Original German WWII Medal and Insignia Grouping with KvK II, War Merit Medal, and Close Combat Clasp – 6 Items Original Items

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 some a wide variety of medals and insignia, including a War Merit Cross, Luftwaffe insignia, and more!

This lovely set includes:

– One German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords and Ribbon. The medal has a lovely oxidized patina, showing some past cleaning, and the ribbon is in very good shape, showing just a bit of age toning and staining.

– One German WWII 1939 War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille): Comes complete with the original ribbon, in very good condition. The ribbon is a bit frayed, but overall this is a very nice example.

– One German WWII Close Combat Clasp in Bronze by JFS. Bronze wash is very faded, and the badge shows wear overall. The hook for the back pin is missing.

– One Painted Stamped Zinc Heer Eagle Shield Badge for DAK Sun Helmets. All three pins are missing and there is glue residue on the reverse.

– One Aluminum National Colors Shield Badge for DAK Sun Helmets. Pins are intact but bent. Maker marked in the center.

– One German 1940 Pattern Heer Army BeVo Embroidered Wehrmachtadler Eagle for Caps. in great shape, with the correct green background and gray thread.

A wonderful totally genuine grouping perfect for the German Medal and Insignia collector.

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.

The War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to recognize outstanding service by civilians in relation to the war effort. It was instituted on 19 August 1940 and usually awarded to those workers in factories who significantly exceeded work quotas. The War Merit Medal was awarded only to Germans and non-Germans civilians, to men and women. An estimated 4.9 million medals were awarded by the end of the war in Europe. It was closely related to the War Merit Cross, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike for outstanding service to the war effort.

The medal was designed by Professor Richard Klein of Munich. It was a circular bronze award bearing the design of the War Merit Cross on the front (obverse), and the inscription “For War Merit 1939” (Für Kriegsverdienst 1939) on the reverse side. It was suspended from a ribbon colored similar to the War Merit Cross, except for a thin red vertical strip added to the center of the black portion. When worn, it was either as a medal ribbon bar above the left breast pocket (soldiers who had earned the medal as civilians could wear it on their uniform), or with the ribbon only through the second buttonhole of a jacket. Since this was a non-combat award, the medal never incorporated swords. After 15 May, 1943, the award of this medal to foreigners was superseded by the Medal of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle.

The Close Combat Clasp (Nahkampfspange) is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand-to-hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket. The clasp was die-cast and made of either tombac or later zinc, with a slightly curved centerpiece consisting of the national emblem surmounting a crossed bayonet and hand grenade.

The award was bestowed in three classes: Bronze for 15 close combat battles; Silver for 25 battles; and Gold for 50+ battles. The Gold Close Combat Clasp was often regarded in higher esteem than the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross by the German infantry. Of the roughly 18–20 million soldiers of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, 36,400 received the Bronze Class, 9,500 the Silver Class and 631 the Gold Class.