This Knight's Cross represents the special production of C. F. Zimmermann Pforzheim. The production was identical to the Knight's Crosses of Godet & Co, Berlin. The only difference is the black lacquering of the iron core. While the “Godet pieces” have a matte rough lacquering, the lacquering of the “Zimmermann pieces” was matte glossy. Magnetic core with silver bezel. The cross is unmarked. The ribbon ring made of silver, in the special oval version for the production of Zimmermann, stamped “800”. Complete with long neck ribbon section. Unworn, with very fine patina, condition 2+.
Included is the large red presentation case for foreign generals. The case covered with red leather in the same color as the Knight's Cross folders. On the lid the gold-embossed national eagle, identical to the eagle on the presentation case for the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. The surrounding edge of the lid embossed with continuous gold border (similar to the cases for the German Cross in Gold or for the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds) and a parallel embossed decorative groove, the underside also with 2 embossed decorative grooves. Front push button in “mushroom shape” lacquered red, rear 2 hinges with red leather cover, all parts magnetic. Interior black velvet bed with recess for the Knight's Cross, as well as a recess at the top for the ribbon to the Knight's Cross. The lid with white silk lining. Dimensions of the case 19.5 x 13.5 cm, height 20 mm.
Unworn, in excellent condition.

This piece represents one of the rarest and most sought-after variants of the Knight's Cross. The Knight's Crosses in this version with this case were only awarded to specially selected foreign generals. In the reference book by Harald Geißler “Das Eiserne Kreuz von seinem Ursprung bis zur Gegenwart” comparable pieces are illustrated on pages 479 and 532. In over 30 years this is only the 2nd Knight's Cross in this special case that we have been able to offer.

380875

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 in Large Red Presentation Case

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on September 1, 1939, through Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 1573, the very day Germany invaded Poland and began World War II. This decoration replaced the Prussian Pour le Mérite, which had been restricted exclusively to officers. Hitler deliberately created the Knight's Cross as an egalitarian award accessible to all ranks, breaking decisively with Prussian aristocratic tradition.

The present Knight's Cross was manufactured by C.F. Zimmermann of Pforzheim, bearing Präsidialkanzlei manufacturer number 20 and LDO number L/52. The production period extended from February 1944 until February 23, 1945, when the Zimmermann factory was destroyed by Allied bombing. Zimmermann sourced its production from dies similar to those of Godet & Co., Berlin, with frames and cores produced from the same die set. Zimmermann crosses are distinguished by their special oval band ring stamped 800, indicating 80 percent silver content.

The Knight's Cross was designed in the form of a cross pattée, with arms narrow at the center and broader at the perimeter. It consisted of three-piece construction with a magnetic iron core within a silver frame, worn suspended from a neck ribbon in black, white, and red colors. The obverse displays a central mobile swastika and the date 1939 on the lower arm, while the reverse bears the date 1813. Standard dimensions measured approximately 48.5 mm wide with a weight of approximately 28 to 31 grams.

The Knight's Cross was awarded for extreme battlefield bravery or outstanding military leadership during World War II. Recipients required prior possession of the 1939 Iron Cross First Class, though both decorations were sometimes awarded concurrently. Criteria included accumulating 20 aerial victories for fighter pilots (doubled at night and raised as the war progressed), sinking 100,000 gross register tons for U-boat commanders, or single exceptional acts of valor. The award could be bestowed upon all ranks from private soldiers to field marshals and encompassed the Wehrmacht (Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine), Waffen-SS, Reichsarbeitsdienst, Volkssturm, and allied foreign forces.

The Knight's Cross had multiple ascending grades: the basic Knight's Cross (instituted September 1, 1939), Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (June 3, 1940), Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (September 28, 1941), Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (September 28, 1941), and Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (December 29, 1944, awarded only once). The first presentations occurred on September 30, 1939, to high-ranking officers from the Polish campaign, including Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring, who later received the Grand Cross on July 19, 1940, along with senior Wehrmacht commanders including Blaskowitz, Bock, Brauchitsch, Keitel, Kesselring, Kluge, Kuechler, List, Raeder, Reichenau, and Rundstedt.

The first Oak Leaves were awarded to Eduard Dietl on July 19, 1940. The first Swords went to Adolf Galland in June 1941. The first Diamonds were presented to Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland in July 1941. The only recipient of the Golden Oak Leaves was Hans-Ulrich Rudel on January 1, 1945. Foreign recipients included Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of Japan (with Oak Leaves and Swords, posthumous), Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim of Finland (with Oak Leaves), and Marshal Ion Antonescu of Romania.

A total of 7,161 Knight's Crosses were officially documented by the German Federal Archives, while the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) lists 7,318 awards, though 200 lack official proof. The higher grades comprised 882 Oak Leaves awards (863 per Federal Archives), 159 Swords (147 per Federal Archives), 27 Diamonds, and one Golden Oak Leaves. An estimated 20,000 Knight's Crosses were produced between September 1939 and May 1945. Only 43 awards were made to foreign allied military personnel, including 18 Romanians, 9 Italians, and 8 Hungarians.

The special large red presentation case accompanying this Knight's Cross was supplied by Godet for early presentation sets to general officers during 1939 to 1940. The case is covered in red leather and features a gold-embossed Hoheitsadler on the lid identical to the eagle on the Grand Cross presentation case. It measures 195 x 135 x 20 mm and contains a black velvet interior bed with recesses for the cross and ribbon, along with white silk lining in the lid.

Production was strictly regulated; from October 1941, the Präsidialkanzlei confiscated retail copies and restricted sale only to documented eligible recipients. The last legal presentations occurred in April and May 1945, with the final presentation on June 17, 1945, considered de facto but not de jure valid. On May 7, 1945, Dönitz issued blanket approval of pending nominations, but the post-war German military archive (WASt) ruled this violated Nazi law requiring case-by-case decisions. Zimmermann crosses are particularly rare as the factory was destroyed in February 1945 and the original dies were lost. In 1957, the Federal Republic of Germany authorized a denazified replacement version with an oak leaf cluster replacing the swastika, wearable by World War II recipients.