Original German WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 EKII with Named Award Document - Kriegsmarine Coastal Artillery North Sea Region

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a German WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1939) with an original rayon red, black, and white ribbon. Also included is the original besittzzeugnis "possession/award" certificate, which indicates that the recipient was a member of the Kriegsmarine Coastal Artillery in the North Sea Region!

The award document indicates that it was awarded to Marineartilleriegefreiten Georg S t ö r t e n b e c k e r, a member of the Kriegsmarine with a rank of "Senior Marine Artillery Exempted", a member of the Küstenartillerie (coastal artillery defense) holding a rank equivalent to a U.S. Navy Seaman, 2nd Class. There is no unit listed, however the location the award conferred is listed as Wilhelmshaven, and it was awarded on 21. September 1942. The document has a stamp in the lower left corner for the Kriegsmarine Kommando der Marineſtation der Nordsee (Command of the North Sea Naval Station), and the lower right is signed by Der Kommandierende Admiral der Marinestation der Nordsee (The Commanding Admiral of the North Sea Naval Station). This position would later be changed to "Marineoberkommando der Nordsee" in the spring of 1943, so this is completely correct.

The signature is a bit hard to read, but quick research shows that it is signed Densch over a typed Admiral., for Admiral Hermann Densch, who was commander of the North Sea Station from November 1939 until March 1943. He previously had been the Kriegsmarine "Commander of Surface Craft" from September 1937 to October 1939.

The document has all the correct stamps and markings, and measures about 7 3/4" 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, showing light staining, though it has small wrinkles, folds, and creases, looking like it was partly crumpled up at one point.

The Iron Cross itself is a very nice example with crisp beading, and the silvering to the frame has a lovely tarnished patina and looks great! The matte black core paint on the iron center on both sides is in very good shape, showing wear and a bit of paint loss on the swas, but not much else. The original ribbon is properly threaded through the hanger ring, and shows wear and staining from age and use. The hanger loop is unmarked, but close examination may be able to reveal the maker, as they each had their own style.

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.

A lovely example of the most iconic of all German awards, complete with an original award document from the North Sea Coastal Artillery, 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.