "cross pattée", which predates the Maltese cross. The Teutonic order used the cross pattée.
@@richardstephens5570 Right. An actual Maltese cross is a four-armed cross with eight points. Think of the Pour le Merite medal, the "Blue Max" of WW1. That's a Maltese cross.
what a wonderful and well researched video...thoroughly enjoyed!!!
It's obvious that a tremendous amount of research goes into producing your videos. Keep 'em coming.
Great video and appreciate the information
Excellent video once again, very nicely presented! 👍
Also, i have a suggestion on a video you could make in the future, on civil war ironclads, like USS Cairo, or CSS Albemarle, Ironclads from the era all have really interesting stories, Anyway, great video.
Interesting and informative as always.
Its so cool. The coolest medal in the war. They sure had some style.
Which war?
@kb4903 ww2
@@kb4903 Any war. It's an immediately iconic medal.
@@brettschermeister9389they definitely looked cool in my grandpa's war trophy collection he took home
I'm not sure it's the coolest but it's certainly one of the most visually striking and recognizable.
Its interesting how they started out rare, but the base model ended up a participation prize at the end of wwii
You had to do something in battle of real effort.
As one could not get the first, without the second.
" Participation ' was the war merit with swords , or without.
This is good work.
The robbery Iron Cross scene from The Bridge of Remagen -1969- makes up for a lot! Ben Gazarra stole (Serg. Angel) an Iron Cross 2nd class from a fallen German. after emptying the chicken barn.
GREAT SHOW............
I'm pretty sure that if Germany were involved in a war the decoration would be reinstated. It has only been worn in formal wartime, which is why it has the dates.
Just remove occupation force a.k.a American forces in Germany and they gonna go back to old habits in no time.
After WW1 they were plotting with Bolsheviks and preparing WW2 right after they signed peace treaty with allies->Treaty of Rapallo, (April 16, 1922).
Like love the most the story that they love to sell that the WW2 was all about fight with communism:
"The Kama tank school (German: Panzerschule Kama) was a secret training school for tank commanders operated by the German Reichswehr near Kazan, Soviet Union. It operated from 1929 to 1933. The school was established in order to allow the German military to circumvent the military restrictions on tank research spelled out in the Treaty of Versailles. Apart from Kama, for the same reason Germany also operated the Lipetsk fighter-pilot school (1926-33) and a gas warfare facility, Gas-Testgelände Tomka (1928-31)."
After the Bolsheviks took power in Russia, they announced that they were not the continuation of Russia and as a result would not pay Russian debts, as a result the whole world imposed an embargo on trade with them, which they decided to break with Germany and trade with them as best as they could and actively help them develop their industry and army. Not to mention that when Lenin decided to spread communism throughout Europe and attacked Poland, Germany closed its borders so that military aid for Poland would not reach them and so that the Bolsheviks would destroy Poland (just as they cooperated in this matter in September 1939).
I also recommend looking up what the Prime Minister of Japan said to his associates when it turned out that a member of the Anti-Comintern Pact, instead of fighting the Comintern, attacked a country friendly with Japan and gave it 51% of its territory, not to mention that this attacked country was the only one that defeated the Comintern in 1920.
At 2:15 we all know that the real reason behind the letter "W" is to let people know that the soldier who got it is a winner and made some W decisions 🔥
wohooooo new video, i love this channel
I drank Everytime he said IRON CROSS and KNIGHTS CROSS as it did not end well
0:01 Omg😂 I remember watching this episode of Looney tunes as a kid in Nigeria 😂 Funny enough, that show introduced me to a lot of early WW2 history, unintentionally😅
Did you know there was a prototype design where it had the Bundesadler and the year 2008 on an Iron Cross? Weird as it sounds, but that nearly became a thing
Always love these vids on historical war awards.
Sometimes wonder what the then Soviet (or Russian counterpart) was?
Only one i can think of is 'The Order Of Lenin' but that's only after warching 'The Hunt for Red October' :D
I think the Soviet equivalent was the Hero of the Soviet Union.
If the Iron Cross is ever brought back, it should be brought back only during a time of war, after wars end issuing of new crosses should be discontinued, and the data of each new issuing like before should be always on the cross. So say if Germany went to war in 2025 it would have 2025 on the cross, if she went to war in 2057 etc.
Uhhh, this vid's a big one! 'Treue um Treue' and Best from Germany
The difference between bravery medals and iron crosses was that these were more awarded for continous service than for a single deed, at least in both world wars. In 1813 and 1871 it was more handled like a conventional bravery medal. But generally in both world wars, the iron cross for officers degenerated into a participation trophy. There was a saying "the german officer can only avoid the award of an iron cross by suicide". On the contrary, an enlisted man or NCO with an Iron Cross would have to have archived something substantial. Even more so in the very rare cases of non officer Knights Crosses. Re the Iron Cross in WW1, it was ostensibly a Royal Prussian medal, but was awarded empire wide (hence the bavarian soldier wore it). As every single federal state of Germany had its own merit system down to the House of Reuss younger and older line, you could end up getting a LOT of bravery medals in WW1 but generally only the Iron Cross was taken seriously.
Great video.
The best Knights Cross scene was in the movie "Amen".
I finally Iron Cross from Germany really interesting.
Sir, I Still Waiting For Mosin Nagant
The Russian or Finnish one?
@Lonovavir Russian
The cross pattée or Templar cross was used by other nations, as well.
mustache man missed the opportunity to put his initials AH on the iron cross.
Maybe they were afraid people would scream any time they saw one. “Aaahhh!”
@1994CPK yeah, he forgot. Was more concerned how many jews he could kill every minute, rather than any milliary actions.
@@kingleech16 the Nazi Goverment imprinted their Swastika on the metal instead of the Crown of Prussia. It was shown in the video
Pretty sure he tried having his initials put on stuff but it just reminded him (and others) of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his much loathed place of origin.
@@WhatIsSanity bro austria hungary is spelled österreich-ungarn in german
I always found it interesting how the Germans during WWII wouldn't award multiple Iron Crosses but award upgrades for each subsequent one they earned. This is unlike other nations, like the US, where you can earn a medal (or ribbon) multiple times over, even the Medal of Honor. Of course, this doesn't mean that you wear multiple of the same award, in the US little stars are added to the ribbon to indicate subsequent awards.
Only 19 servicemen have been awarded the US Medal of Honor a second time since it's inception in 1863, and all earned them in WWI or earlier. It's the same reason why there were more German aces than American ones: Americans rotated the experienced ones out to train recruits while Germany kept them on the front until the end.
I was given one by an old SS guy in town.
The Victoria Cross was a better idea as it was made from the metal of one (or was it several) cannon seized in Crimea so there is an absolute limit of how many Victoria Crosses can be issued.
It's several cannons. Theoretically there's a limit but they're not close to running out anytime soon.
And when and if they do they'll just substitute the cannon bronze with bronze from another source.
A British friend of mine told me that when Victoria Crosses are needed slices of metal are cut from those captured Russian cannon and there's a little ceremony that goes with it.
For making a video on the Iron cross we award you the iron cross
And since you got the 2nd class one, hell have the 1st one for receiving that just a minute ago
When I worked at the Post Office I once had a woman come in complaining that her son had gotten an Iron Cross by mail and didn’t want a Nazi medal in her house. She showed me this “Nazi medal” and it was just a US military marksman badge.
Ha ha
She probably met real Germans on her way.
In Poland during World War II there was a saying:
It is better to meet a bad Pole than a good German.
😅
Here is some real story about this cross ussers and how they realy behaved when they were using this christian sign.
"Soon after the takeover, on 19 June 1310, the Teutonic Knights faced charges that they had committed a massacre in a bull issued by pope Clement V: "Latest news were brought to my attention, that officials and brethren of the aforementioned Teutonic order have hostilely intruded the lands of Our beloved son Wladislaw, duke of Cracow and Sandomierz, and in the town of Gdańsk killed more than ten thousand people with the sword, inflicting death on whining infants in cradles whom even the enemy of faith would have spared.""
Betwen 1310 and 1945 there was plenty of the same... and they are nice now only because US occupation force is there to this day and Germans are not allowed to have independent high command -> so they are pushing hard the idea of separate from NATO -> EU Army -> so they finnaly can finaly go back to old habits and plan for WW3 without issues...😁
Thank for reminding me I have to take the dry cleaning in, I'm no good with an Iron. Thanks, Johnny. Catch ya for another one.
The Iron Cross is gone but the shape stays, being quite old. Beside the Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr it currently is also used for the Veteran's Badge, for wear on civilian clothing.
7:50 I've never seen this image before. ...I need to find a cat in a SS uniform.
Did you switch to AI voicing in your videos? It sounds incredibly stiff and is the only way I could see the mispronunciation of Blucher.
nah I never will I promise. It's just an older video and I tried to edit in some new recordings with old audio and I couldn't get it perfect. I'll always do bad narration over AI narration though.
@JohnnyJohnsonEsq thank God
In 2014,germany trialled an iron cross 1st class for the afghanistan campaign...identical to the ww2 issue but with the federal eagle in the centre and the 2014 date on the bottom arm.....it was decided it resembled too much the ww2 award and the idea was dropped.
For your defense of Capitalism and bravery in the taking of the Blue Properties, I award you the highest honor, the Pewter Thimble! Only I can have the battleship.
How about the Grape Nehi bottle cap, also known as The Nellie, from the movie "UP" (2009)?
In War Thunder I have the two Iron Crosses of 1st and 2nd Class soon I'll be getting the 3rd Class.
Lol the whole different classes of it was confusing at first
Still an honorable enough medal, all things considered, not unlike the word Panzer.
Meantime, dibs on the Monopoly battleship!
Werhaboo
"And that's how I earned the Iron Cross."
-Abe Simpson
It seems that nearly every German had at least the Iron Cross klasse 2.
Not really. While the Wehrmacht gave out several millions, they had 18 million men over the war.
13 million Germans served in ww1 and 5 million or so iron crosses were awarded. So about 1 in 2.6 soldiers got the second class. Only 218,000 first class were awarded, so like one in every 60 or so soldiers. Rather rare, especially given the intensity of fighting
@ es, but it still seems like about 1/2 had some class of Iron Cross along with all the other badges for unit type, wounds, combat experience, etc. While I’m thinking about it, I always wonder this too; WHO makes all those things? All the medals, ribbons, badges, rank pips, things like that.
Hi
Howdy
The Modern one The ''BundesverdienstKreuz'' kann also be given to civilians who comitted exeptional for service in the republic
I rememeber back in the day watching a docu-drama on Germany and the rise of the nazi's, they had highlighted Richard Stern, a Jewish veteran of WW1 who displayed the iron cross he earned for bravery in their faces as a form of protest.
I recently visited the Anıtkabir (the mausoleum of Atatürk) and learned that Atatürk had an iron cross, probably for his actions in WW1.
Thats Hot
Notification squad present.
Present!
Hoo haa!
@@Sanj1n
I'm here.
Several Japanese officer and ministers of the Empire of Japan were gifted with Iron Crosses.
Just another dumb thing about post war Germany, ending the iron cross which makes 0 sense to do.
Love you German people.🤗❤️
1:05 , the Balkenkreuz is still in active use in Ukraine
niceee
At some point in the video, one HAS to realize the absurdity of war. No offense to brave people, but maybe, just maybe "bravery" is the ridiculous crumbs we bestow on those we assign to kill each other for...Yeah, for what?!? At some point in the video, around the 2/3 mark, it all became...obscene. No, no fault of the video, it was VERY informative, thank you for that, but also thank for helping me realize how absurd we humans truly are. This was truly...depressing...
Yosemite what??
Instructions not clear. Invaded Poland
I won my Knights Cross by taking it off a German prisoner....... at a reenactment in 2021. I had to run uphill for that thing!!!!!
Honestly I thought this was the cartoon in the thumbnail.
ummmm. That Teutonic knight looks like a psycho killer lol...
2:39 as a veteran myself. regardless of the era, it’s highly insulting not to be allowed to wear the award you actually received.
Nazi Germany issued a couple of awards specifically for forbidden activities, such as the anti partisan badge, which were banned in the federal republic in any form worn. Same for purely party distinctions, like the blood order or party badge, Whilst military medals could be worn, but without the forbidden symbolism.
I wouldn't get so hung up on it, if your iron cross means nothing to you if it has no swastika on it, you're a Nazi first and soldier second.
Boy, that aces of aces scene makes me cringe when it comes to weapons.
Video on Russia and Vodka when?
Ну, если про водку, то нужен тост и песня. Выпьем за Сталина!
Если на Родине с нами встречаются
Несколько старых друзей,
Все что нам дорого припоминается
Песня звучит веселей.
Ну ка товарищи грянем застольную
Выше стаканы с вином,
Выпьем за Родину нашу привольную
Выпьем и снова нальем.
Выпьем за русскую удаль кипучую,
За богатырский народ!
Выпьем за армию нашу могучую,
Выпьем за доблестный флот!
Встанем, товарищи, выпьем за гвардию,
Равной ей в мужестве нет.
Тост наш за Сталина! Тост наш за Партию!
Тост наш за знамя побед!
I have a Monopoly board
The greatest medals for bravery to ever exist. hands down
"where the Iron Crosses grow"
6:33 Goering doesn’t wear a black uniform.
Когда Красная армия взяла Берлин этих крестов валялось кучей.
The Balkan cross is currently used by Ukraine on their armor
one more thing on the very long list of stuff ruined by Nazis
No, only by very ignorant people who think human history started in 1933.
0:32 is that really meant to be pro-Teutonic propaganda? The knight looks more evil than the (Russians?) fighting him. What is that face lol
1200s??? Gee I wonder what health and beauty standards were back then 🤔
I guess if Germany would ever find herself in a great war with say the Russians, the Iron Cross would come back as an award. It is not a medal to be given for counterinsurgency combat in far away places like Afghanistan. This medal is for wars where everything is at stake. So I hope it won't come to that, especially given the risk of it going nuclear
It’s a little ironic that the iron cross is based on the Teutonic order and it was Hitler who basically shut them down after annexing Austria and Czechoslovakia.
These reposts are getting annoying 🙄
Sorry new video by tonight or tomorrow morning
Most retired Nazis know these, but uniforms.
No doubt that Ulrich Rudel was a good ground attack pilot, but 519 tanks sounds as inflated as Goering's waistline.
These are actualy all documented. With the Ju 87 G-1 StuKa armed with 37mm anti-tank guns, it was possible to kill a dozen tanks in a single sortie. And from soviet records we know they lost these tanks too.
@alm5992 yeah those numbers are correct, but it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Same with the high kills the german aces had, like 200-300. Remember, the Germans were shooting at the soviets, who's only quality trait was dying for the motherland. Pilots and tankers with minimal training, like hey i just got my licence today! Ok, now go to the front line and fight comrade. The soviets just overpowered the Germans with such massive numbers, Rudel could have killed 1000 tanks and it wouldn't have even made a dent. He would fly over and over again. He got shot down like 5 times, and even lost his leg. Still kept flying. He's the highest decorated German. Knights cross with oak leaves, swords and diamonds.
That number is real but like the previous commentator said, it feels like they were playing on easy mode. Take for example Michael Wittman who has 100 or so tank kills in the Eastern Front during his few years in service there. When he got transferred to the Western Front, he didn't last two weeks and he lost his tank before he lost his life a short time after that...
@@brettschermeister9389 Not to mention that they used mostly T-34 variants which weren't particulary good outside of production numbers and mobility due to wider tracks
@@brettschermeister9389
"...the Soviets, whose only quality trait was dying for the Motherland..."
You mean, like the Russians of today? 😉 💀💀💀💀💀
Nichts wert
"Boo hoo I am so easily offended that I'll always ignore context and presume the Iron Cross to be a bad symbol."
*GROW. UP.*
Check the people wearing them, and there's your hint...
Military prizes for playing stupid games.
The bar cross is showing up on Ukrainian tanks for reasons. 🤷♂️
True😂
Yeah pretty oblivious, Balkenkreuz on a German tank from Germany. They have been providing tanks to Ukraine for almost 3 years if you didn't hear.
Nice try Ivan, but you won't receive extra potato rations
Russian Trolls always try to spread confussion and desinformation in support of Putins Imperialism
Nice presentation.You really did your research on this one!
Let's hope you don't catch and FLAK for this video considering the general attitude towards any such mention of things related to the Third Reich.