Original 1939 Legion Condor Spanish Cross in Silver Award Certificate

Description

Legion Condor Spanish Cross: Original Spanish Cross in Silver Award Certificate

This Legion Condor Spanish Cross certificate is an original provisional possession document issued in Berlin on 31 May 1939, shortly after the end of the Spanish Civil War.

The document is headed:

“Vorläufiges Besitzzeugnis”

This can be translated as:

“Provisional Certificate of Possession.”

The handwritten recipient line appears to read:

“Hptm. Reinhard Henning”

The abbreviation Hptm. stands for Hauptmann, the German military rank equivalent to captain.

The principal typed statement confirms that the named officer had been awarded the:

“Spanien Kreuz in Silber”

or:

“Spanish Cross in Silver.”

The certificate is therefore directly connected with German military and administrative involvement in the Spanish Civil War and with the personnel of the Legion Condor or associated German services operating in Spain.

Translation of the Certificate

The central text can be translated approximately as:

“Captain Reinhard Henning has, as of today, been awarded the Spanish Cross in Silver.

This certificate loses its validity on 31 July 1939.

Berlin, 31 May 1939.”

The lower instructions explain that, after the attached application had been completed carefully and returned by 30 June 1939, the recipient would be sent the definitive possession certificate.

This was therefore a temporary document intended to prove the award while the final formal paperwork was being prepared.

Spanish Cross and the Legion Condor

The Spanish Cross was instituted on 14 April 1939 to recognise German personnel who had served in connection with the Spanish Civil War.

It was produced in bronze, silver and gold, with different forms and eligibility requirements. The official regulations distinguished between awards with swords and those without swords. Silver and bronze examples without swords could be granted to courier pilots, personnel serving officially in Spain, civilian volunteers and others attached to the Legion Condor or related German organisations.

Approximately 5,000 German air-force personnel served with the Legion Condor. The formation provided aerial support, participated in coordinated attacks and carried out bombing operations against Republican-held cities. The Spanish conflict also became an important testing ground for aircraft, weapons and operational methods later employed during the Second World War.

The present certificate is consequently relevant to both Spanish Civil War collecting and the study of the military developments that preceded WWII.

Silver Class and Variant Identification

The certificate states only:

“Spanien Kreuz in Silber.”

It does not print the additional wording “mit Schwertern”, meaning “with swords.”

However, comparable provisional certificates with the same abbreviated wording have appeared in documented Legion Condor groups containing the silver award with swords. For that reason, the document should not automatically be described as a silver cross without swords solely on the basis of the shortened text.

Confirmation of the precise variant would ideally require:

• An official award roll entry
• The recipient’s Wehrpass or Soldbuch
• The final award certificate
• Photographs showing the recipient wearing the cross
• Other surviving documents from the same personal archive

Until such evidence is located, the safest title is simply Spanish Cross in Silver certificate.

Oberkommando der Wehrmacht Stamp

The lower section retains a circular official stamp containing the German national eagle and wording connected with the:

“Oberkommando der Wehrmacht”

or High Command of the Armed Forces.

The document is signed by hand beside the abbreviation:

“I.A.”

This indicates that the official signed im Auftrag, or “by order/on behalf of” the issuing authority.

The signature appears comparable to that of Karl-Friedrich Schweickhard, a General der Flieger who became head of Sonderstab W in April 1938. This office was closely connected with the organisation and administration of German involvement in Spain. Specialist auction catalogues identify other provisional Spanish Cross certificates as signed on behalf of the authorities by Schweickhard.

Because the signer’s name is not typed beneath the signature, the attribution should be presented as probable rather than absolutely conclusive.

Historical Date: 31 May 1939

The certificate was issued on 31 May 1939, during the period in which returning German personnel were being officially received and recognised after their service in Spain.

Members of the Legion Condor returned to Germany during the spring and early summer of 1939. Archival photographs record farewell ceremonies in Spain and the return of the formation before the later award ceremonies and public events held in Germany.

The document was issued only a few months before the beginning of the Second World War, placing it at a particularly significant moment between the Spanish conflict and the wider European war.

Condition

The certificate displays substantial age-related and archival wear.

Visible characteristics include:

• Two large filing perforations near the upper edge
• Horizontal fold across the central area
• Long tear or separation extending from the right margin along the fold
• Smaller edge splits and creasing
• General paper toning
• Scattered marks and surface wear
• Light fading to parts of the official stamp and signature

Despite these faults, the recipient’s rank and name, award designation, date, administrative instructions, official stamp and handwritten signature remain substantially visible.

The item consists of the document only. The Spanish Cross medal itself is not included.

All photographs form an essential part of the condition description.

Rare Legion Condor Historical Document

This original certificate would be especially suitable for collections focused on:

• Legion Condor documents
• Spanish Civil War militaria
• Spanish Cross awards
• German military paperwork
• Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht history
• Named award certificates
• Pre-WWII military administration
• Second World War documentary material
• Original European military ephemera

The document is offered solely as a historical collectable for preservation, education and research. Its sale does not endorse the political ideology, organisations or acts associated with the issuing regime.

Further Reading

For historical background, see Deutsches Historisches Museum: “Ehrenzeichen”, on the history of German decorations.

Before buying, read my Complete Collector’s Guide to WWII German Medals.