Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class with Swords and Case, by Julius Bauer & Söhne United Republic of with light blue rayon “Waffenfarbe”

with light blue rayon “Waffenfarbe” piping (indicating Turkestan Legion)

Includes: Quartermaster

the obverse consisting of a double-overlaid eight-pointed radiant star burst

Second Lieutenant Word's forceful and determined leadership served to inspire his men to heroic endeavor in successfully defending the strategic outpost

a Maltese cross with white enamelled arms with ball finials and crowns in each quadrant

Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class with Swords and Case, by Julius Bauer & Söhne United Republic of with light blue rayon “Waffenfarbe”(Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern). Constructed of silvered tombak, consisting of a Maltese Cross with crossed swords piercing the centrepiece, the obverse with pebbled arms and a central wreathed mobile swastika, the reverse with a raised barrel hinge and flattened vertical pinback meeting a flat wire catch, the pinback maker marked with Prsidialkanzlei code 43 for Julius Bauer & Shne, Zella Mehlis, measuring 47. 88 mm (w) x 47. 61 mm