Germany – Third Reich: Iron Cross 1939 1st Class, a rare “unmarked” Rudolf Wächtler & Lange of Mittwaida with non-magnetic brass core, with distinct tapered pin for this manufacturer, housed in its unmarked a fitted case of issue. A very good example of this rare form with excellent paintwork.
Condition: some wear to case, most notably on one of the corners of the base, but also visible on the paintwork to the maltese cross emblem, otherwise Good Very Fine or better.
As covered in the book, ‘The Iron Cross 1. Class’, by Maerz and Stimson. Pages 312-318.
The cores of the Wächtler & Lange (W&L) Iron Crosses also have identifying characteristics. In the date, the top of the “1” is slightly lower than the top of the adjacent “9”. The bottom of the “1” is higher than the bottom of the “9” next to it. The top bar of the “3” slants upwards to the left. It is also higher than the top of the last “9”. The bottom of the “3” is also very slightly lower than the “9”s on either side of it. Wächtler & Lange was one manufacturer who produced crosses with non-ferrous cores in addition to their crosses with the regulation iron cores. On the reverse, pin-back versions of the award have a block/barrel hinge which is soldered on its side to the reverse of the cross. The pin is distinctly shaped, widening less in the centre than pins found on other Iron Crosses. The catch is an immediate indicator that a cross might be one made by W&L; the company’s catches are fashioned from a thick flat wire, which is easily recognisable. The catches are soldered directly to the backplate of the cross.
Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration (rather than Prussian), and continued the tradition of issuing it in various classes. Legally, it is based on the enactment (Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573) of 1st September 1939 Verordnung uber die Erneuerung des Eisernen Kreuzes. (Regulation for the Re-introduction of the Iron Cross). The Iron Cross of World War II was divided into three man series of decorations with an intermediate category, the Knight’s Cross, instituted between the lowest, the Iron Cross, and the highest, the Grand Cross. The Knight’s Cross replaced the Prussian Pour le Merite or “Blue Max”. Hitler did not care for the Pour le Merite, as it was a Prussian order that could be awarded only to officers. The ribbon of the medal (2nd Class and Knight’s Cross) was different from the earlier Iron Crosses in that colour red was used in addition to the traditional black and white (black and where were the colours of Prussia, while black, white and red were the colours of Germany). It is estimated that some four and a half million 2nd Class Iron Crosses were awarded during World War II, and 300,000 of the 1st Class.
