Kriegsmarine Interesting U-Boat badge

[Martin W]

This badge was recently posted at WAF.

It sure looks like a Mayer to me or maybe another of the Pfortzheim makers.From the reverse hardware one would think that it was a tombak piece.

From the colour of the basemetal the badge appears to be a zincer?

Could it be an "early" Mayer zinc badge with tombak hardware?

Regards,Martin.

[Martin W]

The reverse.

[Martin W]

Reverse 2.

[Gordon Williamson]

If it is indeed Zinc, then it is most likely Mayer. Schickle went out of business before the move from Tombak to Zink so you won't find a Zinc piece by Schickle. Zimmermann usually cut out all arms of the swastika so you can probably rule out Zimmermann.

Mayer with a variant pin system is the most likely answer.

We know that Schickle were manufacturing this design very early on, and that their tooling was subsequently sold off when the firm went out of business in 1941. Thereafter I assume there was some sort of sharing arrangement between Mayer and Zimmermann, so we really have to concentrate on these two firms.

A badge of this type in Zinc with a more conventional pin system is known but I've not seen one with a maker mark. So it is difficult to say for sure wither Mayer or Zimmermann made them. Bear in mind that these badges were struck ( not cast like a GWL) so the fully cut out swastika used to identify Zimmermann pices in Tombak would be a very weak point liable to fracture on a Zinc badge so Zimmermann may well have ceased to use this feature when moving to Zinc. Also, we do not know at which stage Zimmermann moved from using this earlier design, to the later, less attractive design they used in Zinc. They may have used this early design for a transitional period for Zinkers.

So, really, any theories you might want to use to determine wther Mayer or Zimmermann is the most likely maker are based more on speculation than anything else as we just don't have firm information at this point.

Personally I'd say Mayer is the most likely, but Zimmermann is still possible.

[Martin W]

Gordon,

thanks for the input on the Pfortzheim makers.That was very informative.I am also inclined to think it is a Mayer badge.I would sure like to know what the basemetal is,though.

Regards,Martin.

[John R]

Yes, the problem is that white basemetal. Based on the hardware it seems like it has to be tombak or another alloy but not zinc. John

[Gordon Williamson]

Material would certainly help dictate the likely identity of the manufacturer.

If Zinc it is probably either late 1st type Mayer ( we have absolutelty no way of knowing when the Mayer changed over to the second type so cannot rule out a first type min Zinc) or variant Zimmermann. Mayer by far the most likely IMO.

If Buntmetall it is probably either Schickle or Mayer as Zimmermann in Buntmetall would almosty certainly have all arms of the swas cut out.

Of the two this type of hinge fitting has never, to my knowledge at least, been seen on a verified Schickle badge (which is so far only known with either a needle pin or the "EK" type pin with an L/15 mark). So, again, Mayer is most likely.

Seems like whatever the material Mayer is the only likely maker ( given that there is no other known maker who used this design other than Schickle, Mayer and Zimmermann).