Description
Product Description: This Black Wound Badge is a choice example of this iconic wartime combat award. It’s a relatively uncommon LDO marked variant. This nice, top quality award is made of stamped brass, indicating that this was made in an earlier stage of the production of these badges. It retains virtually all of the original factory applied smooth black enamel paint finish. There is minimal wear that exposes the golden color of the brass in a few tiny spots. All of the original detail is intact, and there is a very slight patina from age. The reverse of this desirable Black Wound Badge is maker marked in raised letters behind the helmet with “L/16,” the LDO code for the prestigious maker of Steinhauer & Lück in Lüdenscheid. There are some very minor dents to the rim. The hardware setup features a block hinge and sheet metal catch which show no repairs. The original round wire attachment pin is intact and functional. This badge would be difficult to upgrade.
Historical Description: The German Wound Badge 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. During the Spanish Civil War, the Wound Badge was reinstated by the Third Reich for a short period to honor those who were wounded during the conflict from 1936 to 1939. These German units participating in the assistance of the Spanish Fascists were deemed the “Condor Legion”. The pattern of the World War One Wound Badge was again used, except this time with a raised swastika on the center of the World War One era helmet. At the outbreak of war in September 1939 with Poland, Adolf Hitler once again reinstated the Wound Badge Award. The pattern of the badge was like that of the earlier styles, except the new design was updated 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.
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