(Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler, Großkreutz mit Bruststern). Instituted 1 May 1937. (1937-1939 issue). A rare and exceptional Grand Cross set of the Order of the German Eagle, consisting of:
1. A sash cross, constructed of gilded silver with enamels, consisting of a Maltese Cross with white enameled arms, joined together through the quadrants by gilded NSDAP-style German national eagles clutching wreathed mobile swastikas on white enameled discs, the twelve o’clock arm topped by an integral loop and suspension ring connecting to a functional spring clip, the latter embroidered to an original full-length sash ribbon constructed of multi-coloured rayon, the six o’clock arm stamped with a silver content number of “900”, unmarked but demonstrating the physical characteristics of a type one cross produced by the firm of Deschler & Sohn, Munich, measuring 56.52 mm (w) x 56.15 mm (h), weighing 48.0 grams, in extremely fine condition.
2. A breast star, constructed of silver with gilt and enamels, the obverse consisting of an eight-pointed radiant starburst, bearing a central white enameled Maltese Cross set within a gilt frame, joined together through the quadrants by NSDAP-style German national eagles clutching wreathed mobile swastikas on white enameled discs, the reverse with two visible rivets securing the obverse cross in place with a barrel hinge and tapering vertical pinback meeting a flattened catch, stamped with a mark of “SILBER” and a content number of “900”, otherwise unmarked but demonstrating the physical characteristics of a type one star produced by the firm of Deschler & Son, Munich, measuring 79.21 mm (w) x 78.80 mm (h), weighing 77.4 grams, demonstrating minor flecking to the enamels, in extremely fine condition.
Footnote: This set was obtained from a long-time collector of German orders who identified it as having been awarded to Bolivian President Germán Busch in 1937. A career Officer and hero of the Chaco War, Busch seized power in Bolivia following a soft coup d’etat against his former mentor, Colonel David Toro, who himself was at the helm of a military junta. Busch had close links to Germany; his father, Pablo Busch Wiesener, immigrated to Bolivia from Münster, and, once in power, he sought economic, political, and military assistance from Germany, with minister Ernst Wendler serving as his intermediary with Berlin. Although disillusioned with liberal democracy and seeking order in Bolivia with the establishment of a government drawing upon national socialist ideals, Busch repudiated the anti-Semitism and racial theorizing underpinning the Third Reich, attempting to forge a unique path for Bolivian politics. By mid-1939, the pressure of growing corruption, scandals, and Busch’s own struggles with depression became insurmountable, and he committed suicide by gunshot on 23 August 1939. His death marked the end of Bolivia’s experiment with national socialism.