Original German WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 EKII with Award Document, Packet, Ribbon, and Silver Wound Badge - 229th Jäger Regiment

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice award and document grouping, consisting of a lightly patinated example of a German WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1939) with its original rayon red, black, and white ribbon. Also included is the original issue paper packet and the original besittzzeugnis "possession/award" certificate, as well as a very nice patinated Silver Wound badge, though there is no document for that award.

The award document for the EKII indicates that it was awarded to Feldwebel Rufolf Fertinger of 7. / Jg. Rgt. 229, short for 7. Kompanie / Jäger-Regiment 229 (7th Company, 229th Jäger Regiment). "Feldwebel" is an NCO rank equivalent to a U.S. Army Technical sergeant. The location it was presented is given as Div.Gef.St., short for DivisionGefechtsStand (Division command Post), and it was awarded 20. Sept. 1942.. The document has the ink stamp of the 101. Leichte Inf. Division, which would later be renamed the 101. Jäger-Division, and was signed by Oberst Emil Vogel, listed as Oberst i.G, m.d.Führung d. 101.Jäg.Div. beauftr., which essentially translates to "Colonel of the General Staff commissioned to command / take charge of the 101st Jäger Division.

Vogel is listed as commander of the division for the period 1 September 1942 - 12 July 1944, and he would be promoted to General Rank shortly after assuming command. While in this position he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in August 1943 for service in the Kuban bridgehead, and the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in May 1944 for his part in the defense of the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket. It's very rare to have a period document signed by a Knight's cross recipient, and Vogel was awarded it twice! Definitely some good research potential here!

The document has all the correct stamps and markings, and measures about 7 7/8" x 5 1/2", (about 20cm x 14cm), printed on heavy-weight paper with black print and typed in particulars. It is in good condition, and was folded in half long ago. The Iron Cross itself is a very fine example with crisp beading, and the silvering to the frame has a lovely lightly tarnished patina and looks great! The matte black core paint on the iron center is also almost fully complete on both sides, with no wear on the Swas (hook cross) or other raised portions. There is a bit of light crazing in the finish, which confirms the age. The cross comes with its original ribbon, properly installed on the award, and is in very good condition.

Please also note 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.

The basic design of the WWII 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 1939 under a "mobile" swas. Second class crosses would have a ring at the top where a ring was attached, and had more markings on the back. The first class award, however, was meant to attach directly to the front of the uniform.

The original paper packet is the light blue paper version, and shows a bit of period wear and fading, and measures 4"W x 5 1/8"H. It has the correct markings in German Black Letter Typeface on the front:

Eiſernes Kreuz
2. Klaſſe
1939

The back of the packet is maker marked Paulmann & Crone / Lüdenſcheid, a known maker of the award. 

The Silver Wound badge is a nice patinated example, looking to be made from zinc alloy, which has lost much of the silvering. The reverse features a solid back and is maker marked with Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) number 107 (Carl Wild of Hamburg ) under the pin catch. The catch works well, and this is a very nice example of this award.

A lovely little award and document grouping, ready to research and display!

There is no more iconic German military award than the Iron Cross. The long history of this order began during the Napoleonic Wars. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia instituted the “Eisernes Kreuz” (Iron Cross) in March of 1813. The award criteria changed somewhat with time, but generally speaking, Iron Crosses could be awarded for individual acts of bravery, or for leadership achievements on the battlefield. The design was created by a Karl Friedrich Schinkel, his choice of the black cross with silver outline was derived from the heraldic emblem of the Teutonic Knights. This central Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border.

There were a number of different type and grades of Iron Cross awards throughout its long history, but the basic details of the most widely awarded grades: The Iron Cross 1st Class and Iron Cross 2nd Class- remained the same. The first class award was a breast badge, with fittings on the reverse to allow it to be worn on the uniform. These fittings varied widely over time and from maker to maker, and could be a simple in and catch, a screw post and retaining disc, or more elaborate setups. The second class award was suspended from a ribbon, originally in the Prussian colors of black and white, later in the Reich colors of black, red and white.

On the original versions of these crosses, in 1813, the front of the iron core of each grade was bare, and only the second class award had ornamentation: a crown over the initials “FW” representing the King, a sprig of oak leaves, and the date 1813. The core was redesigned in 1870, when the cross was re-instituted during the Franco-Prussian War. The reverse ornamentation on the Iron Cross 2nd Class remained the same, but the front of the core on both grades now bore another crown, a “W” representing Kaiser Wilhelm, and the date 1870. This pattern repeated again when the cross was reinstituted for WWI- everything stayed the same, only the date 1870 was replaced with 1914.

The final reinstitution of the cross came in 1939. For this version, the front of the core for both grades bore a swas and the date 1939. The oak leaves, crown and royal initials were removed from the reverse, with only the date 1813 remaining as a reminder of the legacy of this award. In WWII, hundreds of thousands of Iron Cross First Class awards were bestowed, and four and a half million Iron Cross Second Class awards. Iron Crosses were made by a large number of authorized manufacturers. Some variants of these awards were mass produced in huge numbers. Others were made in very limited quantities.

The Wound Badge (German: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was awarded to wounded or frostbitten soldiers of the Imperial German Army, during World War I. Between the world wars, it was awarded to members of the German armed forces who fought on the Nationalist side of the Spanish Civil War, 1938–39, and received combat related wounds. It was awarded to members in the Reichswehr, the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied bombings, it was also awarded to wounded civilians in air raids. It was awarded when the wound was the result of enemy hostile action, with an exception being for frostbite.

The badge had three classes:
- Black (3rd class, representing Iron), for those wounded once or twice by hostile action (including air raids).
- Silver (2nd class) for being wounded three or four times.
- Gold (1st class, which could be awarded posthumously) for five or more times wounded.

The "progression" could be waived in the event of loss of a limb or eyesight; when such a severe wound occurred, the silver badge was awarded.