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Condition: Excellent
Maker: Zimmerman “20”
Pattern: Dot Pattern
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Product Description: This Zimmerman German Cross in Gold is a great piece, with outstanding visual appeal and a “combat worn” look. Both the front and back show light, honest wear, very likely from having been worn on a soldier’s uniform. This is a textbook original piece, made by the firm of C. F. Zimmermann, and is the variant known to collectors as the “dot pattern.” The swastika emblem retains full original enamel, with no chips. The wreath and starbursts retain most of the original finish, with some expected wear to the wreath gilding. The silver field behind the swastika has some uncleaned old patina. The reverse of this desirable Zimmerman German Cross in Gold is complete, with pleasant toning from age and wear. The wide pin has the C. F. Zimmermann mark of “20” stamped on the underside, as is normal. The hinge and catch are unrepaired, and the rivets are tight and correct. This is a great example of a scarce award, that remains 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-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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