Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross, I Class With Swords, By Rudolf Souval Auction Archive smaller type

smaller type

engraver marked "L ROSSIGNOLI"

Completed set in a hard-shelled green case of issue

3 mm enamelled clasp sewn upon the original triangular ribbon

with Hellmuth leading them

Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross, I Class With Swords, By Rudolf Souval Auction Archive smaller type(Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern). Constructed of silvered zink, consisting of a Maltese Cross with crossed swords piercing the centre, the obverse with pebbled arms and a central wreathed mobile swastika, the reverse with a central threaded lug and backplate, the latter maker marked with LDO code L58 for Rudolf Souval, Vienna, measuring 48. 07 mm (w) x 48. 06 mm (h), weighing 28. 0 grams, with loss of finish evident, an unusual variant