Military Order of the Iron Trefoil

Military Order of the Iron Trefoil
Awarded by Independent State of Croatia
Type	Military Order
Eligibility	Military Personnel
Awarded for	"for a particularly successful actions against the enemy"
Status	dissolved
Statistics
Established	27 December 1941
Total awarded	968
Distinct recipients	Ante Pavelić Artur Phleps Slavko Kvaternik

Military Order of the Iron Trefoil (shorter Iron Trefoil), also known under the name Croatian Cross, was the highest military decoration of the Independent State of Croatia, and it was awarded for "acts of war, achieved by personal incentive, for efforts and good leadership in ventures, which had remarkable success against the enemy."

The Order had four classes, the 1st Class is worn on a ribbon around the neck, 2nd Class without the ribbon on the left chest, 3rd Class on ribbon on buttonhole, 4th Class on triangular ribbon on left chest. For exceptional merits the Order was awarded together with Oak Branches. The recipients of the 1st and 2nd Class had the right to the title "Vitez" (Knight).

The Military Order of the Iron Trefoil was hard to be awarded. The only holder of the 1st Class with Oak Branches was Poglavnik dr. Ante Pavelić, and 1st Class was awarded to only two high-ranking Croatian officer, and one of them was a Vojskovođa and former Austro-Hungarian Colonel Slavko Kvaternik.

This Order is esteemed by collectors because it is very rare and made in high quality.

Only one holder:

Seven holders:

Five holders

Twelve holders, one of them is colonel Marko Mesić

Fifty holders

Sixty four holders:

256 holders, one of them is colonel Eduard Bunić

577 holders

Zagreb, 27 December 1941.

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Wikipedia