Original German WWII Medal & Award Grouping with KvKII (2), Eastern Medal, IAB, and More - 6 Items

Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice collection of German WWII Insignia & Awards, 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 good variety of medals and insignia, including two War Merit Crosses, an Eastern medal, and more!

This lovely set includes:

- TWO German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (Kriegsverdienstkreuz II Klasse mit Schwertern) and Ribbon. One of these look to be made from brass, with a worn and stained ribbon, while the other has a zinc cross, which has lost the original gold wash, and has a ribbon in great shape.

- One German WWII Eastern Front Medal (Ostmedaille) with ribbon. The medal still retains the top hanger ring, and it shows a lovely oxidized patina on both sides. The ribbon shows some light fraying and staining.

- One German WWII Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen). This example is missing the entire pin and catch assembly, and there is a faded maker marking on the back which we cannot read.

- One German WWII Civil Service Faithful Service Medal 2nd Class with ribbon. The second class award for 25 years of service was a silver cross, with a silver wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross. The medal shows an oxidized patina, with the ribbon in great shape, showing just a bit of staining.

- One German WWII DRK Red Cross Medal for Social Welfare with ribbon. The medal is in good condition, showing an oxidized patina, and the original ribbon shows some light staining and oxidation.

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

More Details on some of the Items in this set:

War Merit Cross 2nd Class (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) with Swords (for Combat)
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.

The Eastern Medal (Ostmedaille), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42), was a military award of the Wehrmacht which was created by ordinance of Adolf H on 26 May 1942.

The Eastern Medal was awarded to any member of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS "in recognition of experience in the struggle against the Bolshevik enemy and the Russian winter within the period from 15 November 1941 to 15 April 1942." It was also awarded posthumously to any service member who died in the line of duty within the Soviet Union. It was wryly called the Frozen Meat Medal or the "Order of the Frozen Flesh" (Gefrierfleischorden).

The Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) was a German war badge awarded to Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during the Second World War. This decoration was instituted on 20 December 1939 by the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch. It could be awarded to members of non-motorized Infantry units and units of the Gebirgsjäger that had participated in infantry assaults, with light infantry weapons, on at least three separate days of battle in the front line on or after 1 January 1940. When a counter offensive led to fighting, it could also apply. Award of the Infantry Assault Badge was authorized at regimental command level.

Faithful Civil Service Decoration First Class Cross for 25 Years of Service -  A fullsize frosted silver with an oak leaf wreath and black enameled Swas (hook cross) on original ribbon. The Civil Service Faithful Service Medal (Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen für Beamte Angestellte und Arbeiter im öffentlichen Dienst) was a NSDAP Germany medal of honor that was founded on 30 January 1938, in two grades, to reward civilians and military in the employ of the German public services for long and faithful service.

All officials, employees, and laborers at any level of the public service (local, regional or national) who complete 25 or 40 years service were eligible. The second class award was for 25 years of service was a silver cross, with a silver wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross. The first class award was for 40 years of service was a gold cross, with a gold wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross.

The reverse of both classes was stamped with Für treue Dienste (For faithful Services). in German black letter typeface. The ribbon for the medal is cornflower blue.

The Social Welfare Decoration (German: Ehrenzeichen für deutsche Volkspflege) was a German Civil Award created by Adolf AH on 1 May 1939 for services in the social sector. The decoration was issued in three classes and was awarded for a wide variety of service, in the social sector, to the German state. Qualifying service would have been with Winterhilfswerk, National Socialist People's Welfare, medical and rescue work, or care of foreign and ethnic Germans. As a replacement for the German Red Cross Decoration, it was conferred in four classes consisting of a white-enameled gold Balkenkreuz with Reich eagle and swas. A "Medal for Social Welfare" was also issued for lesser degrees of service, not warranting the higher presentation of a class award.

The main requirement for the award was that the service rendered should be to the benefit of the civil population. Reinhard Heydrich was awarded the decoration for his running of the Gestapo in the 1930s and for providing "security" to the German people. The infamous Doctor Josef Mengele was also awarded the decoration in 1941, for providing medical services to wounded soldiers and civilians alike on the battlefields of the Eastern Front.