{"product_id":"original-rare-german-wwii-screw-back-iron-cross-first-class-1939-awarded-to-ace-night-fighter-pilot-kurt-bonow-with-signed-letter-eki","title":"Original Rare German WWII Screw Back Iron Cross First Class 1939 Awarded to Ace Night Fighter Pilot Kurt Bonow with Signed Letter - EKI","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Items: Only One Available. This is a very rare and sought after \"Screw Back\" version of the 1939 \u003cem\u003eEisernes Kreuz\u003c\/em\u003e (Iron Cross) 1st Class, obtained post war from German WWII Flying Ace\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Hauptmann Kurt Bonow\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e. which come with some fantastic documentation! Records show that he recorded 8 Aerial Victories during the war, and as a Night Fighter, most of his targets would have been bombers, not other fighters. Also as it was at night, much of the flying was instruments only, using radar, so definitely a totally different type of flying than daytime fighters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBonow is listed as being a part of \u003cem\u003eNachtjagdgeschwader 100\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNachtjagdgruppe 10\u003c\/em\u003e, and possibly \u003cem\u003eNachtjagdgeschwader 5\u003c\/em\u003e. The Iron Cross came to us with a a letter inside an envelope, with the envelope giving a summary of some of Bonow's service:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMAJOR KURT BONOW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 80px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEX-LUFTHANSA CAPT. PRE WAR.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNOW RETIRED (EX. SAA) IN SOUTH AFRICA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eC.O. OF FIRST JET NIGHT FIGHTER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSQDN IN THE WORLD - IN THE CLOSING\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWEEKS OF THE WAR.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInside the envelope is a letter addressed to \"Barry\", who appears to have been a British Mosquito pilot during the war who then was a fellow South African Airlines pilot with Bonow during the post war period. We unfortunately do not know Barry's last name, but this could be a great avenue of further research. The letter is headed with \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBenoni, 8. 2. 66.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, which is a town in South Africa. The letter reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDear Barry,\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e        This Iron Cross First Class,\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI Have Received after I had shot down\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003emy eighth Russian Bomber as a\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003enight fighter.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e        Later I fought over Berlin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eand I believe, of that time you\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eflew a Mosquito as a night fighter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ealso over Berlin. May be we met\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethen over the burning town.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e        To remember those hard\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edays, and the much friendlier time\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ewe flew as friends together here in\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSouth Africa, please accept this old\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIron Cross of mind as a Goodby gift.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 120px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYours sincerely\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKurt Bonow\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong with the letter we also received a small piece of paper indicating that he was also awarded the German Cross in Gold, and further information that he was part of a very early Arado Jet Unit. We have found information online that Bonow flew a \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArado Ar 234B-2 “Nachtigall”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e Night Bomber as part of the experimental unit \u003cem\u003eKommando Bonow\u003c\/em\u003e. He flew the plane with serial number \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWNr 140146\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e out of Oranienburg during March 1945. There is lot of further research available on the internet, making this a fantastically interesting offering!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe iron cross itself is a great example of a rare type of EKI, with a Magnetic core, vaulted design, and rare screw back attachment. It is marked with LDO number\u003cstrong\u003e L \/ 52\u003c\/strong\u003e on the back of the screw back, which represents \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eC.F. Zimmermann of Pforzheim\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, a very desirable maker. The LDO, (\u003cem\u003eLeistungs Gemeinschaft der Deutscher Ordenshersteller\u003c\/em\u003e - Administration of German orders Manufacturers), was a self-governing organization formed in 1941 which regulated the manufacturing of all German awards. The firm \u003cem\u003eC.F. Zimmermann\u003c\/em\u003e was a fully licensed in the organization, entry number 52.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Iron Cross is in excellent condition, with the silver displaying just a bit of oxidation. It is well retained overall, with just a bit of wear on the back. The screw back is in very good condition as well, and matches the color of the iron cross well. The matte black paint on the central cross shows some crazing in areas with a bit of flaking, and the central \u003cem\u003eswas\u003c\/em\u003e (hook cross) has the paint partly worn away. Just a lovely example in the highly desirable \"screw back\" vaulted iron cross!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic design of the WWII crosses is a central \u003cem\u003eTatzenkreuz\u003c\/em\u003e (cross pattée) struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border. The obverse of the cross bears the date \u003cstrong\u003e1939\u003c\/strong\u003e under a \"mobile\" swas (Hook Cross). Second class crosses would have a ring at the top where a ring was attached, and had more markings on the back. The first class award, however, was meant to attach directly to the front of the uniform.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note the edge seam for authentication, which is not present on reproductions. Iron crosses were commonly constructed from an iron core sandwiched in a surrounding two part silver frame, normally the seam of these two silver parts is visible around the edge of the cross as is seen on this fine example.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fantastic \"screw back\" EKI, in really great shape, with some fantastic documentation linking it to a German WWII Night Fighter Ace! Ready to research and display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no more iconic German military award than the \u003cstrong\u003eIron Cross.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, for their actions as pilots during World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41637576441925,"sku":"ONSV24MDF019","price":995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONSV24MDF019__01MAIN.jpg?v=1716474512","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-rare-german-wwii-screw-back-iron-cross-first-class-1939-awarded-to-ace-night-fighter-pilot-kurt-bonow-with-signed-letter-eki","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}