Germany, Luftwaffe. A 1939 Spanish Cross in Silver Award Document to Obergefreiter Heinz Gätsch

An award certificate for the Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords, measuring 255 mm x 355 mm, extremely fine condition with some wrinkles and minor discolouration. A large photo of the recipient, Heinz Gätsch, measuring 162 mm x 224 mm, mint condition. According to the document, the Spanish Cross (Deutsches Spanien-Kreuz) in Silver with Swords is awarded to Obergefreiter (Senior Lance Corporal) Heinz Gätsch of the Luftwaffe, for his achievements as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The document is dated to Berlin on June 6, 1939, and carries a facsimile of Adolf Hitler’s signature. The large photo shows Gätsch as a Gefreiter (Lance Corporal) of the Luftwaffe, identifiable by his collar tabs.

Footnote: The Spanish Cross was awarded to members of the infamous Legion Condor, a German unit that supported the fascists under General Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It developed a strategy of terror bombing, one example being the bombing of Guernica.