German Cross in gold, German (c 1941-45)

Title	German Cross in gold
Nationality	German
Period	c 1941-45

Sold

MAGNIFY

'This breast star was introduced on 28 September 1941 and was to recognise bravery of the fighting forces above that which was required for the bestowal of the Iron Cross 1st Class, but not up to that required for the award of the Knight's Cross...' (source Combat Medals of the Third Reich by Christopher Ailsby, which has more details).

Approximately 30,000 of these crosses were awarded to the Wehrmacht, of which the army and the Waffen SS received 17,000 and the Luftwaffe and navy approximately 13,000.

The maker mark is 134 (cast into the back plate) for Otto Klein. This was the only maker who marked his crosses in this manner. Most of the other pieces were marked with a punch on the pin.

The front (obverse) is in good condition, the black enamel being perfect. However, there has been a high quality jeweller's repair, using lead solder, to the reverse fitting of the hinge end of the pin, and there has been some minor damage to the rivet next to the hinge.

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.

[Militaria : Medals : Third Reich : Wehrmacht]

online museum

account

testimonials