Original Item. Only One Available. This is an Imperial German WWI Kaiserliche Marine Wound Badge in Black, or Marineverwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, instituted in 1918 for wounded members of the Imperial German Navy.

The badge is made from stamped metal with a hollow reverse and retains much of its original blackened finish. The obverse carries the distinctive naval design of a large upright anchor over crossed swords on a finely pebbled field, all enclosed by a heavy anchor chain. The reverse is fitted with a vertical pin assembly consisting of a tubular hinge, round-wire pin, and lower catch. No maker marking could be found.

The black finish identifies the badge as the lowest of the three grades of the Imperial wound badge system, normally awarded for one or two qualifying wounds.

Condition is good overall. The design remains sharply defined, with strong detail to the anchor, swords, chain border, and pebbled background. The finish shows expected age and wear, with scattered areas of loss and light oxidation, more noticeable on the reverse and around the pin hardware. The pin, hinge, and catch are all present.

Historical Context

Germany introduced a formal wound badge system only in the closing year of the First World War. Kaiser Wilhelm II established the Army Wound Badge on March 3, 1918, creating an official distinction for servicemen wounded through enemy action. The Kaiserliche Marine received its own version on June 24, 1918, placing naval personnel under the same general system while giving the Navy a separate decoration.

The timing was significant. By mid-1918, German naval personnel had already spent nearly four years at war. Service extended well beyond the crews of capital ships and included U-boat personnel, torpedo-boat crews, mine warfare units, naval aviation, coastal formations, shore establishments, and other branches of the Imperial Navy. The naval wound badge provided a single recognized award for qualifying wounds sustained across this broad range of service.

Awards were divided into three grades according to the recipient's accumulated wounds. Black was normally issued for one or two qualifying wounds, Silver for three or four, and Gold for five or more. The regulations also allowed higher grades in cases of particularly severe injury, so the system did not depend entirely on a simple numerical count. Once awarded, the badge was worn on the left breast of the uniform.

Its June 1918 institution also meant that the Marine Wound Badge had only a short existence as an Imperial decoration. The German Empire collapsed in November, followed by the dissolution of the Kaiserliche Marine and the creation of a new naval organization under the Weimar Republic. Award administration did not end immediately with the Armistice, however, and wartime claims continued to be processed after active hostilities had ceased.

The 1918 wound badge system established a distinction that continued beyond the Imperial period. German veterans retained the right to wear decorations they had earned during the First World War, and the concept of separate grades based on the severity or number of wounds remained part of later German military award practice. The wound badge was eventually reintroduced in a new form in 1939, preserving the Black, Silver, and Gold grading system first established during the final year of the First World War.