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KM Destroyer badge (OS)

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KM Destroyer badge (OS)

Reference : MNL232BCDE

Reproduction of the Kriegsmarine Destroyer insignia.
Old silver finish.
Attachment on back.

High-quality craftsmanship.
Made in the Philippines.
Registered postage included.

The Destroyer Battle Badge (German: Zerstörerkriegsabzeichen) is a German military decoration of the Third Reich. It was created on June 4, 1940 to reward sailors who served meritoriously aboard destroyers and torpedo boats of the Kriegsmarine.

At the start of the Second World War, Germany had just twenty-two destroyers at its disposal. These were used in combat for the first time during Operation Weserübung. Although the operation was a success, the Germans lost twelve destroyers in a three-day battle with the Royal Navy in Narvik harbor. Among the casualties was the Wilhelm Heidkamp, flagship of German task force commander Friedrich Bonte, who was killed in the wreck.

On June 4, 1940, Admiral Raeder created the Destroyer Battle Badge, designed by Paul Casberg, in honor of the sailors killed in the battle. The badge was awarded to all survivors of the battle, and other criteria based on courage and good conduct in carrying out combat missions were introduced for other destroyer crews.

On October 22, 1940, the scope of the badge was extended to include the crews of torpedo boats and S-boats. The latter were removed from the badge on May 30, 1941, when a dedicated speedboat combat badge was created.

The Destroyer Battle Badge is awarded automatically to all Kriegsmarine sailors who fought in the Battle of Narvik aboard a destroyer and were still alive when the decoration was created on June 4, 1940. For sailors serving aboard destroyers, but not eligible for the award, there are six other ways of obtaining the decoration. Three of these involve constant participation in the missions assigned to these ships. The insignia is awarded for participation in three battles or twelve missions without contact with the enemy, or three mine-laying missions outside German-controlled waters. The other three are for conduct in combat, and reward sailors wounded or killed in action, survivors of a ship sunk by the enemy, and acts of courage not rewarded by another decoration.

In addition to the crews of destroyers, those of torpedo boats are also eligible from October 22, 1940, as are those of S-Boats between October 22, 1940 and May 30, 1941. On this date, a special decoration was created for the latter, rendering the award of the destroyer battle badge obsolete. In both cases, the award criteria were the same as those set out above for destroyer crews.

The badge was to be worn on the left pocket of the jacket (or shirt) under the iron cross, if present.

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17.90 €

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