Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 combatant veteran service medal awarded to a German Jewish soldier

Object | Accession Number: 2018.470.2

Overview

Brief Narrative: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkriegs 1914 1918 [The Honor Cross of World War 1914/1918) awarded for serving in combat in the German Army during the First World War. The award was established by President Paul von Hindenburg, on July 13, 1934. This was the first official WWI service medal of the Third Reich, often referred to by an unofficial name, Hindenburg Cross. Hindenburg, Field Marshal of German forces during WWI, appointed Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933, and soon a Nazi dictatorship ruled the country.
Date: commemoration: 1914-1918
issue: 1934 July 13-1944
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Arlyne Gutmann Cook
Markings: ront, center, medal, embossed : 1914 / 1918
back, top, medal, embossed : L. / NGB.KM&F [unknown maker’s mark]
Contributor: Designer: Eugene Godet

Classification: Military Insignia
Category: Medals
Object Type: Medals, German (lcsh)
Genre/Form: Military decorations.
Physical Description: Bronze, cross pattée medal with flared arms, an embossed central design with two crossed, military swords behind, and a raised rim. At the center, the years of conflict appear encircled by a laurel wreath with a ribbon tied at the bottom, the trailing ends extending into the cross’s lower arm. The lower arm is flanked by the engraved hilts of the swords, while the blade tips flank the upper arm. A maker’s mark is embossed on the bottom arm of the smooth back. A suspension ring with a bail is attached to the center of the upper arm. Threaded through the bail is a grosgrain ribbon with seven vertical stripes: a red center flanked by black and white stripes and narrow black edges.
Dimensions: overall: Height: 3.140 inches (7.976 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm)
Materials: overall : bronze, metal, ribbon

Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Arlyne Gutmann Cook.
Related Materials: Additional Accession Number: 1995.A.1194
Additional Accession Number: 2019.625