Germany, Wehrmacht. An Exceedingly Rare Japanese-Made 1939 Iron Cross, Published & Owner-Attributed Example

(Eisernes Kreuz 1939 I. Klasse). Reinstituted 1 September 1939. (1939-1945 issue). An exceptionally rare Japanese-made 1939 Iron Cross I Class, constructed of solid silver and demonstrating fine artisanal craftsmanship, consisting of a Cross Pattée with a ribbed frame and black painted core, the obverse with a central mobile swastika, the six o’clock arm with a reinstitution date of 1939, the reverse with a raised block hinge, bearing a hand-etched owner’s name of “BTSM (BOOTSMAN) K. METZNER”, measuring 44.12 mm (w) x 44.22 mm (h), weighing 23.8 grams, the core demonstrates minor loss of black finish and the reverse vertical pinback and catch are missing, a truly unique piece from the collection of Roger Bender in very fine condition.

Footnote: Owing to a lack of availability of official awards, an extremely limited number of Japanese-made Wehrmacht decorations were commissioned for issue to German servicemen, particularly Kriegsmarine personnel, serving in the Pacific. Records make specific mention of Iron Crosses and Auxiliary Cruiser War badges being manufactured by Japanese jewelers and distributed to individuals recognized in the field. The cross offered is a scarce example of the former, and is published as a specimen on page 133 of Gordon Williamson’s 2002 reference text, “The Iron Cross of 1939”. The author identifies the recipient as later-Oberbootsmannsmaat Conrad (Konrad) Metzner. According to the text, Metzner was a crewman aboard the Kriegsmarine auxiliary cruiser “Michel”, which sailed from Yokohama on 21 May 1943 on a lengthy route around the coasts of South America, Australia, and South Asia to raid Allied merchant vessels. After a five-month voyage during which “Michel” sank three Allied ships, the raider was just 80 km from the port of Yokohama before being spotted by the United States submarine “Tarpon” on 20 October. Four of eight torpedoes fired by “Tarpon” struck “Michel”, sinking it with the loss of 290 crewmen, including the captain. 116 survivors successfully returned to Japan in lifeboats, with the apparent lack of interest by the Imperial Japanese Navy in rescuing the survivors the cause of a brief rift between Germany and Japan. According to Dietrich Maerz in his 2010 reference book “The Iron Cross 1. Class” (page 418), only 25 of these survivors were awarded the Iron Cross I Class for their actions on the voyage and the vessel’s sinking. The original award document for Metzner’s award featured the handwritten signature of Admiral Paul Wenneker, Germany’s naval attaché to Japan.