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Rare Knight's Cross winner grouping to Major Martin Joecks serving as commander of the leichte Artillerie-Abteilung (RSO) 426. Knight's Cross winner on 11. May 1944 for the defense of the fortress Kovel.
Badges
1939 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Made by Steinhauer&Lück (micro 800 type). Classic three-part construction. Iron core. Original black paint on the back. The swastika has been removed and the core was repainted on the front. "800" silver hallmarked frame. Comes with the original suspension loop and ribbon (length 14 cm). Signs of wear and the frame is slightly "damaged" on the front (traces of grinding caused by the removal of the swastika).
German Cross in Gold. Made by C.F. Zimmermann. "20" maker marked on the back of the pin. No chipping in the swastika. All four original rivets are present. Multi-piece construction. Weight: 45.63 gr. (light type).
1939 Iron Cross 1st Class. Three-part construction. Iron core. "65" maker marked. With the case of issue.
1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class. Three-part construction. Iron core. Two original ribbons and the bag of issue. Maker marked on the back of the bag.
General Assault Badge. Solid zinc badge.
East Medal with the original ribbon and bag of issue. Maker marked on the back of the bag.
Honor Cross of WWI with the original ribbon.
Two 3-place ribbon bars.
Badge of a veteran meeting. Postwar, dated "1987".
Certificates
Certificate to the 1939 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Issued on 16. May 1944. Signed by Generalleutnant Wilhelm Burgdorf, Knight's Cross winner. Rare to find!
Certificate to German Cross in Gold. Small type. Issued on 2. May 1944. Facsimile by GFM Wilhelm Keitel.
Miscellaneous
Original passport photo of him wearing the Knight's Cross.
Two original newspaper clippings.
A document listing his awards and personal data (excerpt from his Soldbuch). Probably postwar.
Heer Artillerie shoulder boards and collar tabs for a Major.
Heer officer's breast eagle. Hand-embroidered.
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Traces of wear. Overall condition 2.
Condition
2
Historical information
NAME
Knights Cross of the Order of the Iron Cross
DATE OF INSTITUTION
1. September 1939 as the third and new grade of the re-instituted Order of the Iron Cross
AWARD CRITERIA
The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy and for outstanding merit in troop leadership. The awarding required the previous awarding of the two lower grades. The Knights Cross was solely awarded by the Führer upon the proposal of the soldiers unit and issued by the Heerespersonalamt. The Knights Crosses were stored at the Ordenskanzlei in Berlin, to be sent to the awardee after approval. There were no Knights Crosses stored at any level of the Wehrmacht before the end of April 1945.
MANUFACTURERS
The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross was produced by seven manufacturers, not including variations amongst the individual companies. The Knights Crosses can be found either unmarked (early Juncker and 3/4 Ring), with a silver content mark, with an LDO number (L/12 and L/52), and later on with the company’s Präsidialkanzlei number (2, 20, 65, and 4). Private sales were forbidden after October 1941.
AWARD NUMBERS
Accurate numbers are not known but the closest estimation is around 7,200, and most likely another couple of hundred on stock at the Präsidialkanzlei.
AWARD DOCUMENTS
The awardee received a preliminary document in A5 format and issued in the name of the Führer by the responsible personnel offices of the three branches of the Wehrmacht. The formal document (Große Mappe) was issued later and only until date of late 1942 / early 1943 due to the huge backlog.
WEARING METHOD
The Knights Cross was worn around the neck on a wider red white and black ribbon which came within the black award case of the Knights Cross.
.jpg "Major Heinrich Höfer - restored (!) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross \"65\"")
.jpg "Schmückle, Willi - Knight's Cross winner grouping")
.jpg "Lt. Isachsen Knight's Cross winner grouping - Africa & Crete")
