General von Rintelen served as German militaria attachè in Italy. At the beginning of the Second World, he was given the title "Bevollmächtigter Deutscher General beim Hauptquartier der italienischen Streitkräfte" (German General at the Headquarters of the Italian Armed Forces). On 01.09.1943, Rintelen was transferred to the Führerreserve. He was awarded the German Cross in Silver on 31.12.1944 for his services and was retired at the same time.
Rare grouping to General der Infanterie Enno von Rintelen (1891-1971).
German awards
German Cross in Silver. Made by Deschler & Sohn, München. The pin shows the maker's mark "1". A black enameled swastika without chipping. Silver-plated wreath. All four rivets are in place. Multi-piece construction. The cross has a nice patina and is in nice condition. Weight: 66.33 gr.
6-place medal bar: 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class with the miniature of the 1939 clasp, 1939 War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords, Honor Cross of WWI, Heer Long Service Awards for 25 years, Heer Long Service Award for 12 years, and Austro-Hungarian War Commemorative Medal 1914-1918. "Gebrüder Godet & Co." marked (fabric label) on the back. The cloth of the backing has a few small moth holes. Comes with the matching 9-place ribbon bar (plus three Italian awards). Furthermore a 2-place ribbon bar.
1939 Clasp to the 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class. 2nd pattern. Tombak. Silvered.
1914 Iron Cross 1st Class. Three-part construction. Iron core with the original black paint.
1939 War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords. Tombak. Silvered.
Wound Badge in Black.
German awards, 1957 types
German Cross in Silver. Made by Steinhauer & Lück. Four rivets. Multi-piece construction.
1939 War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords. Tombak. Silvered. Comes with a wartime case of issue.
1914 Iron Cross 1st Class. Iron core.
Wound Badge in Black.
Insignia
Excellent shoulder boards for an army General. Cellon type. Includes the original gold-plated uniform buttons. A matching pair. Sewn-on type.
Foreign awards
Colonial Order of the Star of Italy. Grand Officer's set, breast star with neck cross. No chipping but the neck cross shows a repair. "E. Gardino Succ. Cravanzola Roma" maker marked on the back of the breast star. Size breast star: 84x84 mm. Size neck cross: 53x82 mm.
Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Commander Cross 2nd Class. Enameled on both sides. Repaired and chipped. Includes the neck ribbon. Size: 53x85 mm.
Italian Military Order of Savoy, Commander's Cross. Enameled on both sides. It has two small chips. Includes the neck ribbon. Size: 55x80 mm.
Albanian/Italian Order of Skanderbeg, Grand Officer's set, breast star with neck cross. Eight-pointed breast star with an enameled medallion. 2nd pattern. No chipping. "E. Gardino Succ. Cravanzola Roma" maker marked on the back. Size: 83x83 mm. The neck cross shows the double-headed eagle. Enameled. No chipping. "E. Gardino Succ. Cravanzola Roma" maker marked on the back. With the original neck ribbon. Size: 73x53 mm.
Hungarian Order of Merit, Grand Cross with Breast Star (Civil Division). Eight-pointed breast star with an enameled cross in the center. No chipping. Pinback. Size: 88x88 mm. The neck cross is enameled on both sides and has no chipping. Includes the green sash. Size: 58x53 mm.
Order of the Crown of Italy, Grand Cross set (Grand Cordon set). Eight-pointed breast star with an enameled medallion, the eagle is above it. No chipping. Pinback. "E. Gardino Succ. Cravanzola Roma" maker marked on the back. Size: 86x86 mm. The neck cross is enameled on both sides and has no chipping. Includes the red/white sash. The small fabric loop for attaching the cross is broken. Size: 54x50 mm.
Spanish Cross of Military Merit, Grand Cross with Cross (White Decoration). Gilt eight-pointed breast star with an enameled cross in the center. No chipping. Pinback. Multi-piece construction. Size: 62x62 mm. Includes the matching cross and sash. The cross is enameled on both sides and has no chipping. Size: 50x39 mm. In addition the matching buttonhole miniature to the Grand Cross.
Certificates and documents
Certificate to Heer Long Service Award for 25 years. Issued on 02.10.1936. Signed by General der Infanterie Wilhelm Adam.
Letter of thanks from Adolf Hilter for his military service on the occasion of his retirement. Dated "Hauptquartier 31.12.1944". Hand-signed by Adolf Hitler.
Certificates to 1914 Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class. Issued on 28.06.1916 and 19.09.1914.
Certificate to Honor Cross of WWI. Issued on 30.12.1934. Signed by an Oberst.
Certificate to Austro-Hungarian War Commemorative Medal 1914-1918. Dated "Budapest 1938".
Photos
Large-size group photo of the 11. Jägerkompanie of the 15. Infanterie-Regiment. It shows the dedication "Ihrem verehrten Kompaniechef 1925-1928 Hauptmann von Rintelen von seiner 11. Jägerkompanie 15. Infanterie-Regiment gewidmet". Original wooden frame. Size: 68x58 cm. The names of the soldiers are noted on the back of the frame.
12 photos showing General von Rintelen together with high-ranking foreign officers (Allies) during a visit to Rhodes in September 1941.
2 photos of Adolf Hilter and Benito Mussolini.
2 portrait photos of von Rintelen.
6 photos show a visit by Benito Mussolini to the front in the summer of 1941.
3 photos from Rintelen's funeral. He died on 07. August 1971 in Heidelberg.
11 reprints of original photos.
Miscellaneous
Two newspaper clippings and a vita about von Rintelen. Postwar!
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Nice condition. A very rare grouping!
Condition
2+
Historical information
NAME
German Cross in Silver
DATE OF INSTITUTION
28. September 1941 as a military order in two grades. A special grade, the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds was planned and prototypes were made.
AWARD CRITERIA
The golden grade was awarded for multiple exceptional deeds of bravery or leadership and the silver grade for exceptional deeds in troop leadership. The award of the Iron Cross 1. Class, the Spange 1. Class , or the War Merit Cross 1. Class was a pre-requisite for the awarding of the German Cross. The German Cross was located above the Iron Cross 1. Class and War Merit Cross 1. Class but below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, respectively the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross.
MANUFACTURERS
The German Cross was awarded by the decision of the supreme commanders of the three army branches.
The German Cross was produced by five known manufacturers and maybe one or two not yet known companies. The known manufacturers are Deschler & Sohn, who designed the cross, Gebrüder Godet, C.E. Juncker, C.F. Zimmermann, and Otto Klein.
Early crosses are unmarked and from the end of 1942/early 1943 onwards, the crosses were marked with the Präsidialkanzlei numbers of the companies.
Due to the heavy and slightly bulky nature of the award, a cloth version was authorized in June 1942. The cloth version can be found with eight different cloth backing colors: field gray (army), dark blue (navy), blue-gray (LW), black (tank forces), stone gray (assault gun), olive (Africa Heer), light khaki (Africa LW), and white (summer uniform).
AWARD NUMBERS
Accurate numbers are not known but the closest estimation based on surviving documents are 25,964 for the gold grade and 2,471 for the silver grade. A known total of eleven soldiers were awarded both grades.
The crosses were mainly stored and registered at the Präsidalkanzlei and were given out by this office. It is possible that smaller numbers were stored at the personnel offices of the three army branches.
AWARD DOCUMENTS
The Heer issued preliminary award documents in the format A5, followed by a larger (356 mm x 254 mm) formal document. The Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine never issued any preliminary documents, only the formal ones in the same size as the formal document of the Heer.
WEARING METHOD
The German Cross was worn at the right side of the uniform on the breast pocket.
.jpg "German Cross in Silver - 1")
