Bidspirit auction | Set of German WWII Faithful

Set of German WWII Faithful Service Cross Medals (Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen) - A set of Wehrmacht/civil service long-service crosses, each in the form of a cross pattée with an oak leaf wreath surround, the front bearing an enameled mobile swastika and the reverse inscribed ”Für treue Dienste” (For Faithful Service). The suspension loop is present at the top of each cross. These awards were instituted in 1938 to recognize lengthy service by civil servants and officials of the German state, distinct from military decorations, and were issued in different grades corresponding to years of service. The Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen was established by Hitler in 1938 to reward long and loyal service by civil servants, officials, and state employees rather than military personnel. It was awarded in tiers according to length of service, with 25 years marked by a silver-toned cross and 40 years by a gold-toned cross, the latter tier reviving a Prussian-era tradition of honoring career officials. Recipients typically included administrators, teachers, postal workers, and other functionaries within the Third Reich's civil bureaucracy.