Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class, by Karl Gschiermeister Republic of while the throat is held

while the throat is held together by a single visible rivet and retains a functional spring catch

for acts of courage and leadership in the face of the enemy

die stamped 2 piece construction

and then in the 3rd Reserve Railway Pioneers Battalion

2 mm (h) x 30 mm (w)

Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class, by Karl Gschiermeister Republic of while the throat is held(Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse). Constructed of silvered tombak, consisting of a Maltese Cross, the obverse with pebbled arms and a central wreathed mobile swastika, the reverse with a raised barrel hinge and tapering vertical pinback meeting a rounded catch, the pinback maker marked with Prsidialkanzlei code 50 for Karl Gschiermeister, Vienna, measuring 48. 56 mm (w) x 48. 13 mm (h), weighing 14. 6 grams, demonstrating minor loss of silver finish