German WWII Mother’s Cross in Silver-This is a handsome example of a mother’s cross in silver. Remember that the silver was awarded for having 6 or 7 kids!! The silver finish is missing from this example, but the zinc has toned to a nice dark gray that complements the blue and white enamel nicely. The enamel on this example is very nice and shows only slight scuffing and crazing to the lower leg of the cross. There is a short portion of ribbon that does show some age discoloration. The reverse of the cross has the facsimile Adolf Hitler signature and the date 16th of December 1938. A good example.
History: The Mother’s Cross was introduced by Adolf Hitler on December 16 1938 as part of a large propaganda campaign aimed at increasing the birth rate. The award was officially designated, “Honor Cross of the German Mother”, and was instituted in three grades to recognize and reward childbearing German females.
The three grades consisted of the bronze cross for bearing four or five children, the silver cross for bearing six or seven children and the gold cross for bearing eight or more children.
Criteria for the award included that the parents be of pure German blood, and that the mother was worthy of such an honor. On its introduction the cross had the impressed inscription to reverse, "Das kind adelt die Mutter", (The child ennobles the mother), but this was inexplicably changed sometime in 1939. Bestowal of the cross was accompanied by an award certificate, a cash incentive for each child born and a miniature cross for everyday wear, with the actual cross being reserved for formal or ceremonial occasions. It is interesting that members of all youth organizations were required to salute wearers of the Mother’s Cross.