- Time Period: Nazi Germany (Interwars Period, World War II)
- Institution: 1939
- Country: Germany
The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross (or Kriegsverdienstkreuz in German) was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded to military personnel and civilians during the Second World War. It was created by Adolf Hitler in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars.
The award had four variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service “not in direct connection with combat”, without swords given to civilians for meritorious service in “furtherance of the war effort”, the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross, and the rare Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross in Gold.
The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross Design
The medal consists of a silver Maltese Cross. The obverse has pebbled arms, with a central wreathed mobile swastika and crossed swords piercing the centrepiece. The reverse has a block hinge and a banjo-style pinback. The War Merit Cross measures 48.51 mm (w) x 48.48 mm (h) and weighs 17.6 grams.
Ribbon
The ribbon of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was in red-white-black-white-red (the colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross).
Order of Wear
The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was a neck decoration and worn the same way as the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.
