Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class with Swords, by Friedrich Orth Hold It is signed in blue

It is signed in blue ink by a Captain and acting Wing Commander

one of them affixed to a 100 mm long ten-link chain

After occupation duty in France and the Netherlands

it was and continues to be awarded for services to agriculture

The handle grip is composed of a single piece of ribbed black celluloid

Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class with Swords, by Friedrich Orth Hold It is signed in blue(Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern). Constructed of silvered tombak, consisting of a Maltese Cross with crossed swords piercing the centrepiece, the obverse with pebbled arms and a central wreathed mobile swastika, the reverse with a block hinge emanating from an oval plate and a banjo style pinback meeting a flat wire catch similarly emanating from an oval plate, the pinback maker marked with LDO code L15 for a controversial variation now