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Condition: VG/EXC
Maker: Deschler
Pattern: Heavy
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Product Description: This Heavy German Cross in Gold is a complete, all-original example of this desirable award. It shows some age and wear. The swastika on the front retains most of the original enamel, but has taken some hits, with some chipping and losses. The wreath retains beautiful original gold finish. The back plate is made of solid Tombak, and has nice factory applied finish, with light wear to high points that exposes the base metal. On the reverse, this Heavy German Cross in Gold is marked on the pin with the numeral “1” which is the PKZ number of the prestigious firm of Deschler in Munich. There is a slight, even age patina to the original finish. The hardware is textbook for this maker, and shows no signs of repair. The tapered attachment pin is functional. The Tombak rivets are tight and never messed with. This is an appealing cross, and a great representative example of this variant. The condition rates as very good / excellent.
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-pointed 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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