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Message: [QUOTE="Zapp Brannigan, post: 25964, member: 72"] Before the Nazi era, the Iron Cross was a Prussian decoration, not a German decoration. Furthermore, it was only awarded for specific conflicts (the Wars of Liberation, the Franco-Prussian War, and World War I). Prussia had a number of other decorations for valor which could be awarded on other occasions. And each of the states of the German Empire, such as Bavaria, Hesse, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Anhalt, had its own decorations. Many of them are quite "pretty". In any event, they are not associated with the Nazis. The main problem is that unlike the Iron Cross, most were awarded based on rank - one decoration for officers, one for enlisted, different classes depending on your rank. By contrast, the Iron Cross was an egalitarian decoration, given without regard to rank. A modern democracy would not necessarily want to revive an award associated with the strong class distinctions of a monarchy (indeed, even a monarchy, Great Britain, eventually did away with its distinctions between officer awards like the Military Cross and enlisted awards like the Military Medal). The other problem is that all Imperial-era decorations were awarded by states, not by Germany, so reviving any one of them, or making a new decoration modelled after one, might annoy other regions. As noted above, the Iron Cross was a "big war" award. If the Germans are thinking about a new decoration, they could look to examples of what German soldiers earned in other conflicts such as the German-Danish Wars, the Austro-Prussian War, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Herero War. This was the highest award a Prussian enlisted soldier could earn (even during World War I; it ranked ahead of the Iron Cross): [img]http://home.att.net/~david.danner/militaria/Prussia_gold_MVK_obv.jpg[/img][img]http://home.att.net/~david.danner/militaria/Prussia_gold_MVK_rev.jpg[/img] A Bavarian soldier might earn this as his kingdom's highest honor: [img]http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals/germany/gTM_HH1.JPG[/img] A Badener had this (the only German decoration that had the recipient's name engraved on it): [img]http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals2/Germany/DE_Baden_TM_1_HH.jpg[/img][img]http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals2/Germany/DE_Baden_TM_2_HH.jpg[/img] The Pour le Merite (popularly called the "Blue Max"), is a well-recognized honor associated with people like the Red Baron and a young Erwin Rommel. However, it has class issues as it was for officers only. Hitler created the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, in fact, because he specifically did not want to revive this officer's award that he, as a lance corporal, could never have earned. [img]http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals3/DE_Preussen_plM_HH.jpg[/img] Etc. There are actually then scores of different designs to choose from. Of course, what they will end up with is some cheap piece of crap like the Bundeswehr's current Honor Decorations: [img]http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals/germany/DE_BW_Ehrenkreuze_1.jpg[/img] [/QUOTE]

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