The Knight’s Cross Of The War Merit Cross In Gold

Time Period: Nazi Germany (Interwars Period, World War II)
Institution: 13 October 1944
Country: Germany

The Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold (or Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes in Gold in German) was a decoration of Nazi Germany and a variation of the War Merit Cross (Kriegsverdienstkreuz). The medal can be dated back to 7 July 1944 when Albert Speer suggested the need for a superior grade of the award. The goal was to recognize exceptional non-combatant contributions to the war effort in Germany.

The medal was officially instituted on 13 October 1944. Only 21 Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold are known to have been awarded (with several dozen having been produced but not given).

The award had four variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service “not in direct connection with combat”, without swords given to civilians for meritorious service in “furtherance of the war effort”, the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross, and the rare Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold.

Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold Design

The medal consists of a gilded silver Maltese Cross. The obverse has pebbled arms, with a central wreathed mobile swastika and crossed swords piercing the centerpiece. The reverse has a block hinge and a banjo-style pinback. The cross measures 48.51 mm (w) x 48.48 mm (h) and weighs 17.6 grams.

Ribbon

The ribbon of the Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold was red-white-black-white-red (the colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross).