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Medal grouping to Luftwaffe Oberfeldwebel Heinz Saalfeld. German Cross in Gold winner. He is not listed in the relevant reference books.
German Cross in Gold. Made by C.F. Zimmermann, Pforzheim. "20" maker marked on the back of the pin. Black enameled swastika which is free of dents and scratches. Named on the back "Heinz Saalfeld - Berlin-Zehlendorf - Schottmüllerstraße 61". Multi-piece construction. The catch is minimal bent. Weight: 45.3 gr. (light type).
Comes with the original case of issue. Black felt inlay with white silk lining. It opens and closes correctly.
Luftwaffe German Cross in Gold. Cloth type. Multi-piece construction. The swastika in the center was removed and replaced by an Iron Cross (1957 type). Made by the veteran himself after the war. You can still see traces of the swastika.
Luftwaffe Pilot's Badge. Tombak. Both rivets are in place. Field made.
Squadron Clasp for Kampfflieger in Bronze. Tombak. The swastika has been removed. Named "Heinz Saalfeld" on the back.
1939 Iron Cross 1st Class. "L/52" maker marked. Iron core. Named on the back "Heinz Saalfeld - Berlin-Zehlendorf - Schottmüllerstraße 61".
1939 Iron Cross 1st Class. Iron core. The swastika on the core has been removed and also repainted. Named on the back but unreadable.
DRL German Sports Badge in Bronze. "Wernstein" maker marked.
Luftwaffe flying troops shoulder boards for an Oberfeldwebel. Golden-yellow piping. Slip-on type. A matching pair!
Luftwaffe map showing the territory of Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Libya. The edges on the top and bottom have been removed. Made of waterproof material. Comes with a map case. Maker marked.
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Signs of use.
Condition
2/2-
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.
