$795.00
Condition: Excellent
Pattern: Luftwaffe
In stock
Product Description: An appealing Luftwaffe Cloth German Cross in Gold, offered here as a scarce and historically significant example of this distinguished combat decoration. The cross is executed on fine Luftwaffe blue wool with a subtle violet tone, characteristic of Air Force issue. The hand-embroidered elements remain attractive, though a few loose threads are present, consistent with age and field wear. The white roundel displays light, even toning, and the applied metal wreath, of high-quality manufacture, shows green oxidation throughout wreath. The expected die flaw in the “9” of the date is visible, confirming correct period production. It should be noted that the original backing paper is no longer present, and the wool backing exhibits areas of moth loss affecting roughly 40% of the edging. Measuring 2 15/16 in., the piece nevertheless retains strong overall visual impact and rates in excellent condition.
This Luftwaffe Cloth German Cross in Gold is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Time Traveler Militaria, which cites an unofficial attribution to Hermann Schrecke, a Luftwaffe pilot in 1942; no additional provenance is available to verify this. Despite the noted wear, the decoration remains a desirable and representative example of this iconic award, suitable for inclusion in an advanced collection.
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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