H044495 GERMAN CROSS IN SILVER, 1941. (Kriegsorden des Deutsches Kreuz in Silber)

BACKGROUND: The War Order of the German Cross was introduced by Adolf Hitler on September 28TH 1941 in two classes of Gold and Silver. The Gold class Cross was awarded to military personnel for exceptional acts of bravery or achievement in combat while the Silver class was awarded for distinguished acts of service in the war effort. Criteria for bestowal of either Cross included that the recipient must first have been awarded the 1939 Iron Cross 1ST class or the 1939 Bar to the 1914 Iron Cross 1ST class. On June 5TH 1942 cloth versions of the German Crosses was also authorized for wear with the color of the base material indicating which branch of service the cross was awarded to with a field grey base for award to Heer, (Army), and Waffen SS, (Armed SS), personnel, a black base for Panzer, (Armored), personnel, a blue/grey base for Luftwaffe, (Air {Weapon}, Force), personnel and a navy blue base for Kriegsmarine, (Navy), personnel. Of Note: Besides the basic uniform colored bases a khaki/tan colored base was authorized for wear on the tropical uniform and a white base for wear on the white summer tunic. Both the khaki and white based crosses were only produced in limited quantities and are quite rare. The German Cross was to be worn on the lower, right, breast of the service tunic and field blouse. Designed by the renown graphic artist Professor Richard Klein of Munich the German Crosses were produced by six official manufacturer’s and were the largest, most complicated, construction war badge produced by the Germans during the war. The cloth versions of the German Crosses were allegedly a private purchase items and were quite popular due to the impressive size and weight of the award. It seems the German Cross in Silver was not authorized in the cloth version although some pieces were period manufactured. Allegedly due to the size and shape of the award the Germans referred to it as, "Hitler’s Gebratenen Ei", or colloquially, "Spiegelei", (Hitler’s Fried Egg). Of Note: It is estimated that only about 1,200 German crosses in Silver were awarded during the war compared to roughly 30,000 gold awards, a 25/1 ratio. Also Of Note: Regulations of October 1942 introduced a special grade of the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds and although apparently twenty of the special grade crosses were manufactured by the Rath Jewelry firm of Munich, none were ever officially awarded. When bestowed the German Crosses were accompanied with an official possession certificate and a specific storage/issue case.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Five piece, slightly convexed, die struck, tombac and alloy construction badge with black and red enamel work. The cross features a double, overlaid, eight point, sunburst pattern. The center of the sunburst pattern has a separate, silver washed, circular panel with a raised, canted, black enameled swastika encompassed by an embossed, frosty silver washed, circular, stamped alloy, laurel leaf wreath with the impressed introduction date, "1941", to the bottom on a red enamel base. The red enamel base is visible as a fine outline to either side of the wreath. The solid reverse features four, small, hollow, dome headed, retaining rivets, a soldered, barrel type hinge on a rounded corner, rectangular base plate inset into a recess, a broad, tapered, vertical pin and a heavy soldered catch on a rounded corner, rectangular base plate inset into a recess all intact. Unmarked Zimmermann production.

GRADE ****1/4                             PRICE $6,995.00

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