A beautiful KvK War Merit Cross 1st Class without swords in silver.

A beautiful KvK War Merit Cross 1st Class without swords in silver. The cross on display appears to be made of silver-plated tombac alloy and still displays a great silver finish. The arms of the cross have extremely fine contours, and the "pebbles" within the arms are of very high quality. The cross still displays 90% of its original silver plating. There is no maker's mark on the cross itself.

Overall, a fine example of a KvK 1st Class!

The War Merit Cross (KvK Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a decoration of the NSDAP Germany during World War II, awarded to military personnel and civilians alike. At the end of the war, it was issued in four grades and had a related civilian decoration. It was created by Adolf AH in October 1939 as the successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross, which had been used in previous wars. The award was classified as the Iron Cross: Cross of Merit Second Class, Cross of War Merit First Class, and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross. The award had two variants: with swords awarded to soldiers for exceptional service "not directly connected to combat," and without swords for meritorious service to civilians "furthering the war effort." As with the Iron Cross, recipients had to pass the lowest grade of the award before obtaining the next level.