As our Berlin correspondent, Tony Patterson, reported last week, Germany has been riven by controversy since the Defence Minister, Franz Josef Jung, announced plans for a medal, “similar in shape to the Iron Cross”, to be awarded to German troops risking their lives in Afghanistan. The proposal was greeted with fierce opposition from the Greens, Social Democrats, and Jewish groups, and within 24 hours, he had backed down, stating that any new medal would bear no resemblance to the Iron Cross.
"Given the legacy of Hitler and the Second World War,” said Rainer Arnold, a leading Social Democrat, “the medal is too burdened by the past to be reintroduced." Stephan Kramer, General Secretary of Central Council of Jews in Germany, was of the same opinion. The Iron Cross, he said, was "shamelessly abused" by the Nazis and had become synonymous with Hitlerism.
Yet the Iron Cross is not synonymous with Nazism, but was introduced by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III during the Napoleonic Wars. And although it has not been used as a military decoration since the end of the Second World War, it is still the official emblem of the Bundeswehr, and has been displayed on its tanks and planes for 60 years without protest.
It is worth remembering that, before Hitler came to power, many holders of the medal were Jewish: the picture shows a detail from the grave of a Jewish serviceman in the former German city of Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland). Of the 555,000 Jews living in the German empire in at the outbreak of the First World War, 100,000 served in all branches of the armed; 12,000 of them died in action; and many were awarded the Iron Cross.
This did not, of course save them from the concentration camps. Perhaps the award is irretrievably tainted – but then again, maybe it would be better to reclaim it, rather that give the Nazis credit for something that was not theirs in the first place?
What a wasted opportunity. A newly-instituted Iron Cross could have been presented by Germany to ALL those fighting in Iraq. No more suitable decoration could be imagined.
Posted by: Neil McGowan | Monday, 10 March 2008 at 12:51 PM
"Given the legacy of Hitler and the Second World War,”
...no point in being PC and taboo about it - one of the legacies of the British Empire was its inspiration to Hitler. Talking of the pre-Hitler German empire, Iron Crosses, and concentration camps and genocidal legacies...wonder how many, Jewish, Christian and kaffir German colonial stormtroopers were awarded Iron Crosses for just 'doing their jobs’ in Namibia?
"reclaim it, rather that give the Nazis credit for something that was not theirs in the first place?"
Yeah but neither were concentration camps nor the imperial name Windhoek. Anyway the Independent wouldn't dream of attempting to spin the same Eurocentric argument on behalf of the (pre-civil war) Rwandan flag with the letter R.
"the medal is too burdened by the past to be reintroduced"
Maybe the German genocidaires should of never abandoned their metal trinkets in the first place – South African and Rhodesian apartheid paraphernalia/memorabilia is rife in the white commonwealth, no questions asked.
The German genocidaires are definitely not burdened about it’s genocidal past against Namibians so why Jews. The Blairofascist Independent should be awarded an honorary Iron Cross for services to Eurocentric spin on the legacy of the Iron Cross.
Europe Adieu.
Posted by: Tshwane | Monday, 10 March 2008 at 02:34 PM
The Iron Cross was first awaded in 1813 during the Napolionic wars, a special iron cross was also issues to Russians who served with the Prussians in the same era. So it's getting on for 2 centuries of existance, why not reclaim it for what it is an award for bravery.
The last iron crosses issued were in 1957 to enable veterans of WW2 to wear them without the offensive swastika. It was recognised as an item of value to those that won the award and the sacrifices they had made.
Bring it back, it is not a symbol of hate.
Posted by: Chris | Monday, 10 March 2008 at 07:31 PM
"it's getting on for 2 centuries of existance, why not reclaim it for what it is an award for bravery."
Run me through how the German genocide against Namibian civilians constitutes bravery?
Posted by: Tshwane | Tuesday, 11 March 2008 at 12:35 PM
hi, i would keep the iron cross,so stick that in your pipe and smoke it if you don't what i say,you can find faults about any country in this world -real and not real-u'all have a nice day.
Posted by: richard zatyko | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 12:51 AM
Just to set the facts straight..... Concentration cames were a British invention. First created and used by the British during the South African Boer war.
Posted by: Setting the facts straight | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 09:36 AM
The iron cross invented by Schinkell had nothing to do with Hitler. A similar analogy would be iraq donnoning the same flag colors of imperial germany, the black white and red. Will the jews of the world stop reminding the generation of germans who know nothing of the holocaust and allow them to decorqate the soldiers whom, I might add are also fighting for their freedom over in the middle east. the iron cross eist Deutschland, Deutschland eist the Eisern Kreuse.
Posted by: Should not the bravest of the brave be singled out by an award centuries old? | Monday, 14 April 2008 at 04:25 PM
This is like saying that the American flag is "akin" to endorsing slavery, because slavery was legal in the U.S. for the first 70 or so years of its existence. The Iron Cross is part of German History, and Third Reich period crosses were modified, just as WWI period crosses were modified--and many Jews served the German state through the military in WWI and were awarded the Iron Cross. This kind of knee-jerk reaction only propagates ignorance, just like the child who thinks that things disappear when his or her eyes are closed.
Posted by: Victor | Saturday, 19 April 2008 at 09:51 PM