(Kriegsverdienst Kreuz)

Date Instituted

1 September 1939

Requirements

With swords:
* Acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty.
Without swords:
* Civilians or military personnel not directly involved in military operations who made important contributions to the war effort.

Number Awarded

6.134.950 (with swords) and 1,591,567 (without swords)

Award Documents

Stabsgefreiter Markus Pabst

Ribbon worn on the ribbon bar

Known makers/markings

4, 14, 18, 19, 34, 43, 45, 56, 57, 101, 113, Jakob Bengel

Estimated price (2009)

€25


Heer officer wearing the War Merit 2nd Class ribbon

(Courtesy of Josef Fregosi)

HJ members awarded with the War Merit Cross 2nd Class and the Iron Cross 2nd Class for service during the air raids on Hamburg 1943

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Comments

This award ranked below the Iron Cross.

Normally only the ribbon of this award was worn, not the medal itself.

Photo courtesy of Rusfront & Craig Wagner

Sources used

Christopher Ailsby - World War 2 German medals and political awards
John R. Angolia - For Führer and Fatherland: Military awards of the Third Reich
David Littlejohn - Orders, decorations, medals and badges of the Third Reich
Detlev Niemann - Price Guide Germany 1871-1945 (2009)

Reference material on this award

Gordon & Williamson & Josef Charita - The War Merit Cross