AWARD CRITERIA
The German Cross in Gold was a coveted award. It was issued in recognition of the following actions:

RULE DESCRIPTION 1 Issued to a soldier for outstanding service. 2 The soldier had to exhibit bravery in the face of the enemy. 3 The level of bravery and service would have to be above that required by the Iron Cross First Class but less than that required by the Knights Cross.

The award could have been issued to a person who was also awarded the Knight's Cross. This action would be done as a way to recognize the fact that the person continued to excel in the battlefield. Max Simon was an example of a soldier who received both awards. He earned the Knights Cross on 1941 and earned the German Cross on Gold in 1943. It was also possible for the soldier to have earned the German Cross before having earned the Knight's Cross.

The award was issued with a citation. This was a two step process. The initial document was very simple. It consisted of a facsimile with a drawing of the German Cross in the top section. Information found in this document included the grade of cross and the signature of the commander who issued it.

A formal socument followed the preliminary version. The formal citation contained the same basic information as previously described but it was executed in a much nicer fashion. The paper and print was bigger, in color and mastefully printed.

The cross itself came inside a box. It was black in color, square shape. A white velvet base and white silk lining.

Different Types of Crosses The following is a list of the different models in which the German Cross in Gold was manufactured and issued. 1. German Cross in Gold 2. German Cross in Gold with diamonds 3. German Cross in Gold cloth version - Air Force Blue 4. German Cross in Gold cloth version - Navy Blue 5. German Cross in Gold cloth version - Field Gray The cloth version of the badge was created purely for use in the field.

GERMAN CROSS ARCHITECTURE
The construction of the German Cross is very imposing and complex. The award was designed by professor Klein of Berlin. An eight pointed star provided the base of the award. A black enameled swastika was placed at the center. The swastika was fairly large in size and rested on top of a silver bed. a thin red line is found around the perimeter.

The design includes a wreath of gold made up by a series of laurel leaves. They are bound together by a silk lace. This is placed above the red lines. The base has a rectangle with the year 1941 in the center to indicate the date in which the award was issued.

A series of rays eminate from the wreath and cover all eight points of the star. A chemical treatment was applied to the rays to darken their appearance. A secons set of rays was placed beneath the first. This last set protruded beyond the original and gave the cross an overall three dimensional look.

The back of the German Cross was slightly convex. A pin is attached to one end by a large hinge. A heavy duty catch is placed in the other side. Of very high quality construction. The example shown here has four ball rivets. A different version with six smaller rivets was also available. It was known as the "Austrian" type.

The German Cross in Gold shown here has a date at the bottom portion of the gold wreath. The inside of the numbers have a series of small dots. There has been some controversy over the existance of these dots. Some folks believe it to be a reproduction. It is the author's belief that this is not a reproduction but rather a variation made by the Zimmermann company. Too many other aspects of the Cross are correct and it would be harder to build a mold to place the dots inside the numbers.

GERMAN CROSS MARKINGS
Not all of the German Crosses were marked with the manufacturer identification number (LDO). However, the example shown here is marked with the number 20 on the inside of the pin. This number indicated the cross was made by the Zimmermann company.

The side view of the award reveals the multiple layers of construction. The presence of a red circular base can be seen underneath the gold wreath.

BY THE NUMBERS
It is hard to determine the exact number of German Cross badges that were produced. However, thanks to the record keeping maintained by the Wehrmacht, it is possible to estimate how many medals were actually sent out. The number stands under 50 thousand as many soldiers qualified for this badge.

Even though the German Cross in Silver was a lesser grade award it is more valuable because it was not produced or issued in as large of numbers as the German Cross in Gold.

The actual number of German Cross badges produced is greater than the number that was issue. It must be accounted that the armed forces would have a stock in hand so it could replace lost ones and issue new awards. In addition the factories were likely to have warehouses with inventory at hand.

COLLECTING GERMAN CROSSES
Collecting Third Reich memorabilia is a field that has been growing since the days the GI's rummaged around Europe bringing back military souvenirs. German soldiers wore many of their awards on their uniforms when they went to battle. Once the soldier was killed or captured, the American soldiers would take the awards as war trophies. Eventually all these pieces came back to the United States where military history enthusiasts began to collect them.

"I am trying to figure out if I should get into collecting German Cross badges."

Determining which military badges to collect can be a challenging decision. The combination of availabiilty and cost will often set the pace of what can be collected. The adjacent table outlines some of the advantages and disadvantages of collecting the German Cross.

German Cross in Gold - This is a German Cross in gold.

This award is currently being reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this badge. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the badge.