Original German WWII Medal & Insignia Grouping with Black Wound Badge & War Merit Cross with Swords – 11 Items Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a very nice collection of German WWII Era awards & insignia, with some from the Pre-WWII NSDAP period. These were most likely brought home by a WWII USGI during or after the war, as medals from Germany were very popular collectors items.

This is a set of 11 items, some of which are military awards, though some are definitely civilian, and others are badges and/or tinnies. They are all in nice displayable condition, with moderate wear. Some have their original ribbons, while others have lost them. As best we can tell, the set consists of the following:

– German WWII War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords and faded ribbon.
– German WWII Hollow Back Black Wound Badge with intact pinback marked 32 on the back for Wilhelm Hobacher of Vienna.
– German WWII 13 March 1938 Anschluss Commemorative Medal with Ribbon Pin, with intact silver wash.
– German WWII Faithful Service Decoration 1st Class Cross for 40 Years of Service.
– German WWII West Wall Medal – 1939 Version with Ribbon.
– German WWII Bronze DRL Sports Badge by FERD. WAGNER with intact pinback.
– German WWII National Socialist War Victim’s Care NSKOV badge marked RZM M1/52 on the back for Deschler & Sohn in München.
– German WWII RAD Arbeits Dank Donation Enamel Pin.
– German WWII Brass Reichsadler Pin for NSDAP REICHSPARTEITAG NÜRNBERG 1933 (National Party Day Nuremberg 1933) with intact pinback.
– German WWII aluminum 1935 SEEFAHRT IST NOT (Seafaring is necessary) Tinnie. This was given out for German Seafaring Day (TAG DER DEUTSCHEN SEEFAHRT), May 25-26 1935. Maker marked REDO / SAARLOUIS.
– German WWII Franken (Franconia) Administrative Region aluminum tinnie dated 1935 for “Franconia Day” (Frankentag) in Hesselberg.

This is a great set of medals and other awards from WWII Era Germany. A great way to start your collection!

Below are descriptions for some of the awards:

War Merit Cross 2nd Class (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) with Swords (for Combat)
This was a decoration of NSDAP Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike. By the end of the war it was issued in four degrees, and had a related civil decoration. It was created by Adolf AH in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars. The award was graded the same as the Iron Cross: War Merit Cross Second Class, War Merit Cross First Class, and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross. The award had two variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service “not in direct connection with combat”, and without swords for meritorious service to civilians in “furtherance of the war effort”. As with the Iron Cross, Recipients had to have the lower grade of the award before getting the next level.

The German Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen) was instituted during the First World War to recognize those wounded in the conflict. It was designed using a World War One style Imperial German 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.

At the outbreak of war in September 1939 with Poland, Adolf AH once again reinstated the Wound Badge Award. Again the pattern of the badge was similar to that of the earlier style except the new design was freshened up a bit by using an M35 pattern German helmet and a slightly softer looking wreath. This pattern was used until the end of the war in 1945. It is impossible to know the exact numbers of wound badges awarded during the course of the Second World War due to the vast scale and countless individuals who were wounded or killed in the conflict.

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.

Anschluss Commemorative Medal of 13 March 1938
Known in German as Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938, this is an interwar period medal. Instituted on May 1, 1938, the medal commemorated the annexation of Austria to the German Reich, the so-called Anschluss. The move was the first in AH’s quest for Lebensraum, and it strengthened German flanks while weakening those of Czechoslovakia. German troops crossed the border on March 12, 1938, without meeting any resistance. The stage had been set by a series of “incidents” provoked by members of the NSDAP Party in Austria, and diplomatic pressure and ultimatums set forth by the German government. This first action, while perhaps raising suspicions, did not cause general alarm in the world community, as it seemed to be done by choice of the Austrian people who spoke German.

The medal, known as the “Anschluss medal”, was awarded to all those Austrians who contributed to or participated in the annexation as well as the members of the Austrian National Socialism movement. It was also awarded to German State officials and members of the German Wehrmacht and SS who marched into Austria.

Faithful Service Decoration First Class Cross for 40 Years of Service –  A fullsize frosted silver with an oak leaf wreath and black enameled Swas (hook cross) on original ribbon. The Civil Service Faithful Service Medal (Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen für Beamte Angestellte und Arbeiter im öffentlichen Dienst) was a NSDAP Germany medal of honor that was founded on 30 January 1938, in two grades, to reward civilians and military in the employ of the German public services for long and faithful service.

All officials, employees, and laborers at any level of the public service (local, regional or national) who complete 25 or 40 years service were eligible. The second class award was for 25 years of service was a silver cross, with a silver wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross. The first class award was for 40 years of service was a gold cross, with a gold wreath and a black enameled swas in the center of the cross.

The reverse of both classes was stamped with Für treue Dienste (For faithful Services). in German black letter typeface. The ribbon for the medal is cornflower blue.

The West Wall Medal (German: Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) was a political decoration of NSDAP Germany. It was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was given to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany’s western borders, known as the West Wall or, in English, the Siegfried Line, and to the troops who served there between 15 June 1938 to 31 March 1939. In all 622,064 medals were awarded until 31 January 1941. In 1944, after the allied invasion, it was again “re-instituted” and awarded to those who took part in the fortification of the western borders. It was awarded to over 800,000 men in total by the end of the war. The medal was in one class. It was struck in bronze. Its oval shape featured on the obverse (from bottom to top) a bunker, a crossed sword and shovel, and the German Eagle. On the reverse it bore the inscription “Für Arbeit zum Schutze Deutschlands” (For Work on the Defense of Germany) The medal was designed by Professor Richard Klein, of Munich. The ribbon is golden brown with a white stripe towards each edge. In 1944, a second production run was conducted to reward the workers and military personnel strengthening the Siegfried line. This version of the medal was commonly known as the “Defense Wall Honor Award”, to distinguish the decoration from its 1939 counterpart, and was constructed of a bronzed zinc. A bar with the date “1944” was authorized for those who already held the 1939 version, but this award was never mass-produced.