Original German WWI - WWII Award and Insignia Grouping with 1914 EKII, Hindenberg Cross, KvKII, and More - 10 Items

Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice collection of German WWI & WWII Awards and Insignia, which was brought back from the European theater by a USGI after the war was concluded. Many solders traded these on the way back, and would end up with a pocket full of various different collectible items, and this set represents the typical "haul" one might have come back with. It includes a nice WWI Iron Cross 1914 Second class, as well as awards and insignia from the WWII period.

This lovely set includes:

- One Imperial German WWI Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class Medal (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1918), missing ribbon. We checked the hanger ring, and this example is not maker marked. There is some age to the paint and oxidation, but the silver is still present, with a lovely tarnished patina. The paint on the central cross is relatively well retained, though there is some wear through.

- One Pre-WWII German WWI Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (Hindenburg Cross) Medal with Swords (for Combat) with ribbon. This example is in very good condition, and the ribbon has a lovely age toned look, with just a bit of fraying. It is marked on the back with a JK in a Triangle logo.

- One German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Ribbon. In really good cosmetic shape, showing no damage The medal has a lovely oxidized patina, and the ribbon is in great shape, showing just a bit of age toning near the award. 

- One German WWII Army Heer Pioneer Officer Field Litzen Collar Tab - Left Side. This shows the correct bullion construction on a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) badge cloth backing. The central stripes are the correct Schwarz (black) color, the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the Pioniere (Combat engineers), as well as Assault, Armored, Fortress, and Railway engineers.

- One German WWII Heer Army Obersgefreiter Sleeve Chevrons with rank pip. These are the correct gray tresse and have a green canvas background. Intended for the late war Drilljacke style tunic, the a Obersgefreiter was equivalent to a U.S. Army Corporal.

- One German WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Panzer Armored Corps Embroidered Cap Eagle. Constructed of a black backing and silver gray threads, this was used on caps for one of the Luftwaffe ground division Panzer units, possibly one of the Hermann Göring divisions.

- One German WWII Small NSKK 2nd Pattern Stamped Metal Insignia. This looks like it could be for a cap, but we are not sure what type.

- One Early German Pre-WWII Reichskriegerbund Kyffhäuser Veteran's Association Marksmanship Award Stickpin.

- One German WWII Civic Police Eagle BeVo Insignia, uniform removed and quite worn. It is black with silver threading.

- One German WWII RAD National Labor Service Embroidered Cap Insignia.

A wonderful totally genuine grouping perfect for the German Medal and Insignia collector. Ready to research and display!

More information on some of the awards in this set:

German WWI Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class:
Established by Frederick William in 1813 for gallantry in action, the decoration was revived several times for later conflicts. The bulk of the issues are divided into 1st and 2nd class versions, but a rare and superior 'Grand Cross' was also awarded for successful field commanders. During WW1 the lower decoration was freely awarded with 5½ million second class types issued. Originally, the Iron Cross was an award of the Kingdom of Prussia, however given Prussia's pre-eminent place in the German Empire formed in 1871, it became an award for all of Germany.

The basic design of the WW1 crosses is a central Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border. The obverse of the cross bears the date 1914 under a crowned 'W' monogram. Reverse bears an oak leaf cluster with the date of the decoration’s institution, 1813 underneath - the crowned initials of Frederick William are in the top arm above the oak leaf cluster. Suspension for second-class types is by means of a ring, and frequently this ring bears a maker's stamp.

Please examine the edge seam for authentication, which is not present on reproductions. Iron crosses were commonly constructed from an iron core sandwiched in a surrounding two part silver frame, normally the seam of these two silver parts is visible around the edge of the cross as is seen on this fine example.

Hindenburg Cross with Crossed Swords (for combat):
The Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (German: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkriegs 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Republic, by an order dated 13 July 1934, to commemorate the distinguished deeds of the German people during the First World War. This was Germany's first official service medal for soldiers of Imperial Germany who had taken part in the war, and where they had since died it was also awarded to their surviving next-of-kin. Shortly after its issuance, the government of NSDAP Germany declared the award as the only official service decoration of the First World War and further forbid the continued wearing of German Free Corps awards on any military or paramilitary uniform of a state or NSDAP Party organization.

War Merit Cross (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) without Swords (for Non-Combat Service
This was a decoration of NSDAP Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike. By the end of the war it was issued in four degrees, and had a related civil decoration. It was created by Adolf AH in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars. The award was graded the same as the Iron Cross: War Merit Cross Second Class, War Merit Cross First Class, and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross. The award had two variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service "not in direct connection with combat", and without swords for meritorious service to civilians in "furtherance of the war effort". As with the Iron Cross, Recipients had to have the lower grade of the award before getting the next level.