German 1939 Iron Cross EK2 2nd Class Medal “27” Anton Schenkl

Excellent condition item. Multi-piece manufacture. Iron core with silver frame. Includes an unused length of 8″ original ribbon. Very clean and bright silver frame. Ring marked 27 for the maker Anton Schenkl of Wien (Vienna, Austria). Measures 44mm by 44mm. With original packet.

The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz, abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the insignia of the medieval Teutonic Order and borne by its knights from the 13th century. As well as being a military medal, it has also been used as an emblem by the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, and the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, while the Balkenkreuz (bar cross) variant was used by the Wehrmacht. The Iron Cross is now the emblem of the Bundeswehr, the modern German armed forces.