Kreta commemorative medallion

**Torch** · 06-30-2023, 12:12 PM

Not sure if this is the right place for this or not but i was given this by a german girlfriends dad quite a few years ago and because of the brand new appearance i always thought it was a reproduction..i figured before i got rid of it i'd double check,thanks everyone

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 06-30-2023 12:12 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Willmore** · 06-30-2023, 01:27 PM

Hi there.

I had a search and found this on eBay -

Beautiful large sized WWII German Kreta Paratrooper soldier commemorative coin lot x 2. These are postwar medallions with no forbidden symbols and allowed by German laws (there is actually a swaz on the tail fin of the JU-52). Nice high quality gold and silver tone finish, they measure approx 3 inches across.
WWII WW2 German KRETA Paratroopers commemorative coin lot x 2 gold and silver | eBay

Kind regards,

Will.

**Torch** · 06-30-2023, 02:03 PM

Hey mate ive had a look at a few online that are supposed to be originals and the quality of the stamping looks very similar but its the finish on mine thats always bothered me,have you had much to do with this award i guess its called

**Willmore** · 06-30-2023, 02:18 PM

I haven't seen this particular award/commemorative coin before, but you do often see examples that are similar for the Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops), so from my understanding these did exist. Sorry I can't be much help and hopefully someone can jump in and give you a definite answer.

**Torch** · 06-30-2023, 02:23 PM

Oh no problem at all i didnt even realise there were these medallions until today..i figured it was a fantasy item..thanks for your help mate

**Willmore** · 06-30-2023, 02:56 PM

No worries.

**Witt** · 07-01-2023, 04:10 AM

I have looked into this medal and nowhere is there any credible information let along hardly any suggestions. As Will pointed out, there are many reproductions (if you can even call them that) for sale cheap on fleabay. All of the example photos posted thus far here all look fresh. In the case that this is a post-war commemorative medal you would not expect it to be handled or worn, only displayed.

I could not possibly imagine this being any form of veteran commemorative piece distributed anywhere in Germany with the presence of a swastika. It is also not anything that was made during the war. The Kreta cuff seemed to be enough of a prize for any survivor of the jump. The old dogs in the Fallschirmjäger who wore the Kreta cuff were highly respected by the younger guys. It was understood what they had been through. Towards the end of the war when there was hardly anyone still alive who had been on Kreta, they were viewed as on a podium by whatever was left of the patch work regiments. Never seen a grouping from a Fallschirmjäger veteran that included any sort of Kreta commemorative item.
The explanation has to be a purely fantasy piece that came out of the woodwork who knows when.

This type of supposed medal has been posted before in these threads:

KRETA table medal

Kreta Medal info requested

Then you will see these Meissen porcelain table medals in brown and white versions that have been sold in very small numbers online. Nobody seems to have any originating information about these porcelain medals either but must be expected to be wartime products. Meissen was the first hard-paste porcelain maker in Europe.