A Superb, Near Mint, Original, Cased Iron Cross Ist Class Medal Breast Award, Numbered 26, for, 'B.H. Mayer' from Pforzheim. In It's Original Maker Coded Box. Ox & Bucks L.I. Souvenir From Operation Market Garden

RESERVED until Tuesday lunchtime .
The reverse of the iron cross has B.H.Meyer's block barrel hinge with a flat fluted vertical pin marked ‘26’ for B.H. Mayer, Pforzheim, and flat wire catch. That hinge type Mayer often used for WW1 veterans {serving in WW2} for their 1st class Iron Crosses issued during WW2.

From the family of an NCO Corporal of The Ox and Bucks Regiment. We are selling his British campaign medals, corporal stripes and MKIII Camouflage helmet separately.

It is likely this cased 1st Class Iron Cross medal was from a Panzer regiment combatant based at Arnham, as it is where he 'recovered' it during operation Market Garden, together with his Iron Cross 2nd Class, but there is no way of us to know now which combatant, either of the 9th or 10th SS.

The 1944 Arnhem airborne operation, immortalised by the film A Bridge Too Far, will forever be remembered as a great British feat of arms. British and Polish paratroopers displayed outstanding courage and tenacity in a desperate last stand situation. And yet, as this book describes, the plan was fatally flawed as the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions were recuperating and concealed nearby. What followed was a bloody battle of attrition the result of which was arguably inevitable.

Drawing on rare and unpublished photographs, this Images of War series work reveals the historical combat record of the 'Hohenstaufen' and 'Frundsberg' divisions. It describes the intensity of the fighting in and around Arnhem between these elite SS and supporting units against a lightly armed yet equally determined enemy. Despite the war being only months away from its end and the defeat increasingly certain, the SS soldier remained fanatically motivated.

Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse). On 1 September 1939 Hitler reinstituted the Iron Cross (First time in 1813). The first class medal was for award to personnel who performed three to five acts of bravery in combat, and had already been awarded the Iron Cross second class. The cross has a three piece construction and a magnetic core. The cross is maker marked with number '26' indicating production by the company of 'B.H. Mayer' from Pforzheim. The cross is having an excellent functional pin and catch. The cross is having an untouched darkened natural age patina giving it tremendous of character.

The Corporal of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Defence Platoon, survived and escaped capture during Operation Market Garden, to be evacuated from Arnham, and was photographed. See a photo of him and his evacuated comrades in the gallery.

**The price shown is for the Iron Cross 1st class in its original case only, the 2nd Class medal,and the helmet and British medals etc are all for sale separately.
The corporals name will be past on to the next owner.

Code: 25376