Bidspirit auction | German WWII War Merit Cross

German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords, 1939 - A Kriegsverdienstkreuz (War Merit Cross) 2nd Class with Swords, cross-form badge with pebbled arms and crossed swords, suspended from its original black-white-red ribbon. One face bears a central roundel with a mobile swastika design, while the reverse face is dated ”1939” within a beaded border. The medal is constructed in a base metal appearing to be a bronze or zinc alloy typical of wartime issue. The War Merit Cross with Swords was instituted in October 1939 to recognize both combat-related and non-combatant contributions to the German war effort, with the Swords variant reserved for those whose service carried an element of direct exposure to combat conditions, distinguishing it from the plain War Merit Cross awarded for civilian or rear-echelon achievement. The War Merit Cross was established by Adolf Hitler on 18 October 1939 as a decoration for wartime service outside the front-line combat role recognised by the Iron Cross, though the Swords variant was created specifically to acknowledge recipients who had faced enemy fire or hazardous conditions while performing such duties, including military personnel in support roles, medical staff, and some civilian officials. The 2nd Class was the lower of the award's two grades and was issued in large numbers throughout the war to both German and, in some cases, allied nationals. It ranked below the Iron Cross in prestige but was widely distributed among logistics, administrative, technical, and medical personnel whose contributions were deemed to merit formal recognition.