Wound Badge

The Wound Badge (German: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration.

Before WW2

It was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the world wars, it was awarded to members of the German armed forces who fought on the Nationalist side of the Spanish Civil War, 1938–39.

During WW2

It was awarded to members of the Reichswehr, the Wehrmacht, SS, and the service organizations during World War II. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied bombings, it was also awarded to civilians wounded in air raids. It was awarded when the wound was the result of enemy actions.

After WW2

In 1957, the West German government authorized a non-Nazi version of the basic (black, silver, & gold) badges for wear on the Bundeswehr uniform, among other certain Nazi-era wartime awards.