BACKGROUND: The Coastal Artillery War Badge was introduced on June 24^TH 1941 by Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine und Großadmiral, (Commander in Chief of the Navy and Grand Admiral), Erich Raeder for award to land based Naval coastal artillery and anti-aircraft personnel in recognition of their achievements. The award was bestowed based on a point system with the main criteria being "merit in action".

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The die struck, solid backed, alloy construction award with gilt and burnished silver finishes is in the form of a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath with a Wehrmacht pattern national eagle with down swept wings, superimposed to the top center, encompassing the cut-out likeness of an 88mm coastal artillery gun with the barrel of the gun extending beyond the edge of the wreath. The gilt wash to the oak-leave wreath and eagle is retained about 70% while the burnished silver wash to the artillery piece is retained about 75% with small spots of wear to the base alloy. The solid reverse has a crimped, soldered hinge inset into a rectangular recess with raised securing lips, a thin round vertical pin and a soldered catch inset into an oval depression all intact. The pin and catch are both slightly bent but still function. The reverse of the badge is well marked with the embossed manufacturers initials, "FLL" with each initial within a separate circular border and the date, "43", indicating manufacture by Friedrich Linden of Lüdenscheid in 1943.

GRADE ***                             PRICE $352.00