Useful links:
www.gmic.co.uk
This site is one component of what should be the most exhaustive reference on the Imperial Iron Cross.
The project is rather ambitious and will consist of a book, a website and a forum. This will allow us greater flexibility and provide limitless space and the possibility for updates and for interaction with collectors and readers.
A historical overview of the Grosskreuz will be included but the main focus of the book will be the items of interest to and encountered by the collector, i.e. the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, their award documents, cases and related ephemera. The book will catalogue hundreds of variations of the crosses and documents and include cases and patriotic ephemera directly related to the Iron Cross, ranging from jewellery to postcards and cigar boxes.
This website will allow us to catch up all the overflow and the usual late arrivals.
No book can possibly illustrate all possible variations, as space would not permit this, but more importantly those variations that appear after publication will not be lost.
We will be able to include these by updating the website.
The document section will allow us to post a large amount of in-depth historical research. These sections will cover units, the men and the battles they fought in. These sections will not only be an interesting narrative with many eye-witness accounts translated from the original German, but will also enable the reader to see where his own document fits into the bigger picture. Once again, as with the Iron Crosses themselves, the website will also be there for the overflow.
The website will be part of the larger Imperial Research Circle site which will extend to cover various other militaria and historical themes up to 1919.
The third part of the project will be an open forum at GMIC. This will be a space for feedback, comments, announcements and exchanges of information related to the project.
In short, the book will cover an immense amount of material, the website should extend the boundaries, making them virtually limitless, and the forum will offer readers an opportunity to participate and comment.