BACKGROUND: The wound badge was originally established on March 3RD 1918 by King Wilhelm II to recognise the sacrifice of those wounded during WWI. The badge was instituted in three classes, of black, silver and gold with the class bestowed reflecting the number or severity of the wounds received. On May 22ND 1939 Adolf Hitler re-instituted a slightly modified version of the wound badge with the addition of a swastika to the WWI pattern badge for award to German volunteers who had been wounded supporting the Spanish Nationalist Falangist Generalissimo Francisco Franco against the communist allied Republican Loyalist party in the Spanish Civil War. (July 1936-March 1939). With the outbreak of WWII, on September 1ST 1939, Hitler once again re-instituted another slightly modified version of the wound badge by altering the WWI pattern helmet on the badge to the newly designed M35 style helmet. The badge was awarded to both military and uniformed non-military personnel and later, (March 1943), to civilian personnel who received wounds as a result of enemy actions. The silver wound badge was awarded for three or four wounds, or if the wound was very severe, ie: loss of limb, blindness, etc.. With the proper documentation, recipients of most Third Reich awards, including the Wound badge were permitted to privately purchase a jeweler’s copy of the award, at their own expense, if so desired. Of Note: The LDO, Leistungsgemeinschaft der Deutschen Ordenshersteller, (Administration of German Medal Manufacturers), began regulating the manufacture of German awards in March 1941 as a quality control agent for awards that were intended for retail sale and manufacturers were to use an assigned LDO, "L", code on their products destined for retail sales. Awards that were to be bestowed by the government were also issued an official numerical government contract code known as a, Lieferantnummer, (Contractors Number), that was issued by the Präsidialkanzlei des Führers, (Presidential Council of the Führers), for formally approved manufacturers. The manufacturing firms that were licensed by both the Präsidialkanzlei des Führers and the LDO and would have used the same dies to stamp both the official issue and retail sales types of awards making them virtually indistinguishable from one another except for the markings.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 1939 pattern, die struck, alloy construction, solid backed badge with a silver wash. The badge is in the form of an embossed, vertically oval, laurel leaf wreath encompassing an embossed profile of a M35 pattern helmet with a high relief, canted, swastika to the center, superimposed over crossed swords on a pebbled base field. Complete pin and catch assembly. Badge is unmarked. Complete with original case.