{"product_id":"lippe-detmold-war-honour-cross-for-heroic-deeds-1914-kriegsehrenkreuz-bravery","title":"Lippe-Detmold War Honour Cross for Heroic Deeds 1914 Kriegsehrenkreuz Bravery","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is a War Honour Cross for Heroic Deeds (Kriegsehrenkreuz für heldenmütige Tat) of the Principality of Lippe-Detmold, a rare First World War bravery decoration instituted on 8 December 1914 by Leopold IV, the reigning Prince of Lippe. It is a gilt cross pattée of the vaulted, pin-back form worn directly on the breast of the tunic. The center bears the Rose of Lippe, the heraldic emblem of the House of Lippe, encircled by a laurel wreath; the upper arm carries the crowned monogram L for Prince Leopold IV; the lower arm is dated 1914; and the left and right arms carry the raised inscription FÜR MUTIGE HELDEN TAT. The fields of the arms are finished in the fine pebbled texture characteristic of the type.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn construction the cross was deliberately modeled on the Prussian Iron Cross First Class, which it resembles in its vaulted form and its pinned wear on the left breast rather than suspension from a ribbon. The great majority of officially awarded crosses were struck by the Pforzheim firm C.F. Zimmermann in gilded bronze or gilded copper-nickel alloy; an ultra-rare solid silver-gilt version marked 800 was made only three times for particular recipients. The reverse is plain and fitted with a vertical pin, hinge, and catch for wear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe historical weight of the piece lies in its rarity and the terms of its award. Lippe-Detmold was one of the smallest principalities of the German Empire, a state built around the House of Lippe at Detmold, and its prince instituted two distinct wartime awards. The common one was the Lippe War Merit Cross, given roughly eighteen thousand times to combatants for general service. This cross, the War Honour Cross for Heroic Deeds, was a separate and far higher distinction, awarded only 740 times in the entire course of the war. Prince Leopold IV authorized it expressly to be conferred regardless of rank, so that an ordinary enlisted soldier and a senior regimental officer stood on equal footing, and unlike the graduated Prussian system it required no prior lower-grade award: it was given directly for a single, standalone act of extreme courage in the face of the enemy, at risk of the recipient's own life. A bravery cross of a tiny principality, issued in such small numbers and only for a proven act of valor, is among the more coveted of the German state decorations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe German elements translate as follows. Kriegsehrenkreuz für heldenmütige Tat is the War Honour Cross for Heroic Deeds; the inscription FÜR MUTIGE HELDENTAT means \"for a courageous heroic deed\"; the crowned L is the cypher of Prince Leopold IV zur Lippe; the central flower is the Lippische Rose, the rose of the House of Lippe; and 1914 marks the year of institution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn condition the cross is complete with a bright gilt finish, the pebbled fields, wreath, rose, cypher, and inscription all present and legible, and the reverse pin assembly intact. One point should be settled in hand, stated plainly because the award's rarity has made it a frequent target of reproduction: the piece should be examined for a C.F. Zimmermann maker's mark, for the pronounced vaulting of a genuine awarded cross, and for the crisp pebbled strike of an original, since these are the features that separate a period-awarded example from a later restrike or copy. That determination is Der Rittmeister's to make with the cross in hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor the collector, the Lippe-Detmold War Honour Cross for Heroic Deeds is one of the scarcer bravery decorations of Imperial Germany, an Iron Cross First Class in concept issued by one of the Empire's smallest states and earned only for a documented act of valor. Confirmed as a genuine period example, it sits at the desirable end of the small-state award field and suits a collection built by bravery decorations, by the minor German states, or by the Lippe and House of Lippe material.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50228202012911,"sku":"05-81","price":795.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/05-81_1.jpg?v=1784855922","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/lippe-detmold-war-honour-cross-for-heroic-deeds-1914-kriegsehrenkreuz-bravery","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}