German Kriegsmarine Minesweeper, Sub Chasers and Escort Vehicles War Badge-This badge was intended for officers and men of the ships listed above. This badge was awarded for three or more operational sorties, an outstanding individual act of bravery, and several other criteria. The Minesweeper Badge was designed by the well-respected, academically trained, sculptor and commercial artist Otto Placzek. The gold finish is mostly missing on this example and the remaining tombac of the wreath is a nice dark gray color. The silver on the wave is intact. The silver wave with the darkened wreath contrasts nicely and really shows the details of this pin! The pin, hinge and catch are all tombac. The pin is flat and tapered, the hinge is the block style and the catch is a square wire. The pin works as intended. This is marked on the reverse for R.K. Priced based on condition.
History: Instituted on 31 August 1940 by Supreme Commander Erich Raeder. This medal was awarded to Kriegsmarine members for service on mine sweeper vessels, sub chasers or escort vessels. Some examples that the award could derive from: The candidate had completed at least three operational sorties, was wounded during an operational sortie, the ship he was sailing in an operation was sunk due to enemy action, participated in a specific sortie that proved very successful, had shown exemplary conduct in the execution of his duties over a six-month period, completed an especially dangerous mission in a mined area or served on escort duty for 25 days or more.