BACKGROUND: The Destroyer War Badge was instituted on June 4^TH 1940 by Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine und Großadmiral, (Commander in Chief of the Navy and Grand Admiral), Erich Raeder, for award to destroyer crew members who had participated in the naval battle for Narvik Norway under the command of Kommodore Friedrich Bonte. Regulations of October 1940 extended bestowal of the Destroyer War Badge to include other Destroyer, Torpedo and E-boat personnel involved in other naval battles who met a preset criteria. Of Note: Torpedo and E-boat personnel were no longer eligible for the Destroyer War Badge after the introduction of the E-boat badge on May 30^TH 1941. Of Note: At the conclusion of WWI articles of the Treaty of Versailles dictated that the German surface High Seas Fleet must immediately surrender nine Destroyers to the Allies and that another fifty Destroyers be, "forthwith disarmed and interned in neutral ports", as ordered by the Allies, with only caretakers remaining as crew. These dictates, along with others effectively dismantled the German High Seas Fleet leaving only a token, surface, coastal defence force that included twelve antiquated Destroyers, six pre-Dreadnought Battleships and six light Cruisers. On June 18^TH 1935 an Anglo-German Naval Agreement was negotiated which permitted the Germans to produce a surface fleet equivalent to 35% of the tonnage of the British surface fleet and included a clause that stated that Germany could produce replacement vessels but must follow restrictions that included replacement Destroyers being no larger then 800 tons. On April 28^TH 1939 the Germans officially renounced the Anglo-German Naval Agreement and by the outbreak of WWII in September the Germans had twenty-two assorted, operational Destroyers.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 2 1/8", (5.4 cm), tall, 1 5/8", (4.2 cm), wide, die struck, bronze alloy construction Destroyer War Badge with gilt and silver washes is in the form of a gilt washed, vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath with a small, national eagle with down-swept wings, clutching a canted swastika in it’s talons, superimposed to the top center, encompassing the forward, side, profile view of a cut-out, silver washed, Destroyer and waves. The gilt finish to the wreath and eagle has completely worn off revealing the underlying, bronze alloy base while the silver finish to the Destroyer and waves is retained about 45% also with spots of wear to the underlying, bronze alloy base. The badge shows light to moderate chafe wear resulting in some lost detailing. The reverse of the badge has a soldered, solid block hinge with a broad, flat, horizontal pin, a soldered catch and a raised, soldered, retaining hook intact. The pin, catch and retaining hook are all bent. The reverse of the badge is well marked with the embossed, manufacturer’s name and location, "Schwerin Berlin 68".