DKiG in Cloth – Type 3

Product Description: This DKiG in Cloth is a rare, maker marked gem. It’s pristine, with bright original color. The backing fabric is a field gray wool, indicating manufacture for the Heer or Waffen-SS. Every aspect of this badge is exactly what one would expect to see, and in great condition. The roundel is bright white, and the embroidery perfect. The Tombak wreath shows zero wear and has the expected, correct die flaw in the date. There are no stitch holes, no indication this piece was ever worn. The back of this DKiG in Cloth retains all of the original backing paper. It also has a postage stamp style, ink stamped adhesive label for the firm of C. A. Westmann in Dresden. It is unclear if Westmann was the actual maker of these, or perhaps a distributor; in any case the Westmann label is associated with top quality cloth German Crosses, and this one is no exception. This DKiG in Cloth displays great and remains in near mint overall condition.

Historical Description:

The German Cross in Gold was instituted on September 28^th, 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.    

 Known Manufacturers:  

Deschler & Sohn, Munchen 

C.E. Juncker, Berlin 

C.F. Zimmermann, Pforzheim 

Gebruder Godet, Berlin 

Otto Klein, Hanau 

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