Germany, Wehrmacht. A German Cross in Gold, by C.F. Zimmermann, from the Estate of a Major in Soviet Captivity

(Deutsches Kreuz in Gold). Instituted 28 September 1941. (1941-1945 issue). Constructed of gilded and silvered cupal with multi-coloured enamels, the obverse consisting of a double-overlaid eight-pointed radiant starburst, overlaid by a central silvered disc bearing a raised and black enameled mobile swastika, surrounded by a gilded laurel wreath which is wrapped in ribbon and joined together at the bottom by a plaque bearing an institution date of “1941”, and which is trimmed along both the inner and outer edges with red enameled borders, the reverse with four visible blasted rivets, with a crimped hinge and tapering vertical pinback meeting a rounded catch emanating from an oblong plate, the reverse of the pinback maker marked with Präsidialkanzlei code “20” for C.F. Zimmermann, Pforzheim, measuring 62.83 mm (w) x 63.05 mm (h), weighing 43.6 grams, a striking light version in extremely fine condition.

Footnote: The accompanying award is offered as part of the estate of a highly-decorated Heer Officer who served throughout the duration of the Second World War. Assigned to a variety of artillery units, including 10. Batterie, Artillerie-Regiment 169 (1939), 12. Batterie/11. Batterie, Artillery-Regiment 206 (1940-1944), and Stabs-Batterie, III. Abteilung, Artillerie-Regiment 129 (1944), the recipient attained the rank of Major and saw service during the Battle of France (1940), followed by extensive combat operations on the Eastern Front, where he participated in Operation Typhoon from 1941 until 1942 (including the Battle of Moscow), Operation Mars (Rzhev region, late 1942), and in defensive operations during the Red Army’s offensive as part of Operation Bagration.

Notably, the recipient was among a number of German servicemen who escaped the advance of the Red Army aboard a boat in the Baltic Sea, eventually reaching neutral Sweden, where he was interned from 10 May-14 December 1945. Diplomatic pressure from Moscow resulted in approximately 3,000 of these internees being transferred to Soviet custody, with the recipient among them. Arriving in Libau (now Liepāja, Latvia) on 15 December, he was later transferred around various Soviet prisoner of war (POW) camps, and is registered as having been held in Camp 277 in Salaspils from 9 February until 12 June 1946, Camp 350 in Riga from 13 June until 18 November 1946, Camp 266 in Mitau (now Jelgava, Latvia) from 19 November 1944 until 6 December 1947, Camp 7064 in Morshansk (near Moscow), Camp 7185 in Mikhaylovka (Volgograd region) from 7 December 1947 until 17 November 1949. His inmate records indicate that he was married with two children and was released from custody in late 1949, arriving back in Germany the following year.

Appropriately reflecting a storied military career which spanned the entirety of the Second World War, followed by internment in harsh conditions, the Officer was the recipient of a wide array of service and merit awards. While the pinnacle of these decorations was the German Cross in Gold, which he received on 8 November 1944, this historically-significant estate reflects a decade-long career of service and sacrifice.