Who could count them all?

[August von Mackensen]

Must be a very big load of iron crosses in the famous army museum in moscow.


Rumors said there is only one fake between the crosses, the one who could spot these fake will own tho whole bunch of crosses...


Matt

[JanC]

Man, that really is incredible. Several hundreds...all taken from POW I guess

[Bob Lyons]

Hope they don't decide to sell them all off at once...

Bob

[chrischa]

Man, that really is incredible. Several hundreds...all taken from POW I guess

I doubt it. On the uniform just the ribbon was worn for the EK2 and the medal was not carried.

I wonder how so many were gathered together.

[STG44]

From what I remember reading years ago, these all came rom a crashed transport plane that had crates of them heading to the Russian front.

[Biber]

I doubt it. On the uniform just the ribbon was worn for the EK2 and the medal was not carried.

I wonder how so many were gathered together.

This cache from a depot of medals waiting to be awarded I would presume? Unless they raided a factory.

I've long wondered about the first question. If just the ribbon is worn for many medals, then why are there so many examples of the medals themselves out and about? Assuming the bulk of preserved medals were collected during the war - on the battlefield, from POWS etc. where did they come from? Did solders in the field really carry their actual medals with them?

[Chet Sowersby]

I always get a chuckle out sellers describing their offered EKs as rare. They made several million of these things and this picture is just an indication of that. I'm not saying there are million crosses in this picture but you get my drift.

Chet

[JanC]

This cache from a depot of medals waiting to be awarded I would presume? Unless they raided a factory.

I've long wondered about the first question. If just the ribbon is worn for many medals, then why are there so many examples of the medals themselves out and about? Assuming the bulk of preserved medals were collected during the war - on the battlefield, from POWS etc. where did they come from? Did solders in the field really carry their actual medals with them?

There are a lot of photos with soldiers wearing their Abzeichen. Where should they have left them? Field barracks/ backpack in the Tross/ sent home/ ...not a lot of options IMO on a daily changing frontline.

[chrischa]

A lot of photos of the day of award, a lot of opportunity to leave the medal awarded at home on leave, sent home to loved ones, etc.

Obviously many would be on the soldiers person but far less than one would imagine.

My opinion of course.

[Lloyds]

if you go to the army museum in Vienna they have a post war /anti war display and this has 100s of war merit crosses and combat badges all taken from several Austrian factory s as i would think the Ek 2s were taken from German ones after the war ended

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

those EKs were taken from mint boxes, they just added a few mint ribbons for a better visual effect.

Mint boxes with thousand of EKs were stocked at various army levels in various fronts, i'm sure many boxes were found in the Western front and that some dealers sold many piece by piece.

See You

Vince