EKII and EKI, were they just a progressive award?

[Gustaf]

The question was raised on gunboards as to whether or not the recipient of the EKI had to have been awarded the EKII first. I always thought that they were separate awards based on level of bravery. Seeing photos with soldiers with the EKI and no EKII have lead me to think that the EKI could be awarded with out the EKII. The thought that the EKI is just a second EKII does not fit to me.
It has been stated that there were rare cases where the EKII and EKI were awarded simultaneously, in cases of great achievement. Could this be a case where the soldier would not wear his EKII ribbon? And if that is so, would it not stand to reason that the EKI is really a separate award?
Best
Gus

 

[reservist1]

The Iron Cross was originally established in three classes, EK II, EK I, and Grand Cross. The requirements for award of the decoration specified that the EK II be awarded before an individual became eligible for the EK I.

Detailed information on the award can be found in any of the following references:

Die Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Reichs by Hessenthal and Schreiber
The Iron Cross 1813-1870-1914 by Frank Wernitz
The Iron Time, A History of the Iron Cross by Stephen Previtera
Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in World War I and the Men Who Earned Them , by Neal W. O'onnor, Volume II - The Aviation Awards of the Kingdom of Prussia,
For Fuhrer and Fatherland, Military Awards of the Third Reich, by LTC John R. Angolia

Reservist1

 

[Gustaf]

Thank you R1 for a great list of refferences, most information sited has been webernet based, and one has to take any information from the webernet with a grain of salt. I have been told that in extreem cases, the EKI can be awarded with out the EKII, but the EKII is awarded at the same time, and that is probably where I got the idea tha thte EKII was not required to receive the EKI, and by my thought process, that still leaves the EKI as a higher class of award, and not in progression with the EKII if they are awarded at the same time. It is difficult to agrue with mentally unstable people, because we can always twist the facts to win (in our own mind at least).
Thanks
Gus