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 black wound badge was the lowest of the three classes and was awarded for one or two wounds.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 1939 pattern, die stamped, magnetic sheet metal construction, hollow backed award with a black 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. The reverse of the badge is a mirror image of the obverse and has a soldered ball type, hinge, on a circular base plate, a thin, round, vertical pin and a crimped, soldered catch all intact. The reverse is marked "93", indicating manufacture by Richard Simme & Söhne, Gablonz. Comes with its original award document to a Gefr serving with "8./Gren Rgt.199 List". Awarded on " 3 Mai 1944". Nice!