[1][2] It was instituted on 26 March 1936 by the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring.

It was worn on the lower part of the left breast pocket of the service tunic, underneath the Iron Cross 1st Class if awarded.

It was bestowed by Göring to honour exceptional achievement and on rare occasions as an honorary award.

[4] Another variant of this award was presented to Flug-Kapitänin Hanna Reitsch.

A horizontal "shaft" extended from each side of the wreath, which also had diamonds inlaid.