Fake SO CALLED WW1 GERMAN MILITARY CHAPLAINS WOUND BADGE

[Kev in Deva]

Dear Gentlemen,

WW1 MILITARY CHAPLAINS WOUND BADGE.

this item is one I read about many moons ago in:

WOUND MEDALS, INSIGNIA AND NEXT OF KIN AWARDS OF THE GREAT WAR.

By Arthur H. Houston and Vicken Koundakjian. printed by O M S A Monograph 1995. Page. 93.

The item was offered on Ebay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1

I also attach pictures taken from the site before they disapear.

"Zabarylo (1988) alludes to a Wound Badge for the Chaplain Corps of the German Army. Said to have been authorised in March, 1918, it is described as comparable in dimensions to the Army Wound Badge, consisting of a laurel wreath enclosing a Cross.

The badge is open (cut-out) with the Cross joined to the wreath vertically but not laterally. Only the black version is known. Although a number of collectors have confirmed the existence, the extensive documentation provided by the German Military Museum at Schloss Rastatt makes no referenc34 to this badge.

Furthermore standard works in this field which provide more or less detailed information on the Army and Navy Wound Badges do not describe a Wound Badge presented soley to Chaplains (e.g., von Hessenthal and Schreiber 1940; Klietmann 1971 et seq.; Purves 1975; Mathis 1982).

On the basis of his extensive study of German wound Badges, Hamelmann /1990b= found no evidence of its authorisation, and concluded that no such award was officially created.

Apparently they were manufactured as Pilgrimage souvineers at a Roman Catholic monastery near the Bodensee (Lake Constance) Bavaria, which at the end of World War II, found itself in possession of a store of 1939 black Wound Badges.

Hamelmann (1990b) notes that the market for these spurious "Chaplain Badges" proved to be good enough to warrent the casting of copies for sale!

The latter are readily detectable as they are much heavier, i. e., approximately 19 as compared to 7 grams.

As you can see from a close examination they are modified from a wound badge, and present an interesting if not totaly curious item of the fake trade for the true collector to ponder.

Kevin in Deva

[Chris Boonzaier]

Check out the fake Colonial EK doc on his other auctions..

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=12024&hl=

[David Gregory]

I was told by a dealer at a show that these were surplus badges converted to be sold to raise funds for the church some time after the war.

They are not very common, but this is at least the fourth I have seen offered in the last couple of years.

[Kev in Deva]

I was told by a dealer at a show that these were surplus badges converted to be sold to raise funds for the church some time after the war.

They are not very common, but this is at least the fourth I have seen offered in the last couple of years.

Hallo David,

thanks for the comment, which would fit in with "Apparently they were manufactured as Pilgrimage souviners at a Roman Catholic monastery near the Bodensee (Lake Constance) Bavaria, which at the end of World War II, found itself in possession of a store of 1939 black Wound Badges.

The one on ebay is the first I have ever seen, with regards to the claim of it being originaly, an official award for a military chaplain, you have to wonder why they did not make an original die to stamp them out instead of this time consuming two piece fabrication from original wound badge items, obviously if they were converting original wound badges, officialy for the purpose stated, it would have been time saving to make a seperate die.

Also the Prussian Military Wound badges that were fretted out were unofficial but tolarated versions, often when you see them being offered for sale the speil is they were only for officers

Kevin in Deva.

[Stogieman]