Original German WWII Era Medal and Insignia Grouping with Wound Badge & Hindenberg Cross – 10 Items Original Items

Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice collection of German WWII Insignia & Awards, which was brought back from the European theater by a USGI after the war was concluded. It includes some a wide variety of medals and insignia, including a Hindenberg Cross, a Silver wound badge, and more!

This lovely set includes:

– One Pre-WWII German WWI Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (Hindenburg Cross) Medal attached to a metal supported ribbon pin.

– One German WWII Solid Back Silver 2nd Class Wound Badge maker marked 30 for Hauptmünzamt (Main Mint), located at Am Heumarkt 1, Wien (Vienna) III/40, Austria.

– One German WWII 1939 War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille), without ribbon.

– One Imperial German War Commemorative Medal of 1870-1871 without Ribbon,

– One German WWII Heer Officer Gebirgsjäger Mountain Trooper Embroidered Sleeve Badge – Edelweiss. It is a uniform cutout, still attached to an oval piece of the uniform it was removed from.

– One German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Mannschaften (Enlisted Men) Double Gold Chevron badge.

– One German WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Mannschaften (Enlisted Men) Single Silver Chevron badge.

– One German WWII Luftwaffe Breast Eagle Embroidered Badge.

– One German WWII Musician Specialty badge.

– One German Pre-WWII Hindenburg AH Commemorative Medal 1933 Coin

A wonderful totally genuine grouping perfect for the German Medal and Insignia collector.

Hindenburg Cross with Crossed Swords (for combat):
The Honor Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (German: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkriegs 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Republic, by an order dated 13 July 1934, to commemorate the distinguished deeds of the German people during the First World War. This was Germany’s first official service medal for soldiers of Imperial Germany who had taken part in the war, and where they had since died it was also awarded to their surviving next-of-kin. Shortly after its issuance, the government of NSDAP Germany declared the award as the only official service decoration of the First World War and further forbid the continued wearing of German Free Corps awards on any military or paramilitary uniform of a state or NSDAP Party organization.

This example is marked on the back with G 18.

The German Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen) was instituted by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 3 March 1918 during the First World War to recognize those wounded in the conflict. It was designed using a World War One style Imperial German Stahlhelm helmet as the main motif. The helmet was set on top two crossed swords against a pebbled background and surrounded by a laurel leaves wreath.

The Wound Badge Awards came in three different types of grades representing the amount , or severity, of wounds received. The first grade, the Black Wound Badge was awarded for 1 to 2 wounds received in combat. The Silver Grade was awarded for 3 to 4 wounds, and finally the Gold Grade for 5 or more wounds, total disability, or death.

The War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to recognize outstanding service by civilians in relation to the war effort. It was instituted on 19 August 1940 and usually awarded to those workers in factories who significantly exceeded work quotas. The War Merit Medal was awarded only to Germans and non-Germans civilians, to men and women. An estimated 4.9 million medals were awarded by the end of the war in Europe. It was closely related to the War Merit Cross, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike for outstanding service to the war effort.

The medal was designed by Professor Richard Klein of Munich. It was a circular bronze award bearing the design of the War Merit Cross on the front (obverse), and the inscription “For War Merit 1939” (Für Kriegsverdienst) on the reverse side. It was suspended from a ribbon colored similar to the War Merit Cross, except for a thin red vertical strip added to the center of the black portion. When worn, it was either as a medal ribbon bar above the left breast pocket (soldiers who had earned the medal as civilians could wear it on their uniform), or with the ribbon only through the second buttonhole of a jacket. Since this was a non-combat award, the medal never incorporated swords. After 15 May, 1943, the award of this medal to foreigners was superseded by the Medal of Merit of the Order of the German Eagle.