Original WWII German War Merit Cross Award Document 1941 – Adolf Hitler Facsimile Signature

Description

Original German Third Reich award document issued in Berlin on 1 September 1941 for the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse, or War Merit Cross 2nd Class. The certificate was awarded to Franz Plschockt of Hamburg, identified in the document as an Aushilfsheizer.

The document opens with the formal wording “Im Namen des Deutschen Volkes” – “In the Name of the German People” – followed by the award declaration and the recipient’s name. It records the granting of the Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse and is dated Berlin, 1 September 1941.

Its most immediately notable feature for collectors is the official period facsimile signature of Adolf Hitler, positioned beneath the printed designation “Der Führer.” This is not presented as a handwritten Hitler autograph; it is the facsimile signature used on official award documentation of the period. That distinction is important historically and makes the document an excellent example of the administrative system through which German decorations were formally granted during the Second World War.

The Kriegsverdienstkreuz, or War Merit Cross, was instituted in 1939 and was awarded for services contributing to the German war effort that did not necessarily qualify for a combat decoration. The 2nd Class became one of the most widely issued German awards of the period, but surviving original award certificates provide considerably more historical context than the decoration alone because they identify an individual recipient, date and place of issue.

This example is particularly attractive as a display piece because of its large-format Gothic typography, official wording, wartime date and Hitler facsimile signature. Several additional period signatures or countersignatures are also visible in the lower section of the document.

The certificate survives with the expected signs of age and use, including period fold lines, light staining, small marks and general handling wear. These features have deliberately been left untouched and form part of the document’s historical character. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description and show the actual item offered.

A strong addition to a collection focused on WWII German documents, Third Reich awards, military paperwork, Kriegsverdienstkreuz material or Adolf Hitler-related historical documentation.

Guaranteed as an original period collectible as described.

Historical collectible offered strictly for purposes of historical study, documentation and collecting. No political endorsement or glorification of the ideology represented by the period material is intended.

Carefully packed for shipment. International shipping available where legally permitted. Returns accepted according to our store conditions.