What is your earliest Gold Would Badge Entry ?

[Lionel H.]

Hi Guys. I am curious to see your earliest GWB ID Entries. My latest acquisition is a "Grossdeutschland" Captain awarded with the german cross. He got the GWB on 15.09.1942, which seems quite an early date for such an award. Also thereafter, the precise decision of the Wounds, with Unit, date and place.

[peterm]

Hi Lionel!

Unfortunately I didn't own the Wehrpaß of this guy.

Best, Peter

[PanzerElite]

Peter, it seems very difficult to win yours !

my contribution is from a complete group of 9 Pz.Div., Austrian Oberfeldwebel,
Wound badge in Gold in August 1942, shot in neck, see WP,
got EKs in early time, if he is alive, he would be awarded DK or RK i think.

[Tim DC]

Hi Lionel, I guess it will not be difficult to find an earlier GWB awarded after a single heavy wound, like on my or Peter's award document, but finding one with five separate wounds will be a lot more difficult - earliest one I could find for now is 1943.

[Lionel H.]

Thanks all Guys ! Very interesting indeed. Tim, you are completely right, the hidden sense of my question was more seeing ID's from soldiers wounded 5 different times in combat, more than direct attribution of a GWB for an heavy Injury like an amputation or other.... Even if those are not common stuff neither....
I also once saw (unfortunalety it was years ago and I don't kept any scans) an Oblt, WW1 Vet decorated with a silver WB in WW1 and WIA during the polish campaign and directly receiving a GWB.... I don't know if it was legit or not, I ignore the official regulations in such a case.... Anyway all these different cases are IMO a good suject to debate here. Feel free to show all early GWB attributions ! Thank you for your imput.

[M3A1Mats]

Interesting thread! I used to own this Wehrpass with a GWB awarded on 23.6.40. I don't think anything was written on his woundpage since I don't have a scan but I could be wrong..
Not really sure what happened to him, he was born in 1912,

Mats

[Lionel H.]

Hi Mats ! Tks for this interesting contribution, somebit strange Wehrpass I must say... GWB 23.6.40 and a simple EK.II 3 years later ?? GWB for an important wound in june 40 ? But the Unit indicates he served by Stab/215 without interruption from 15 april to 31st oct.1940....
His wound from 31.8.41 was probably much more important, as he served thereafter only in replacement Units in the "Heimat" and was finally discharged in 1944....
I must admit there is something there that I can not explain... I also note these entries were made far from the front, in Karlrsuhe by the Wehrmeldeamt.... That would not be the only time such paperwriters made some important mistakes by entering datas in ID's... But perhaps there is a more scientific and logical explanation, a shame you don't have more scans ! Thanks for your imput

[M3A1Mats]

Hi Lionel!
I do have more scans just not from page 34. Also worth noting, this is a Zweitschrift opened in September '44. Maybe our guy was awarded the BWB for a minor injury on 23.6.1940 but the clerk didn't feel like writing all 3 grades separate, knowing this Wehrpass wasn't of any use anymore, so he upgraded the black to a gold one. Just my imagination.

If you'd like to see more scans I can post them. Other than the GWB, it really isn't that interesting though,

Mats