... So if you don't have one... time to get moving!!! It is OBVIOUSLY the ring article that is making it sell out!!! 😉

looking forward to it!

Hi Eric... that is a good argument... if the 1914-18 cross was "cheap"... the 1870 cross was "cheaper" ... Just saw a rough draft this week... the article looks really good!!

Haha... It is only elite because I am here... the rest are just normal guys....

I finally got into this elite group!

Nice to see a bit of history brought back from oblivion.

For me one of the great things about revising and expanding this article (it was published elsewhere in a shorter form) was discovering that I had misidentified the recipient of one of the other ranks rings in my collection... I was able to find out some info about the correct man, that he survived being buried alive in Flanders... and that he once captured a 10 man Italian patrol, charging them on his own, his trousers falling down he held them up with one hand while swinging his rifle around his head with the other and yelling bloody murder....

i think one must consider and compare the scale of the two conflicts and the effect that each war had on the populations at the time. obviously, ww1 had a lot more people involved, and it lasted longer, some ways it had a greater value (big conflict involving everyone, more attainable)-- but in other ways, the value can be perceived as lessened (more exclusive during 1870, smaller conflict, fewer awarded))! lol i personally don't think the iron cross itself was ever cheapened. the value of a human life was definitely cheapened

"The Nazi Party realized the value on the IC and tried to stabilize that value through the war. " ... I think they had it under strict control. Look at the hundreds and hundreds of Postcards, coffee cups, ashtrays and bed warmers with the EK on in 1914... Almost none of the above for WW2 Here is an is idea that ruffles feathers.... The premise of my article is that the Iron Cross of 1914 was worth as much or more than the Iron Cross of 1870. Authors, collectors and even soldiers back then stumble over reasons why it is "inflated" or worth less, but see it from the wrong perspect

Interessting point at the end of your statement, but as Eric said below there wasn't a real German award besides the Iron Cross, all other were prussian (Blue Max and House Order of Hohenzolern) or highly appreciated orders like Military St. Henry from Saxonia. But the Kriegshilfs Cross wans't appreciated much by the soldiers, it was often given to civilians on the home front, for example for collecting money for the Kriegsanleihen. So just swords on it wouldn't helped. During my studies for my books on Brunswick I stumbled upon documents showing that the german states couldn't even find

during ww1, things were farmed out to local states and governments and i bet the prussians didn't feel compelled to create a universal award that fulfilled this criteria, as there were many localized ones that satisfied the need. towards the end of the war, when things began breaking down there may have been a "disconnect" with military leadership and the local states and governments, so the military could have broadened the award criteria of the ek2 a bit in order to offset the reduction in localized war effort awards with the advent of national socialism and it's pervasive quest for uni

I respectfully disagree with point 1, Agree with point 2 and find point 3 an interesting idea

It's been discussed over and over and over again. The cheapened image of the Iron Cross awarded in massive numbers late in the War was the result of an effort to bolster troop-morale and rekindle loyalty to the Kaiser. This observation is nothing new. What I would like to see discussed is something that is never discussed. Why didn't the Prussians establish an alternative award? The 3rd Reich solved this problem by creating the War Merit Cross with Swords. The Iron Cross during WW2 thereby remained a true combattants' award. Consequently, it managed to maintain its prestige and sign

Same here. I have little interest in WW1 but have read every WW1 related article, and the same with the article comparing the British & German engines which is really not my area of interest but fascinating to read. And I love the artwork. Computer designed images, especially aircraft or vehicle profiles, are perfectly fine but the hand drawn examples used in the magazine add an extra dimension to the quality of the profiles.

Yeah... that surprised me when I got my first one... usually i skip through magazines to the things that interest me, with ICM I am pulled to most articles... even if it is way out of my range in interest the layout attracts my eye and I end up reading the article. I am going to hit ebay and try complete my set

Yes indeed... but with the GMVK it bears remembering that to have a shot at it you needed to already have the EK2 and EK1.... which is why the first guy to qualify was some time in 1916 if I remember right? The Stufen system of the Prussians was very unfortunate. Bavarians could get a Gold Bravery medal from the first week in the field! I agree, a Brave deed was a brave deed in 1914 or 1918.

Aye, I have been in from the start. Issue 4 failed to arrive originally but the publishers sent me another copy so I am all up to date. To begin with I was undecided to get the physical version of the magazine or the digital version but I have a couple of other magazines I get as digital versions and rarely read them whereas with the physical version of Iron Cross magazine I read it from cover to cover.

I will looking forward to your article! I guess the truth lays between your two options. In the beginnig of the war, when the Gemans were very sure to win this war quick and be back when the leaves will fall, it was a highly appreciated and prestigious award. At the end of the war many orders were too oftenly awarded, just see the golden war merit cross. nearly no awards until 1918 and then at the end of the war nearly all of the awards given in WWI. It was a last effort to stabilize the moral of the troops, I don't believe that they were so many braver deeds in 1918 then all the years before.

Did you manage to get all editions? I was late to the game so most were sold out by the time I started looking for them...

Hi Guys, I have been putting the finishing touches to a improved/revamped article arguing that the Iron Cross of 1914 was not a cheapening of the award compared to 1870, it should in fact be seen as a more prestigious award than the 1870 cross. I realize this goes against the grain of almost every book and article to date, so I encourage discussion and rock throwing. What is your opinion... was the 1914 Iron Cross over awarded, way too many crosses with many people who did not deserve it getting one? I am a great admirer of the Wernitz Tomes... but feel his chapter on the c

The Iron Cross binder has just arrived and unlike other binders I have seen in the past has an easy to use method to contain the magazines that won't damage the page edges. Still haven't settled where on the shelves to put it though.

Gern geschehen!!

Thanks a lot, Rob!

Hi Andy, ersteinmal schoene Gruesse in meine Heimatstadt Essen und in mein geliebtes Ruhrgebiet! But that aside, you can order single issues via our website. But I have just sent you a PM so we can sort this out. Best regards Rob Historical Editor, ICM

Hi! Interesting article! What is the latest number? #6? Unfortunately I couldn´t find an index of the so-far published magazines... On the internet site you can´t order single issues, or have I missed something? I´ m very interested in the mag with your Leiber-Ring article!