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1941 German Cross in Gold with Case. The cross is marked “134” on the back for the firm of Otto Klein & Co., Hanau. The medal is in frosty mint condition.
The cross has all of the authenticating features (Cupal construction, incise relief 134 marking, numeral style, slight die strike flaw on upper left ray, hinge and clasp style, countersunk rivets, etc.) detailed on pages 214-222 in Dietrich Maerz’ 2009 book The German Cross.
The case has all of the authenticating features for a Large German Cross Case Variation III “in which most, if not all, of the “20” - marked Zimmermann (gold and silver) and Klein “134” German Crosses are found. See pages 336-337.
The enamel of the swastika shows no damage (pictures might mislead). Weight: 45,4gr.
This cross will be extremely hard to upgrade!
Case of issue in excellent condition. Working correctly.
The set includes a 2010 Militaria Berlin certificate of authenticity (to be mailed separately).
Condition
See description
Historical information
NAME
German Cross in Gold
DATE OF INSTITUTION
28. September 1941 as a military order in two grades. A special grade, the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds was planned and prototypes were made.
AWARD CRITERIA
The golden grade was awarded for multiple exceptional deeds of bravery or leadership and the silver grade for exceptional deeds in troop leadership. The award of the Iron Cross 1. Class, the Spange 1. Class , or the War Merit Cross 1. Class was a pre-requisite for the awarding of the German Cross. The German Cross was located above the Iron Cross 1. Class and War Merit Cross 1. Class but below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, respectively the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross.
MANUFACTURERS
The German Cross was awarded by the decision of the supreme commanders of the three army branches.
The German Cross was produced by five known manufacturers and maybe one or two not yet known companies. The known manufacturers are Deschler & Sohn, who designed the cross, Gebrüder Godet, C.E. Juncker, C.F. Zimmermann, and Otto Klein.
Early crosses are unmarked and from the end of 1942/early 1943 onwards, the crosses were marked with the Präsidialkanzlei numbers of the companies.
Due to the heavy and slightly bulky nature of the award, a cloth version was authorized in June 1942. The cloth version can be found with eight different cloth backing colors: field gray (army), dark blue (navy), blue-gray (LW), black (tank forces), stone gray (assault gun), olive (Africa Heer), light khaki (Africa LW), and white (summer uniform).
AWARD NUMBERS
Accurate numbers are not known but the closest estimation based on surviving documents are 25,964 for the gold grade and 2,471 for the silver grade. A known total of eleven soldiers were awarded both grades.
The crosses were mainly stored and registered at the Präsidalkanzlei and were given out by this office. It is possible that smaller numbers were stored at the personnel offices of the three army branches.
AWARD DOCUMENTS
The Heer issued preliminary award documents in the format A5, followed by a larger (356 mm x 254 mm) formal document. The Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine never issued any preliminary documents, only the formal ones in the same size as the formal document of the Heer.
WEARING METHOD
The German Cross was worn at the right side of the uniform on the breast pocket.
.jpg "Major H. Knauth (J.G.51) - German Cross \"1\"")
