✚10044✚ German post WW1 grouping Freikorps Langemarck Cross certificate 1934
Original German post WW1 (Weimar Republic) grouping of Heinrich Kistner (from Kassel) / 12th Company of the 167th Infantry Regiment (the 167th /1st Upper Alsatian/ Infantry regiment was raised on 31 March 1897 Kassel, Mühlhausen/Thüringen and was part of the XI Army Corps): Freikorps Langemarck Cross (Langemarck Kreuz) - size: 42 mm, perfectly working pin device, A4 size award certificate (extremely rare / these were printed on card stock, not paper, the signature was a facsimile printed with the document, the names were type-set, rather than hand lettered or typed, which is why the ink looks uniform), Exercise Regulations for Infantry D.V.E. No. 130 (Exerzier - Reglement für die Infanterie) dated 29th May 1906 (155 x 110 mm - 82 pages) - the recipient's name is written in the book & Fircks Pocket Calendar for the Army (Taschenkalender für das Heer) 1898 (140 x 92 mm - 498 pages), THIS IS A REALLY GOOD SMALL GROUPING WITH A RARE MEDAL AND AN EVEN RARER AWARD CERTIFICATE
HISTORY OF THE AWARD:
Langemarck Cross (Langemarck Kreuz): this rare Weimar Republic era award was instituted in 1933 for veterans and Freikorps members who participated in the 1914-1915 Ypres, Belgium 1st Battle of Langemarck (a village in Flanders). It commemorates the German "Green Corps", the 26th Reserve Corps of Koln (233rd - 240th Reserve Infantry Regiments and 51st, 52nd Foot Artillery Regiments) which was committed to the battle in typical early WWI tactics.....relentlessly straight at the enemy despite horrendous losses. In particular, new, young German recruits (2000 students - all volunteers) were wasted and slaughtered...known as the 'Kindermord des Ypern' (The Death Youth Sacrificed at Ypres). The Langemarck Cross is a silver frosted 42 mm wide decoration, the weight is cca 11 grams. Crisp raised relief details 'LANGEMARCK' and '26 Res.K' (for the XXVI Reserve Corps that was sacrificed). Reverse has high quality hinge and pointed pin. The cross was awarded only from 1933 to 1936, therefore considered as a very rare award.