Original German WWII Iron Cross First Class 1939 in Original Case by Wilhelm Deumer of Ludenscheid Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This a very nice example of a WWII Iron Cross First Class 1939, with a Magnetic core, flat design, and straight pin attachment. It is maker marked L/11 below the pin catch. L/11 represents Wilhelm Deumer of Ludenscheid. The medal is in very fine condition. The silver plate is still mostly bright and retained, and the black paint on the cross is very good. It comes complete in its original presentation case, with the Iron Cross emblem on the lid, and still locks correctly.

The basic design of the WWII crosses is a central cross patee 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.

The Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz, abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and NSDAP Germany (1933–1945). It was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in March 1813 backdated to the birthday of his late wife Queen Louise on 10 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). Louise was the first person to receive this decoration (posthumous). The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War (EK 1870), World War I (EK 1914), and World War II (EK 1939, re-introduced with a swas added in the center).

The 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.