1. Prussian Crown Button (2nd type)common to most German states. 2. Baden Standing Lion Button. 3. 5 pf. German coin (I think) 4. Imperial Prussian Police or Customs button (?) 5. Unknown German button- poss. Admin. from unknown state (can't see details) ? 6. Anchor button- not sure, maybe Naval Shore Detachment (Imp. Marine) ? 7. The Black Cross ( Schwarzes Kreuz) is the emblem used by the Prussian Army and Germany's army from 1871 to the present. It was designed on the occasion of the German Campaign of 1813, when Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia commissioned the Iron Cross as the first military decoration open to all ranks, including enlisted men. English. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I— EXPLANATION OF GERMAN MILITARY SYMBOLS 1 SECTION II— MILITARY SYMBOLS I. Headquarters of Higher Echelons 9 II. Infantry: A. Headquarters 12 B. Units 13 C. Weapons 16 D. Groups: 1. Example of a Diagrammatic Table of Organization 18 2. Examples of Map Symbols 18 III. History portal v t e During World War I, the German Empire was one of the Central Powers. It began participation in the conflict after the declaration of war against Serbia by its ally, Austria-Hungary. tYyL.