A Second War ‘Afrika Korps’ Iron Cross group of five

Germany, Third Reich, Iron Cross 1939, Second Class, silver with iron centre; Italy, Kingdom, Italian-German Campaign Medal, bronze; Germany, Third Reich, Armed Forces Long Service Medal, for 4 Years’ Service, silvered; with silver Army ‘Eagle’ emblem on riband; Commemorative Medal for the Occupation of the Sudetenland 1938, bronze; West Wall Medal 1939, bronze, mounted German-style as worn, good very fine (5) £150-£200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Colonel Farnes Collection.

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Note: The medals have been remounted to make way for the Italian 1941 Campaign Medal for service in Africa which had been awarded by Mussolini to member’s of Rommel’s Afrika Korps. It was initially accepted as a ‘foreign decoration’ and could be worn as such, and for members of the Afrika Korps it was their only medallic recognition of their service in North Africa. Following the Italian surrender in 1943, the medal was forbidden to be worn, but following the cessation of hostilities, and the dismantling of the Third Reich, it became common for German veterans to once again wear it, this time giving it the status and precedence of a campaign medal.