Cloth German Cross in Gold

Product Description: A Cloth German Cross in Gold with a Heer style wool backing material. This example of the Cloth German Cross in Gold is unissued and in nearly the same condition it was when first produced 70 years ago. The cross features a tombak/brass based wreath which was then gilded to designate the gold version of this cross series. As you can see clearly from the photos these cloth versions of the German Cross are delicately assembled. The back cloth swastika is bordered with a thin aluminum wire that neatly contours the edges. The inside of the crosses wreath has a simple piece of thick red thread that runs its length. The outside edge of the wreath is similarly executed like the inside, but with the exception of a thin aluminum wire that runs its circumference instead of red. The starburst effect of the cross was created simply by alining the woven thread into staggered rows and creating a glitter effect by placing aluminum thread at the ends of these rows. The extreme outer edge of the cross is a very fine grey/green wool signifying this cross was intended for wear on Heer or Waffen SS jackets. Upon completion of the cross, a black material was placed on its reverse to ensure the threads of the cross would remain protected from snagging or coming loose. A truly lovely cloth german cross in gold in excellent condition.

Historical Description: The German Cross in Gold was instituted on September 28th, 1941. The German High Command saw it necessary to create an award which would bridge the gap between the Iron Cross First Class and the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. Once instituted, the German Cross became Germany’s second highest military decoration, second only to the Knights Cross and its subsequent grades. The German Cross was similar to the Knights Cross in regards that the award was not based off of any previous awards in German history. It was a unique creation which also ended with the war. There were approximately 26,000 recipients of the German Cross in Gold. This number, however, does not reflect the total amount of German Crosses produced.

The German Cross was actually not a cross at all, it took on the form of an eight-point star resembling some of the former breast awards of the Imperial era. The award came in two forms, a metal version and a cloth version. The metal version being the most complex of the two, it consisted of five separate pieces being fitted and held together using four to twelve rivets depending on who the manufacturer was. The cloth version follows the exact same design as the metal produced version except the entire cross is cloth with the exception of the laurel wreath still being metal.

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