I would like to present here a classification system for Minesweeper badges based on the “fingerprints” of the wave patterns, correlated with their eagle designs.
Introduced on August 31, 1940, the Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch-, U-Boots-Jagd- and Sicherungsverbände was likely the Kriegsmarine award produced in largest quantity during the war. As a result there were some 22 companies involved in its manufacture.
Just as has been done with the Heer badges in other venues, it’s possible to group KM Minesweeper badges into categories based on their obverse design. This is a useful exercise, as it often suggests possible working relationships between manufacturers, or possibly indicates that they used dies derived from a common master die or die producer. Within each category, the individual manufacturers can be separated out by small differences in obverse details, trimming outlines, hardware and finishing techniques.
I’ve divided the Minesweeper output into 6 basic categories based on the number and pattern of the waves under the plume; the first 4 categories contain badges in both Tombak and zinc, whereas the 5th and 6th categories contain exclusively zinc badges.
I won’t be presenting full images of all the badges, since that is already underway in the pinned thread on the manufacturers of KM badges, but rather just representative closeups of the wave patterns and eagles in each category for reference. However, for those who want to see the reverse hardware to help in identification, along the way I've included links to threads showing postings of complete badges.
Introduced on August 31, 1940, the Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch-, U-Boots-Jagd- and Sicherungsverbände was likely the Kriegsmarine award produced in largest quantity during the war. As a result there were some 22 companies involved in its manufacture.
Just as has been done with the Heer badges in other venues, it’s possible to group KM Minesweeper badges into categories based on their obverse design. This is a useful exercise, as it often suggests possible working relationships between manufacturers, or possibly indicates that they used dies derived from a common master die or die producer. Within each category, the individual manufacturers can be separated out by small differences in obverse details, trimming outlines, hardware and finishing techniques.
I’ve divided the Minesweeper output into 6 basic categories based on the number and pattern of the waves under the plume; the first 4 categories contain badges in both Tombak and zinc, whereas the 5th and 6th categories contain exclusively zinc badges.
I won’t be presenting full images of all the badges, since that is already underway in the pinned thread on the manufacturers of KM badges, but rather just representative closeups of the wave patterns and eagles in each category for reference. However, for those who want to see the reverse hardware to help in identification, along the way I've included links to threads showing postings of complete badges.
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