Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice collection of German WWII Awards and other items, which was brought back from the European theater by a USGI after the war was concluded. Many solders traded these on the way back, and would end up with a pocket full of various different collectible items, and this set represents the typical "haul" one might have come back with. It includes FIVE different WWII awards, in addition to an Armband, a pennant, and even some tinnies. 

This lovely set includes:

- One German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (Kriegsverdienstkreuz II Klasse mit Schwertern) with ribbon. The medal is a nice lightly patinated gray color, having lost the original gold wash, as we often see on zinc examples. The original ribbon is installed through the brass hanger ring, and has just a bit of age toning and fraying.

- One German WWII Eastern Front Medal (Ostmedaille), complete with ribbon. The medal is in great shape, still showing a bright silver border and helmet, with the black oxide interior of the design well retained. The ribbon is still in great shape, though there is a bit of sticker and tape residue on the exterior.

- One German WWII Wehrmacht Luftwaffe Airforce 4th Class Long Service Award - 4 Years with Ribbon and Pin. This example has a lovely lightly oxidized patina, and still retains the original ribbon, as well as the Luftwaffe eagle pin.

- One German WWII Civil Service Faithful Service Medal 2nd Class with ribbon. The second class award for 25 years of service was a silver cross, with a silver wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross. The medal still looks great, showing just a bit oxidation and tarnishing, and the ribbon is in great shape, with a nice installed attachment pin.

- One German WWII 1939 War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille): Comes complete with the original ribbon, in very good patinated condition. There is a bit of oxidation to both sides of the medal. The ribbon shows just a tiny bit of fraying and age toning, and looks to have had some type of sticker on the back at some point.

- One German WWII National Socialist State Veteran's Association Felt Armband - NSRKB. This shows some wear, but still retains the colors well and is in overall very good condition.

- One German WWII NSDAP Pennant Flag. This measures by 7 1/2" in hoist by 11 1/2" in fly, and was probably intended to attach to a pole.

- One German WWII 1935 SEEFAHRT IST NOT (Seafaring is necessary) Tinnie. This was given out for German Seafaring Day (TAG DER DEUTSCHEN SEEFAHRT) , May 25-26 1935. Maker marked on the back.

- One German Pre-WWII N·S·D·A·P REICHSPARTEITAG NÜRNBERG 1933 Nuremberg Rally tinnie.

A wonderful totally genuine grouping perfect for the German Medal and Insignia collector. Ready to research and display!

More information on some of the awards in this set:

"Tinnies" (Veranstaltungsabzeichen - Event Badges) are small commemorative pins or medals, acquired when one attended a specific event held in Germany. They were often made of thin stamped metal, bakelite, or even pressed paper. Many of these were given out as part of the WHW (Winterhilfswerk - Winter Help Work) Organization, which often involved Germans traveling quite a bit to help out the war effort. Many others were given for the annual Reichsparteitag (Reich Party Congress), otherwise known as the Nuremberg Rallies.

War Merit Cross 2nd Class (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) with Swords (for Combat)
This was a decoration of NSDAP Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike. By the end of the war it was issued in four degrees, and had a related civil decoration. It was created by Adolf AH in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars. The award was graded the same as the Iron Cross: War Merit Cross Second Class, War Merit Cross First Class, and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross. The award had two variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service "not in direct connection with combat", and without swords for meritorious service to civilians in "furtherance of the war effort". As with the Iron Cross, Recipients had to have the lower grade of the award before getting the next level.

The Eastern Medal (Ostmedaille), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42), was a military award of the Wehrmacht which was created by ordinance of Adolf H on 26 May 1942.

The Eastern Medal was awarded to any member of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS "in recognition of experience in the struggle against the Bolshevik enemy and the Russian winter within the period from 15 November 1941 to 15 April 1942." It was also awarded posthumously to any service member who died in the line of duty within the Soviet Union. It was wryly called the Frozen Meat Medal or the "Order of the Frozen Flesh" (Gefrierfleischorden).

Faithful Civil Service Decoration First Class Cross for 25 Years of Service -  A fullsize frosted silver with an oak leaf wreath and black enameled Swas (hook cross) on original ribbon. The Civil Service Faithful Service Medal (Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen für Beamte Angestellte und Arbeiter im öffentlichen Dienst) was a NSDAP Germany medal of honor that was founded on 30 January 1938, in two grades, to reward civilians and military in the employ of the German public services for long and faithful service.

All officials, employees, and laborers at any level of the public service (local, regional or national) who complete 25 or 40 years service were eligible. The second class award was for 25 years of service was a silver cross, with a silver wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross. The first class award was for 40 years of service was a gold cross, with a gold wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross.

The reverse of both classes was stamped with Für treue Dienste (For faithful Services). in German black letter typeface. The ribbon for the medal is cornflower blue.

Wehrmacht Long Service Awards - 18, 12, and 4 Years:
This award was a military service decoration of NSDAP Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. The award itself is cumulative, so after the 3rd class, both a cross and a medal were worn, and the color indicated service.

On 16 March, 1936, Adolf AH ordered the institution of service awards for the first four classes, each reflecting the completion of a select number of years of military service.

Each branch of the Wehrmacht (army, navy, and air force) maintained their own version of the Long Service Award and the decoration was issued for four years (silver medal – fourth class), 12 years (gold medal – third class), 18 years (silver cross – second class), 25 years (gold cross – first class), and 40 years (1939 special class). The 40 years special class service award was introduced on 10 March 1939.

Professor Dr Richard Klein designed the awards. Recipients of lower year awards would wear the decoration simultaneously with higher level decorations. The manner they could be worn was:

3rd Class with 4th Class (gold medal with silver medal)
2nd Class with 4th Class (silver cross with silver medal)
1st Class with 3rd Class (gold cross with gold medal)

The Long Service Award was retroactive throughout a service member's career, encompassing Reichswehr service as well as service dating during and before World War I. As such, there were a handful of 40 year awards presented, even though the NSDAP era only lasted 12 years (1933-1945).

The War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to recognize outstanding service by civilians in relation to the war effort. It was instituted on 19 August 1940 and usually awarded to those workers in factories who significantly exceeded work quotas. The War Merit Medal was awarded only to Germans and non-Germans civilians, to men and women. An estimated 4.9 million medals were awarded by the end of the war in Europe. It was closely related to the War Merit Cross, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike for outstanding service to the war effort.

The medal was designed by Professor Richard Klein of Munich. It was a circular bronze award bearing the design of the War Merit Cross on the front (obverse), and the inscription "For War Merit 1939" (Für Kriegsverdienst 1939) on the reverse side. It was suspended from a ribbon colored similar to the War Merit Cross, except for a thin red vertical strip added to the center of the black portion. When worn, it was either as a medal ribbon bar above the left breast pocket (soldiers who had earned the medal as civilians could wear it on their uniform), or with the ribbon only through the second buttonhole of a jacket. Since this was a non-combat award, the medal never incorporated swords. After 15 May, 1943, the award of this medal to foreigners was superseded by the Medal of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle.