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Germany, Third Reich. War Merit Cross (KVK) 1st Class with Swords.
This example is made of zinc, and the pin is made of tombac or Buntmetall.
The War Merit Cross (German: Kriegsverdienstkreuz, KVK) was a German decoration established on 18 October 1939 to recognize non-combatant contributions to the German war effort during the Second World War. Conceived as a parallel award to the Iron Cross, it honored military personnel, civilians, and industrial workers whose service was essential but did not meet the criteria for a combat decoration.
The distinction existed in several grades: War Merit Cross 2nd Class, War Merit Cross 1st Class, and the highest grade, the Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross. Each grade had two variants: with swords, awarded for services performed under dangerous conditions or in support of military operations; and without swords, intended for administrative, technical, humanitarian, or industrial work behind the front lines.
Original German decoration from the Second World War.
