Original German WWII KvK War Merit Cross with Swords Lot - One 1st Class and Two 2nd Class - Kriegsverdienstkreuz

Original Items: Only One Set of Three Available. This is a very nice lot of War Merit Cross (KvK) with Swords (German: Kriegsverdienstkreuz mit Schwertern) awards, given for merit directly related to combat. The most common grades we see are the 2nd and 1st Class awards, though there were the lower War Merit Medal and higher Knights Cross of the War Merit cross awards. This set consists of one War Merit Cross 1st Class (KvKI) award and two War Merit Cross 2nd Class (KvKII) awards, one of which still retains the ribbon.

The KvKI in the set is a nice patinated example, unmarked and made in the wartime zinc alloy, which was originally silvered. It features a tapered pinback with a barrel hinge and bent round wife catch, and is not maker marked on the back. It has lost most of the original silver wash, showing a lovely oxidized patina.

The KvKII with Ribbon is very nice as well, with the details on the cross well preserved. It is a zinc based award, and as we often see the original wash on the cross has faded and mostly worn away, so it now shows an oxidized zince patina. The ribbon is in very good shape, showing just a bit of fraying and age toning. The hanger ring is stamped with Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) number 18, for Karl Wurster of Markneukirchen.

The KvKII without the ribbon is in similar condition, with the details on the cross well preserved. It is a zinc based award, and as we often see the original wash on the cross has faded and mostly worn away, so it now shows an oxidized zince patina. The hanger ring is stamped with Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) number 45, for Franz Jungwirth of Wien (Vienna), Austria.

A lovely set, ready to research and display!

The War Merit Cross (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) 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.

The ribbon of the War Merit Cross was in red-white-black-white-red; that was, the red and black colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross. The ribbon for the War Merit Medal was similar, but with a narrow red vertical red strip in the center of the black field. Soldiers who earned the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords wore a small crossed-swords device on the ribbon. The War Merit Cross 1st Class was a pin-backed medal worn on the pocket of the tunic (like the Iron Cross 1st Class). The ribbon of the War Merit Cross 2nd Class could be worn like the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class (through the second buttonhole). Nonetheless combat soldiers tended to hold the War Merit Cross in low regard, referring to its wearers as being in 'Iron Cross Training'. The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was a neck decoration and worn the same way as the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.