Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice collection of German WWII Insignia & Awards, 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 EKII and KvKII wards, as well as 4 ribbon bars for various awards.

This lovely set includes:

- One German WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1939) with Ribbon. This fine example is in very good service used condition, with a very good condition rayon tri-color ribbon showing some great age toning and wear. There is light oxidation on the silver components, giving it a lovely tarnished patina, and there is flaking of the matte black finish on the central cross.

The award itself is maker marked on the hanger ring with Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) number 56 on the hanger ring, which represents maker Robert Hauschild of Pforzheim. Most EKIIs we see are unmarked, so this is a real treat!

- One German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (Kriegsverdienstkreuz II Klasse mit Schwertern) and Ribbon. The medal has a lovely lightly oxidized patina, and the ribbon is in very good shape, showing just a bit of fraying. It looks to be an early war example made from brass, and the hanger ring is also marked 56, for Robert Hauschild. They were probably gathered together in a group due to being matching from makers.

- One Four Award Medal Ribbon Bar. This has ribbons for the 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class EKII, War Merit Cross 2nd Class KVKII with Swords, Hindenburg Cross with Swords, and 25 Year Long Civil Service Award.

- One Two Award Medal Ribbon Bar. This has ribbons for the 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class EKII and the Eastern Front Medal.

- One Two Award Medal Ribbon Bar. This has ribbons for the War Merit Cross 2nd Class KVKII with Swords and the Eastern Front Medal.

- One Two Award Medal Ribbon Bar. This has ribbons for the War Merit Cross 2nd Class KVKII with Swords and the Western Wall Siegfried Line medal.

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

More Details on some of the Items in this set:

There is no more iconic German military award than the Iron Cross. The long history of this order began during the Napoleonic Wars. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia instituted the “Eisernes Kreuz” (Iron Cross) in March of 1813. The award criteria changed somewhat with time, but generally speaking, Iron Crosses could be awarded for individual acts of bravery, or for leadership achievements on the battlefield. The design was created by a Karl Friedrich Schinkel, his choice of the black cross with silver outline was derived from the heraldic emblem of the Teutonic Knights.

There were a number of different type and grades of Iron Cross awards throughout its long history, but the basic details of the most widely awarded grades: The Iron Cross 1st Class and Iron Cross 2nd Class- remained the same. The first class award was a breast badge, with fittings on the reverse to allow it to be worn on the uniform. These fittings varied widely over time and from maker to maker, and could be a simple in and catch, a screw post and retaining disc, or more elaborate setups. The second class award was suspended from a ribbon, originally in the Prussian colors of black and white, later in the Reich colors of black, red and white.

On the original versions of these crosses, in 1813, the front of the iron core of each grade was bare, and only the second class award had ornamentation: a crown over the initials “FW” representing the King, a sprig of oak leaves, and the date 1813. The core was redesigned in 1870, when the cross was re-instituted during the Franco-Prussian War. The reverse ornamentation on the Iron Cross 2nd Class remained the same, but the front of the core on both grades now bore another crown, a “W” representing Kaiser Wilhelm, and the date 1870. This pattern repeated again when the cross was reinstituted for WWI- everything stayed the same, only the date 1870 was replaced with 1914.

The final reinstitution of the cross came in 1939. For this version, the front of the core for both grades bore a swas and the date 1939. The oak leaves, crown and royal initials were removed from the reverse, with only the date 1813 remaining as a reminder of the legacy of this award. In WWII, hundreds of thousands of Iron Cross First Class awards were bestowed, and four and a half million Iron Cross Second Class awards. Iron Crosses were made by a large number of authorized manufacturers. Some variants of these awards were mass produced in huge numbers. Others were made in very limited quantities.

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.