Original Item: Only One Available. This is an lovely example of a German WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 1939) by desirable maker Klein & Quenzer A.G., with an original rayon red, black, and white ribbon. Also included is the original besittzzeugnis "possession/award" certificate, named to a sailor in the Kriegsmarine Navy! We almost never get these marked to members of the navy, making this a rare treat! Even better, this sailor looks to have been a survivor of the sinking of Destroyer Z22 Anton Schmitt during the Battle of Narvik, which took place 10 April 1940!

The award document indicates that it was awarded to Ob.Masch.Mt. M e i e r, or OberMaschinistMaat Meier (Senior Machinist's Mate), a Machinist holding a rank equivalent to a U.S. Navy Petty Officer, 2nd Class. As for the unit, it is listed as von Zerstörer "Anton Schmitt", or "from Destroyer Anthon Schmitt". It was awarded 6. Mai 1940. at Wilhelmshaven, a major port and Kriegsmarine base during WWII. It has the stamp of the Kriegsmarine Flottenkommando (Navy Fleet Command), and has the stamped signature of Admiral und Flottenchef Marschall (Admiral and Fleet Commander Marschall).

Wilhelm Marschall was Fleet commander from 21 October 1939 to 7 July 1940, so this is completely correct. He was removed after going against high command's orders and engaging British aircraft carrier Glorious on 8 June 1940. He was victorious, but had been ordered to avoid action, and also the action resulted in serious damage to the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. He also abandoned over 1600 Royal Navy sailors from the sinking of the 3 Royal Navy ships to their deaths, despite there being no other British assets in the area.

More remarkable is the history of the ship that Meier was on, the Destroyer Z22 Anton Schmitt, which was actually SUNK during the First Naval Battle of Narvik on 10 April 1940! The ship was surprised by the British forces, and took one 4.7 inch shell and two torpedoes before breaking in half, killing or wounding over 50 crewmen. The survivors of other Kriegsmarine ships that were sunk gathered on shore and formed an ad-hoc naval infantry unit. This would later join up with Land forces during the invasion of Norway. Definitely some good research potential here!

The document has all the correct stamps and markings, and measures about 7 7/8" x 5 1/2", (about 20cm x 14cm), printed on heavy-weight paper with black print and typed in particulars. It is in good condition, showing light staining, and unlike most we see, it was never folded in half! It does however look to have been framed for a long time, which has resulted in a "border" of lighter paper where the frame was.

The Iron Cross itself is a very nice example with crisp beading, and the silvering to the frame has a lovely lightly tarnished patina and looks great! The matte core paint on the iron center on both sides is in great condition, showing only light wear and the usual small scratches and crazing due to age. The paint on the raised areas is still completely retained.

The original ribbon is properly threaded through the hanger ring, and shows just a bit of wear around the hanger loop. The very ends of the ribbon have three small holes, probably from a previous attachment clip, now removed. The hanger loop is also marked with Präsidialkanzlei des Führers Lieferant (Presidential Chancellery Supplier) number 65, which represents maker Klein & Quenzer A.G. of Idar-Oberstein.

Please also 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.

The basic design of the WWII crosses is a central Tatzenkreuz (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 1939 under a "mobile" swas. 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.

A fantastic example of the most iconic of all German awards, complete with an original award document and ribbon, ready to research and display!

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. This central Tatzenkreuz (cross pattée) struck from iron and mounted in a silver frame which has a raised crenulated decorative border.

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.