Original German WWII Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross KvK Button Pin by Steinhauer & Lück Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice and rare example of the button hole pin version of the German WWII Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross KvK. This is the second highest grade of the award, only behind the Gold Knights cross, which was never really put into production, with only two recipients “on paper.” This is essentially a miniature version of the actual badge, vastly scaled down for wearing in a button hole or lapel. The cross itself is only 5/8″ wide, with a 1 1/4″ long ribbon.

This fine example was manufactured maker marked on the back STEINHAUER & LÜCK – LÜDENSCHEID, which is under the LDO logo. The Leistungs Gemeinschaft der Deutscher Ordenshersteller (Administration of German orders Manufacturers or LDO) was created to control the production of medals and orders. The LDO was directed by the Fuhrer’s Chancellery.

This handsome example in zinc shows frosted finish on silver maltese cross. The details are still there, though the rear of the badge is oxidized, or possibly missing the plating.  This is a great chance to pick up a rare award. Ready to display!

The War Merit Cross (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) 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 ribbon of the War Merit Cross was in red-white-black-white-red; that was, the red and black colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross. The ribbon for the War Merit Medal was similar, but with a narrow red vertical red strip in the center of the black field. Soldiers who earned the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords wore a small crossed-swords device on the ribbon. The War Merit Cross 1st Class was a pin-backed medal worn on the pocket of the tunic (like the Iron Cross 1st Class). The ribbon of the War Merit Cross 2nd Class could be worn like the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class (through the second buttonhole). Nonetheless combat soldiers tended to hold the War Merit Cross in low regard, referring to its wearers as being in ‘Iron Cross Training’. The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was a neck decoration and worn the same way as the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.