Presentation of the “Legion Condor” Wound Badges – When?

[Scott]

Esteemed GMIC researchers, I am trying to discern when first-issue 1939 wound badges were awarded to members of the German volunteers who served in the Spanish Civil War, often referred to collectively as ‘Legion Condor’ wound badges.

 

It is well documented that the first-issue 1939 wound badge was instituted on 22 May 1939, and 182 black and 1 silver were to be awarded to combatants wounded in the Spanish Civil War. But when were those wound badges presented? There are dozens of photos from the spring/summer of 1939 showing the mass awarding of Spain Crosses following the war, however I’ve yet to see a Spanish Civil War veteran wearing or being awarded a German wound badge, nor seen a 1939 wound badge award document dated prior to 1 Sep 1939 (yet examples of German Spain Cross citations are well-documented). And with only one silver wound badge to be awarded, I would think that would be a highly publicized event; after all, the huge victory parade in Berlin on 6 June 1939 conspicuously honored those killed in the war, so recognizing those who were wounded shouldn’t have been a sensitive issue.

 

The form below is an example used to record decorations earned by individuals returning from the war. Note the list of possible awards includes the Spanish Medalla Sufrimientos por la Patria (the Spanish wound medal – last on the list), but not the German wound badge. Granted the list of awards is not all inclusive, but if the Spanish wound medal is there, why wouldn't the German wound badge be as well, given the badge was authorized and exact numbers were known? Not enough time to make them, one might ask? I doubt that, given the German Spain Cross was instituted three weeks after the 1939 wound badge, yet a handful of manufacturers managed to craft more than 26,000 of those complicated puzzle pieces in time for the widely publicized mass award ceremonies.

 

So my question is: when specifically were first-issue 1939 German wound badges awarded to Germans who served in the Spanish Civil War, and is there any documentation of it? I.e., definitive photo(s) of an award ceremony, photo of one in wear from the spring/summer of 1939, or a Wound Badge document dated prior to 1 Sep 1939.

 

Have I missed an obvious or glaring bit of evidence?

 

P.S., I posted this in the WAF Wound Badge forum a month ago and it sank like a stone with no replies.