Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class, by B.H. Mayer Auction Archive The base bears a thick

The base bears a thick blackened leather washer covering the blade’s transition into the crossguard

given gas mask instruction and instruction in the gas chamber

measuring 150 mm (w) x 222 mm (h) x 35 mm (d)

topped by a Wehrmacht-style eagle

not maker marked but likely of German manufacture

Germany, Wehrmacht. A War Merit Cross I Class, by B.H. Mayer Auction Archive The base bears a thick(Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse). Constructed of silvered tombak, consisting of a Maltese Cross, the obverse with pebbled arms and a central wreathed mobile swastika, the reverse with a barrel hinge and banjo style pinback meeting a flat wire catch, the pinback maker marked with LDO code L 18 for B. H. Mayer, Pforzheim, measuring 48. 19 mm (w) x 48. 01 mm (h), weighing 20. 6 grams, demonstrating loss of silver finish to high contact points, in near