Iron Cross

Iron Cross is the UK’s only magazine of German military history from the First World War to the end of the Second World War. Covering all aspects of German military history including the Imperial German forces of the Great War, the Weimar period and the Nazi period. Iron Cross prides itself on the highest quality production with stunning content in the unique and ground-breaking features, often revealing untold stories and publishing photographs that have never been seen before. Iron Cross features specially commissioned and innovative artwork in all issues.

ON SALE NOW • Your ultimate guide to the greatest ships of World War II from seven nations, with rare colour photos, blueprints & key class specifications

Iron Cross

Editorial

CONTRIBUTORS • Introducing you to some of our main contributors for this issue:-

Letters from a Luftwaffe Ace • The English-speaking world knows little of Erbo Graf von Kageneck, the 39th recipient of the Knights Cross with Oakleaves, but Kristen Alexander draws on his wartime letters – here in English for the first time – to highlight the young Jagdflieger’s emotional life and stellar aviation career.

Allied Perspectives on the A7V • To follow-up on our lead feature in the last edition of Iron Cross magazine, we are able to present a series of Allied intelligence drawings of what was then the new battlefield monster of 1918.

Woe of The Vanquished • Documentary photographer Vladimir Pomortzeff spent four years travelling across Germany to find and document the most impressive examples of German war memorials - monuments that have left a sometimes uncomfortable legacy for the country in the 20th and 21st centuries.

‘Battle of Britain’ • The epic and star-studded 1969 film Battle of Britain saw film makers ambitiously attempting to faithfully tell the story of the 1940 air campaign. James Jefferies explores how well the role of the Luftwaffe was portrayed in the film.

Staffelkapitän: Leadership in Battle • The leadership of Luftwaffe fighter commanders during the Battle of Britain is often judged by their individual prowess in battle and through their ‘kill’ scores. John Vasco looks at a different measure for combat leadership: the survival of men under their command.

From the Saleroom • In our new series, we discover items of German militaria coming up for auction and find out the current prices on everything from service daggers to uniforms and medals. Duncan Evans delivers your guide as to what is happening in the sale rooms.

Luftwaffe ‘Death Card’ History • The acquisition of a single Luftwaffe death card by Edward McManus to an airman killed during the Battle of Britain led to a voyage of discovery as to that airman’s story. It also continues one of our themes in this issue: German remembrance.

German Remembrance • In this issue’s occasional ‘Opinion’ feature, Katja Hoyer looks at the painful and difficult question of remembrance for Germany’s war dead.

Daimler-Krupp Flak Wagon

Order of the Red Eagle • Some of the most colourful military awards worn during 1914 – 18 were the various state awards of Imperial Germany. Many of these had histories stretching back centuries. Michel Franc looks at the Order of the Red Eagle, or Roter Adlerorden.

Spying for Seelöwe • As the Wehrmacht prepared to invade Britain, the Abwehr mounted an inept spying operation to scout out the ground ahead of the proposed landings, putting four spies ashore on the Kent coast. Joshua Levine charts the remarkable story.

BOOK REVIEWS

Night Fighter Ritterkreuz • Internationally, several battle-damaged Knights Crosses are known to exist in private collections and museums. Not all are genuine, however. Here, Dietrich Maerz forensically examines one such combat damaged award and decides it has a...