The Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Stern zum Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) was the highest

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a meda ...

of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

and the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. It was considered a senior decoration to the

Grand Cross of the Iron Cross The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) was a decoration intended for victorious generals of the Prussian Army and its allies. It was the second highest class of the Iron Cross, following the Star of the Gran ...

. The Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to the most outstanding of generals who performed feats of leadership to the extreme benefit of the Prussian and later German state. It was awarded only twice, a century apart, to Field Marshal

Gebhard von Blücher Gebhard (''Gebhart'') is a German given name, recorded at least from the 9th century. It is composed of the Old High German elements ''geb'' "gift" and ''hard'' "brave, hardy". People with the surname *Heinrich Gebhard (1878-1963), pianist, comp ...

in 1815 for his part in the victory over Napoleon at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...

, and to Field Marshal

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fr ...

on 25 March 1918 for his conduct of the 1918 German spring offensive. Hindenburg had received the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 December 1916. The award is commonly known as "Blücher's Star" (''Blücherstern'') after its first recipient. A second world war version of the Star was devised, but never formally instituted or awarded. Following the Allied victory in May 1945, the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

seized the only known prototype, which had been stored in a bunker. It is now a part of the collection of the Museum of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

(USMA) in

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

Notes

References

* * *{{cite book, editor-last=Zabecki, editor-first=David T., title=Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History, year=2014, location=Santa Barbara, publisher=ABC-CLIO, isbn=9781598849813 Military awards and decorations of Prussia 1813 establishments in Prussia Awards established in 1813

See also

Notes

References