Collection of Military Medals and Badges from the Era of Napoleonic War

From the moment Cain killed Abel, mankind entered into armed combat, brother against brother, family against family, tribe against tribe and nation against nation. History is littered with armed conflicts, from bible times "Mighty Men" and "Men of Fame" are recorded, as well as regiments and standards. In ancient Egyptian times, it is recorded that regiments of crack chariot troops were picked from the rank and file. Later in Roman times, standard bearers were chosen due to their bravery, and given the honour of taking care of and protecting the regimental emblem or standard. In medieval times, squires were rewarded with knighthood, and knights with lands for valour and courage. But it was during the wars of the 18th & 19th century that badges and then medals, came more to the fore.

It was during the Napoleonic war that the first real medal was given on masse to British troops, (this was the Waterloo medal, which was named to each holder). Among Great Britain's allies, the German states also issued a Waterloo medal and the first bravery medal was also issued. This medal crossed over ranks and was the first to be extended from private to general. The award was the Prussian Iron Cross of 1813.

As the Western armies looked East, South and West, countries like Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal extended their empires, at the same time issuing campaign medals to their armies. These awards from Great Britain are usually named along the edge, whilst others, such as Germany and France issued an award document with the award. It was not until the outbreak of WWI that man's ability to annihilate whole areas became a tragic reality. Millions of men died on foreign soil, nations were engolfed within a space of a few months. Fighting had changed since the beginning, weapons of war had become more effective, guns could cut down hundreds of men in minutes, shells could travel miles and explode and aeroplanes could drop bombs, ships could pound others with guns that could also hit land targets, and with all these new weapons of war, new trained men with new uniforms and new insignia were instituted. Medals were issued not just for campaigns but for bravery and courage, not just for fighting but for saving and surviving. When World War two broke out in September of 1939, the new armies of the world had encompassed the air force, and new types of troops, like paratroopers, u-boats and u-boat crews, commando's and marines, came in the picture and the list goes on. All these units have their own insignia. Some countries like Germany during WWII, gave out campaign shields and cuff bands and combat badges for taking part in armed combat, and when you see some of the photographs of these veterans, you can work out their arms of service, where they have fought and if they have been wounded and decorated for bravery.

Finland was attacked by the USSR and for such a small country, managed to hold and even beat, the red army in places. Many from Europe flocked to Finland to aid this country with men from England, Germany, France and America as well as Sweden and Denmark fighting side by side against the USSR. All these men were awarded with badges or medals before being sent home to their respective countries. It has been noted that Heinrich Himmler was watching the struggle with the USSR and got his idea of opening up the Waffen SS to these Nordic Peoples and it was a forrunner of NATO. Many English soldiers were in Finland with one of them being Christopher Lee, the well known actor. 

With British WWII Medals it’s a shame that most are unnamed, so the history of these if there is no supporting paperwork, is lost. A 1939 Star could be awarded to a battle of Britain Ace or a Home Guard member, but you wouldn't know which it was, so a little history has been erased. The firm of Jamie Cross is Non-political & items offered for sale are for historical interest and investment only. We have a nice collection of German War Medals, British Army Medals and Military Medals for Sale.

The German Iron Cross, a listing of 2nd class Variation's

With the war being declared in September of, it is believed that several medal manufacturers were in fact caught out with the re- institution of the Iron Cross and as such, many variations were manufactured until a standardisation came in about 1940/41. These variations are highly collected by the Iron Cross collector and much discussion has been raised on them. The Iron Cross is Germany's top Bravery award, like Great Britain's Victoria Cross. This award -namely the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross- went on to capture the imagination of the German People and later, the World. Unlike Great Britain though, who has different bravery awards for different ranks, such as the Military Cross or Distinguished Flying Cross for Officers or the Military Medals or Distinguished flying medal for Other Ranks or NCOs’. The Iron Cross came in four grades (at the beginning of the War), being the Iron Cross 2nd Class for one act of bravery, the Iron Cross 1st Class for 4 or more acts of bravery, the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, four outstanding act of bravery and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (only awarded once in World War two to Hermann Goring The Reichmarchell of the Luftwaffe). There were also two bars, one for the 2nd class ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd class 1914, for those awarded the decoration in World War two, and a pin on "bar" that was worn over the Iron Cross 1st Class for 1914, if again the holder was awarded the decoration in World War two, this "Bar" was an opened winged eagle holding a swastika over a dated bar of 1939. Here though, we are going to be looking at the first of these awards and their variations. 

The first variant we shall discuss is the oversized Iron Cross. These measure anything from 47 mm to 48 ½ mm and it was believed that these were to be the new "Knights Cross" of Germany's newly instituted Iron Cross series. These crosses appear to have been manufactured by one or two firms, as very few of the centres show any difference in die characteristics. 

The next type of variation is often called the Schinkel form. These are usually crosses that have been manufactured from parts utilised from WWI crosses being the frames but with newly made centres. Several of these were non magnetic and some have even been of one piece construction. To date, only one of these crosses has been encountered with a maker's mark although it would appear that several manufacturers’s made them. With these Schinkel crosses, you also get variations in the size of the swastikas and size of the dates as well as stylisation of the numerals and frame variations.

Then comes a type called the straight arm cross or the Shinkel form type B. This is in fact more like the original design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. One variation of this cross has a rounded No "3" which leads us onto the next type that is like the standard type but with this type of numeral configuration. For ease many call it the rounded "3" type because it has the top part of the three rounded instead of flat like the standard type of crosses. And like all of the above this type can be found in first class as well as the

Occasionally you may find a Non Iron cross that has a zinc or brass centre, these are usually the standard form but you will find as stated early the type a Schinkel with this feature. Also on the standard crosses you will find a verity of makers marks stamped into the ribbon ring but on rare occasions you may find it marked on the crosses frame like this L/12 example. 

Finally there are the one piece made examples that come in a number of metals ranging from nickle silver to zinc, But be very careful with these as they have been heavily copied On a rather sad note, these crosses have now been reproduced both in the first and second class forms in both the standard pattern types and the schinkel type a patterns and care must now be exercised with these crosses. On the first class Shinkel types, several reproductions have been seen with their pins marked 800 and Godet, whereas the second class crosses have had their rings stamped with post 1941 marks, again a practice that would not have been encountered on them.… 

To our knowledge, none of the other styles have been copied, but we feel this is only a matter of time, with many collectors of the Iron Cross wanting to fill the gaps in their collection after the release of the excellent book "The German Iron Cross" by Gordon Williamson. This has not only spurred on collectors, but also the repro manufacturer's to take their art to newer forms. So what were once considered to be safe purchases must, like the rest of our hobby, be scrutinised.

The firm of Jamie Cross is Non-political & items offered for sale are for historical interest and investment only. We have a nice collection of German War Medals, British Army Medals and British Medals for Sale.

The Cholm Arm Shield 1942

As many readers of the Armourer will know, we have been doing a series of articles for beginners, in collecting German War medals of the Third Reich. I now feel it is the right time to cover some of the rarer and elusive items that can be acquired with research, patience and diligence. 

The German armed forces with her allies, under the direction of Adolf Hitler, had invaded Russia in Operation Barbarrosa. Unfortunately for the troops involved, this was the road to four years of bitter fighting and then for those who survived, several more years of brutal Soviet captivity. In the early years however, it seemed that Germany was unstoppable. The Russian  armies were quickly surrounded and annihilated in the first few months of the invasion. It was only when winter came that the German armies were stopped. Ill prepared for this cold season, it was the ideal time for the Russians to launch their counter offensive. This they did in the first week of December 1941, when Marshall Zhukov launched "Operation Typhoon" and with the  combination of appalling bad weather and lack of winter equipment, they pushed the invading German army back from the gates of Moscow.

In the North of Russia, on the Southern Flank of Army Group North, the German 16th Army reeled under this hammer blow, conceding ground, but still hanging onto the two main routes through the swamps, covering the area between the lakes of Seeliger and Ilmen. These routes ran through the towns of "Cholm" and "Demjansk". Here the German Army dug in and awaited adequate warm clothing and fresh supplies. Hitler had given orders that there was to be no retreat and as such, these garrisons or fortress towns were to be established. 

In Cholm, (which is in the Kalinin region of Russia, located on the Lovat River), Battle Group Scherer was formed with approximately 5500 men, isolated, outnumbered, and surrounded. These men managed to hold out for several months (In total 105 days), and this small force withstood over 100 infantry attacks with 42 of these being supported by tanks, by a superior 
Russian force, which is more remarkable when you know that many of these troops were not combat units, rather supply or transport units like a Naval unit. 

Finally in the Spring, the garrison was relieved, but only about 1,200 of the original 5500 survived intact. Throughout the ordeal, the besieged troops were supplied by air with some of the wounded being flown out. During heavy attack and in the absence of heavy weapons, this small pocket was supported by artillery fire 10 miles away in the main German lines. 

Following this epic battle, Major General Theodor Scherer was awarded a Knight's Cross and his men were given a battle shield. 

The Cholm shield was instituted on 1/7/42 and was for any member of the armed forces who served in a single, or all, military units between 21/1-5/5/42. 

Entitlement was also open to those troups who were killed or wounded in action and for the airforce and navy personnel who assisted in evacuation of the said wounded. 

This is the rarest official shield to be instituted, as less than 5500 soldiers would have been eligible and most of them would have perished in Russia. 

Award documents were signed by General Major Scherer who was the fortress Commander. 
Bestowal for these awards ceased on 1/4/43, with the only exception being for the men who were MIA or POW`s. 

The shield design itself is very striking and powerful looking and consists of a shield shaped stamped metal, flat topped award which resembles a knight's shield in shape. The main design is a wehrmacht eagle holding an Iron Cross with a swastika and below this is the word "CHOLM" and the date "1942" under the word. There are two main types of lettering the longer "M" and 
the Shorter "M". So far, all shields that have been examined by us have been of pressed metal construction, either of magnetic metal or fine zinc. They appear to have a combination of the number of pins and also their positions ranging from 2 to 4 affixed on the back. This in turn passes through a backing cloth whose colour can range from basic army green being the most 
common, to luftwaffe, then navy and panzer. There is speculation as to the two different types of backing shape, one type follows the design of the shield, whereas another is a long oval shape. One person has put forward the theory that the long oval shape types in steel were the first to be issued and the zinc ones were replacements. Personally, I discount this theory as we 
have found combinations of both types on both backings. 

With regards to copies, we have seen several different types from solid metal castings, to good quality stampings. These have all been in the wrong type of metal. Also there are major differences between the styles of the eagle's head on the originals to the reproductions. 

With the re-institution of the 1957 awards, this award was sanctioned. The only design change is the omission of the swastika. The award was only worn on a ribbon bar and the shield itself was sold as a commemoration piece. 

Prices: 

To date, you should expect to pay at least £1450.00 for a good example of a Cholm Shield on army green backing and add an extra £50.00 for luftwaffe and £150.00 for navy/panzer issue, both steel or zinc. 

The Defence Wall Honour Award

West Wall Medal Document

West Wall Medal Early and West Wall Medal Late for Comparison Back

This medal which is more commonly called the West Wall Medal was originally issued for the construction of the German Siegfried line in response to the France Marginot Line. Instituted on the 2nd of August 1939, it was given both to Civilian Construction workers for ten weeks labour or for 3 weeks service for the military for fortification service. The first actual award of this medal took place on the 23rd November 1939 when Adolf Hitler awarded Dr Fritz Todt, as well as other high ranking officers and party officials this award. It should be noted that members of the armed forces who had received the Memel or Oct 1938 medal were not authorised for this award, although several men did in fact acquire it. 

The award was re-instituted again in 1944 on the 10th of October by Hitler as a reward and also encouragement to both soldier and construction workers who had been working on both the channel defences and later the Siegfried line to bolster their defence of Germany as well as morale. Members who held the awards were authorised a bar. To date, no known example has surfaced. 

West Wall Medal Early and West Wall Medal Late for Comparison Front

The award in both cases is the same, only the metal composition changed. The award is oval shaped and to the front is a nazi army eagle holding a swastika over a crossed sword and spade, with a pill box below. On the edges are a wreath of oak leaves. To the reverse it has again, the oak leaves wreath with the letters "Fur Arbeit Zum Schutze Deutschlands" (For work on the defence of Germany) to the centre. The award is made of bronzed/brass firstly but this gave way to bronzed zinc for the 1944 issues. The award suspends from a brown and white ribbon that ranked below the Iron Cross, War merit Cross etc Just behind the occupation awards. 

Early Packeted West Wall Medal Front

Most collectors will have the 2nd pattern type in their collections, but the first early brass types are well worth hunting down. When awarded, the medal usually came in a paper packet with the title to the front and the maker's name to the reverse. One type that turns up more than any is worth noting and that is "CARL POELTATH SCHROBENHAUSEN". Many people have been concerned by these, as a large number appeared on the market place in about 1989. All were in near mint and the paper award packets are mint, but what concerned some people are the spelling mistakes that have condemned these all as fake. The fault lies in the place name which does have on some, a spelling mistake, but the confusion is then compounded by some people's misunderstanding of the German font used. On some paper packets, the town's name appears to look like "Schrobenhanfen" whereas it should be "Schrobenhausen". This is correct, but what has not been taken into account is firstly the letters are put in by hand and a "u" has been put in upside down making it an "n" and that the font we are used to, has the "s" in "SchrobenhauSen" appearing like the letter "f" . This is further confirmed when you turn over the paper packet and read the front. It is "Deutsches" but appears as "Deutfches". 

Early Packeted West Wall Medal Back

The award also came with a citation that took on many different forms, but all follow the same lay out and have the man's name and unit typed or written into it, with a seal or stamp to the bottom of the document.. 

Price of Award

You should expect to pay about £25.00 for a late war type in paper packet and about £45.00 for an early award. As for copies, probably due to the large number of originals the only ones we have seen have been cheap lead examples. For more information refer Jamie Cross Collectibles.

An Overview on German and British War Medals

Once one's occupation as an antiques dealer comes out in conversation, the next most likely question asked is "What do you specialise in?” In my case, the answer is coin, medal and watch dealer.

This normally follows with "What's the oldest item you have had"? The next obvious one is “Have you ever had a Victoria Cross, or a Knights cross"? As far as I am concerned, to answer all three;-  

1. Some ancient coins,

2. No I have never owned a Victoria Cross, and

3. Yes, I have owned a Knights Cross.

Further questions usually follow, such as whether you know the owner, what he was like, what's it worth etc, all good questions, but most focus on the values. 

Then thoughts turn to, what's your favourite item, why and so on.

With all of the above in mind, I thought I would showcase some nice items, not necessarily just rare but interesting, over the next few months.

To begin with though, is a very rare award, it's a badge that was given during the time of great turmoil at the beginning of World War Two. To look at the badge you perhaps wouldn't initially appreciate the rareity of the piece. It is an award that was given to American Volunteers, who served in Finland in 1939-1940, who fought against Russia in the winter war, after Russia invaded Finland. 

What makes this item so interesting is that one year later, Finland was again fighting with Russia but on Germany's side.  (One of England Volunteers was the well known actor Christopher Lee, who also served in Finland, and received a Finnish British War Medal with Bar, which they could for a time wear on their tunic). So a few years later, these servicemen could be fighting with their USSR allies against the Finnish/Germany.  It is also stated by some that a few soldiers stayed on in Finland to train and learn arctic warfare and may well have been involved with Finnish units attacks on the Russians in 1941-1944. Finland was and is a unique country and this is one of those rare items that just go to show this. For more information visit Jamie Cross Collectibles.

War Medals for Sale over Online Market

War is very serious matter for every country, during the war period the whole nation needs to commit scarifies in various ways. Thousands of brave men and women of the country lost their life on the way of protecting their nation. So after every war brave military men and women are awarded with medals, these medals are very valuable because many emotions are associated with these War Medals. Now civilian people those have huge amount of money and high end of respect for their military they prefer to collect Military War Medals. So throughout the world the demand of war medals are very huge and very limited sources are available where people can good war medals. These are some online source from where you can get the most authentic War medals for sale, where very qualitative and unique medals are available those were used to tribute brave militants in part days after big wars.

All war medals are important and valuable but some medals those are associated with great wars like World War One (WW I) or World War Two (WW II) etc are very valuable, military collectors (people those collect military products) agreed to give any amount for a good quality and rare military medal associated with WW I or WW II. In current digital age people use digital technology for buying and selling of old war medals, these are many online shopping sites and e-commerce stores are present around the globe those makes available war medals for needy peoples. If you also want to keep a war medal with you and want to feel the charm of holding that thing on your hand, then go online today and select a unique and valuable war medal for you. These are available over online market in very authentic price. For more information refer Jamie Cross Collectibles.