Medal Group: GV Military Medal, BWM, VM, Private J. Simpson

Here’s one of my Military Medal groups. This one is a George V Military Medal awarded to Private J Simpson, R.A.S.C. DM2-075500. Of course along with this medal is his British War Medal and Inter-Allied Victory Medal.

The 1939-1945 War Medal with Mentioned in Dispatches Device

This medal is identical to my other British cupro-nickel War Medals with the exception of the mentioned in dispatches device which is affixed correctly to the ribbon.

German Cross in Gold 1957

The German Cross (German: Deutsches Kreuz) was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 16 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.

The German Cross was issued in two degrees: gold and silver (the color of the laurel wreath around the swastika), the former being an award for bravery, the latter being for distinguished service and was considered a continuation of the War Merit Cross with swords. The German Cross was unique in that the Gold and Silver degrees were considered as separate awards but should not be worn simultaneously. However, pictures of recipients wearing both grades exist. (see Odilo Globocnik). There are a total of 11 recorded instances of a recipient receiving both the German Cross in Silver and Gold during the war.
A special grade, the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds, was manufactured towards the end of World War II but was never bestowed.
This award was actually more a star than a cross (although one of the German names for the swastika was Hakenkreuz, “hooked cross”), and had a rather gaudy design, helping it gain its nicknames as “Hitler’s Fried Egg”, “patriotic rear reflector” and “Party emblem for the nearsighted”. It had a diameter of 6.5 cm and was worn on the righthand pocket of the tunic. If a recipient was awarded both the silver and gold divisions, both of them could be worn on the uniform.

German Cross in Gold (cloth form)
This award was also available in cloth form, which made for easier wear on the combat uniform; Helmuth Weidling wore this variety during his defense of Berlin in April-May 1945. Far more awards in gold (combat) were made than in silver (support).
The cross title refers to the fact that the swastika is a cross, a sun-cross.

In 1957 an alternative version for replacement of the German Cross came out-it features a Iron Cross in place of the swastika. This is the specimen pictured here. I hooked it off a Jerry on EBay where it is legal because it doesn’t display a swastika. I was offered an original German Cross in Silver about 5 years ago but didn’t have the $1500 ticket price back then so I had to pass on it

The King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom

The King’s medal was issued in two versions: The King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom and the King’s Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom. Both medals were silver and 36 millimetres in diameter.

The King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom was introduced on 23 August 1945, to mark the acts of courage by foreign civilians in the furtherance of the British Commonwealth in the Allied cause. It was primarily intended to reward those foreign civilians who had assisted British escapees in enemy occupied territory. The medal’s obverse has the crowned profile of King George VI, with the text “The King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom” on the reverse. The medal’s ribbon was white with two narrow blue stripes in the centre and two broad red stripes at the ribbon’s edges.

There are a number of fakes of this medal in circulation, all cast from the same original. Look for an edge bruise at 5:30 on the medal and avoid if you see it.

My example came with some Free French membership badges which were numbered, offering me an opportunity to research and discover the recipient. Excellent.

German Cross in Gold

Placeholder for this medal as well.

The 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class

German stuff is so German