War Merit Cross

The War Merit Cross awards have always been seen as somewhat of a poor relation to the Iron Cross. While the lower grades of the War Merit Cross series were indeed issued in huge numbers, the range of recipients and reasons for which the award was bestowed make a fascinating subject for study. The First Class without Swords, being issued some 91,239 times, is in fact a scarcer award than the Iron Cross First Class, and the Knight's Cross, bestowed less than 300 times is far rarer than its Iron Cross equivalent. This book provides a full-color and in-depth coverage of the awards themselves, with detailed studies of original examples and variants from a wide range of manufacturers. The reader is also given a full listing - in most cases with accompanying biographical details - of all known recipients of the Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross. This is the most accurate listing published to date, and is the result of many years of research.