    thumb|200px|a cap worn by a member of the prussian landwehr in the 19th century. the iron cross () is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the kingdom of jerusalem granted the teutonic order the right to combine the teutonic black cross placed above a silver cross of jerusalem.jean-denis lepage. medieval armies and weapons in western europe: an illustrated history. mcfarland & company, inc., 2005. pp. 193. the military decoration called the iron cross which existed in the kingdom of prussia, and later in the german empire and third reich, was established by king friedrich wilhelm iii of prussia and first awarded on the 10th of march in 1813 during the napoleonic wars. the recommissioned iron cross was also awarded during the franco-prussian war, world war i, and world war ii. the iron cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. two examples of this were civilian test pilots hanna reitsch who was awarded the iron cross 2nd class and 1st class and melitta schenk grÃ¤fin von stauffenberg, who was awarded the iron cross 2nd class, for their actions as pilots during world war ii. the iron cross was used as the symbol of the german army from 1871 to march/april 1918, when it was replaced by the bar cross. the iron cross was reintroduced as an award in the german army in 1939 with a swastika added in the center during the third reich in world war ii. in 1956, the iron cross resumed its german military usage, as it became the symbol of the bundeswehr, the modern german armed forces. the traditional design is black and this design is used on armored vehicles and aircraft. a newer design in blue and silver is used as the emblem in other contexts. ==design== thumb|various iterations from 1813 to 1870 the iron cross is a black four-pointed cross with white trim, with the arms widening toward the ends, similar to a cross pattÃ©e. frederick william iii commissioned the neoclassical architect karl friedrich schinkel to design the iron cross after a royal sketch.michael nungesser, das denkmal auf dem kreuzberg von karl friedrich schinkel, ed. on behalf of the bezirksamt kreuzberg von berlin as catalogue of the exhibition âdas denk
1813_establishments_in_Germany 1870_establishments 1914_establishments_in_Germany 1939_establishments_in_Germany Awards_established_in_1813 Awards_established_in_1914 Awards_established_in_1939 Courage_awards Cross_symbols Military_awards_and_decorations_of_Germany_(Wehrmacht) Military_awards_and_decorations_of_Prussia Recipients_of_the_Iron_Cross