KM blockade runners' badge

[Chris Boonzaier]

What do you guys say... a badge for the real navy...or merchant navy ?

[W. C. Stump]

GOOD QUESTION

The Blockade Runner's Badge was awarded to personnel of the Merchant Marine, the Kreigsmarine, and I ever have one grouping to a Luftwaffe Pilot. Any how was proven to have displayed courage and daring deeds that prevented ANY ship from falling into enemy hands was qualified to receive this badge.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Bill,
there are even SS and Army guys with it. There is no question that anyone could qualify for it, if they were in the right place at the right time.
What interests me however, is was it intended proportionally more for the Merchant navy, or the Kriegsmarine ?
I tend to go with the former.
I dont agree with you that it is for ANY ship. Basically anyone on a ship in combat is trying to prevent it falling into enemy hands.
Almost all examples you see are to folks on Merchant ships (or similar kinds) or has anyone seen one awarded for an action on a regular fighting ship ?
My wifes Grandfather was awarded it late in the war, for sailing on the supply ship for the Deutschland. He was in the KM but had served on a regular merchant ship being used by the KM.

Another fact is the cases with the badge and the miniture.
Normally miniatures are private purchase items, not awarded with the badge itself.

I advance the theory that the 2 in a box were there because the smaller one is not a miniature per se, but an official "smaller" award for civilian dress, seeing many merchant seamen (cabin stewards etc) did not have a military uniform when on duty, how could they wear the big clunker ?

So, my theory based on absolutely no proof and a little bit of logik is.... the BB Abzeichen was awarded in 2 sizes with the non uniformed merchant seamen in mind, as thisaward was created first and formost for them.

Let the tomato throwing commence.....

[Adam H]

I think Chris is on to something...and I tend to agree with his theory about the "miniature" being intended to wear on civilian attire. As he says, logically, many merchant navy members would not wear a uniform as such and would not have occasion to wear the full-sized version.

Another point that might give creedence to this theory is the design of the badge itself. Unlike virtually all other military award badges, the Blockade Runner's badge does not feature the National Emblem at the top of the usual wreath (in this case being the linked chain wreath), which to me suggests that this award was not orginally designed as a military award in the strictest sense. I would suggest the Abzeichen für Blockadebrecher was designed and initially instituted as a merchant navy award, and was at a somewhat later date extended to members of the armed forces as well.

Cheers,

Adam

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

I would tend to agree with Chris about the 1/2 size (I've never really thought of it as minature) BB badge as being conceived specifically for those in the merchant marine, knowing that a high proportion of them would not be able to wear the full-sized badge. I always thought that the full-sized badge could only be worn on a military uniform - does anybody have an image of the full sized badge being worn on a merchant marine (or other non-military) uniform?

Don't ask me to prove it, but I seem to recall seeing an image of the full sized BB badge in a "normal" (single badge) case. For most, if not all, of the twin sets I've seen, the full sized badge has been mint (unworn) but the 1/2 size has definitely been worn. This makes me think that the cased sets were specifically intended for the merchant marine, where they were entitiled to the full-sized badge but maybe regulations stipulated that they could not wear the full sized badge.

I'd tend to disagree with Adam's thoughts that the BB badge design indicates it was not meant for the armed forces because it does not incorporate the standard national symbol. Firstly, the designer, Adolf Bock, seems to have been a true artist/designer and secondly the chain bound wreath being broken by the ship is extremely symbolic for this badge - breaking the chain again by putting the national symbol in it's usual spot would have lost the whole meaning of the badge imo.

Regards
Mike K

[W. C. Stump]

The criteria with no tomatoes.

Chris and all:

In may of 1941, the established criteria for this badge was put forth by "Reichsverkehrsminister Dorpmuller. It was very plain and precise. To qualify for this awards one had to, (a) bring a ship into a German or German-held port AFTER successfully breaking the enemy blockade. (b) To scuttle the ship to avoid being captured. (c) For serving on a ship lost through enemy action, or to be wounded during the course in preventing the ship from falling into enemy hands.

The persons who qualified to receive the badge was either the personnel of the Merchant marine or the Kreigsmarine. the decision ad to who qualified was left up entirely to the leaders of the Reichs Commission for Sea travel. ALL ships fell under the jurisdiction of this agency. That is why members of the Luftwaffe, Army, SS or anyone else deemed qualified by this agency could receive the badge. If a civilian, (Merchant Marine Personnel, etc) the 1/2 size stick pin was to be worn on the lapel. For military, it was to be worn full size on the lower left breast of their uniform. Most of the badges came in singly, but a special presentation cased set was offered. Again, if not in uniform, it was the 1/2 size being worn.

[Paul Massucci]

Besides the criteria already listed in the above postings, in the 1943 edition of Doehle's book the following is stated;

"The war badge for Blockade Breakers can be awarded if the above criteria has been met by merchant sailors of nations allied to Germany and those who served on German warships or German commanded vessels."

In light of it being able to be awarded to merchantmen outside of the German Armed Forces persay I'd say it was more a Merchant Marime award and not KM

[W. C. Stump]

This didn't change during the war.

The persons who qualified to receive the badge was either the personnel of the Merchant marine or the Kreigsmarine. the decision ad to who qualified was left up entirely to the leaders of the Reichs Commission for Sea travel. ALL ships fell under the jurisdiction of this agency.

By 1943 the German Merchant Fleet was all but nothing compared to 1941.

[Rick Research]

I have a 1954 German listing of the fates of ALL German Merchant vessels in WW2, so can do research on the earlier type award documents that specify a named ship, unlike the later documents that just give the recipient's name.

[Chris Boonzaier]

As Bill says, this was introduced by the Reichsverkehrsminister, not by the Navy.

Another interesting point brought up is the eagle or lack of a Hoheitsadler.... the other badges all have the breast or helmet version of the military eagle... the BBabz does not... and the Reichsverkehrsministerium did not have the same hoheitsadler.

Another point is, ALL ships is not to be taken out of context. Aux Cruisers were blockade breaking all the time, and never got the badge. the famous dash through the channel was Blockade breaking and they never got the badge. And submarines ?

I assume that the Reichsverkehrsminister could award it to merchant navy, real Navy or whatever who were officially WORKING on merchant navy ships (not just passangers or soldiers being transported).

I doubt the navy would allow anyone else to award medals or badges to anyone on Navy ships and have never seen a BBabz awarded to anyone for service on any fighting ship.

By the way, another interesting point, the second one in the case is indeed a 3/4 version and way bigger than other minitures, once again I believe it is an official award not a miniture.
In the case of my wifes Grandfather, he was regular navy and had both, so the theory of big one for the navy, both for the civvies cannot be right. I also cannot see the govt ordering 2 different versions.

All thebst
Chris

[Hugh W. Brock]

Here is a translation from the 1945 Doehle book. Everyone interested in German medals should have a copy. The 1943 English version is readily available and reasonably priced.
Note, if you got back home, got the medal, you would be able to wear the decoration. Many of the military personnel who wear the medal may have been awarded it before they went into active military service.
"The Badge for Blockade Breakers. By order dated 1 April 1941 the Fuehrer has instituted the Badge for Blockade Breakers in recognition of the decisive bearing of the crews of ships that were in neutral countries when the war broke out or were on the high seas and broke through the blockade to return home. (Design by Otto Placzek, Berlin.)
It may be awarded to the crews of blockade breakers and ship's crews serving under the merchant flag who perform comparable actions to the blockade breakers. Award is made on behalf of the Fuehrer by the Reich's Commissar for Sea Travel for commercial ships. Crews of ships under military control will be awarded the badge through the Navy Supreme Command in conjunction with the Reich's Commissar for Sea Travel. General requirements for award are worthiness and good leadership, specific award requirements are: a) successful breakthrough of the enemy blockade by the ship, b) scuttling the ship in the case of impending seizure by enemy armed forces, c) presenting special considerations in cases that led to preserving or to scuttling of ship and cargo in the interest of the people and economy and show a high degree of involvement, d) to survivors of ships lost due to enemy activity, e) in special cases to wounded.
The Badge for Blockade Breakers may also be awarded to members of allied and friendly states who were under command on German warships or were under German legal jurisdiction and can show they meet the criteria.
The recipient will receive an award certificate. Wear: on the left breast."

[Gordon Williamson]

The Blockade Breaker Badge as originally instituted WAS only intended for members of the Merchant marine who had successfully brought back essential supplies of materials and of course the ships themselves, through the allied blockade.
It was not until December 1942 fully 21 months after its introduction in April 1941, that Kriegsmarine personnel were eventually authorised to receive this award. Only after August 1943 were Luftwaffe personnel included. So, I would guess that by far the greatest number of awards went to members of the Merchant Marine.

I'm not convinced there was any real significance in the large piece on its own, or large piece with miniature. I have seen photos of guys wearing the full size version pinned to the chest of their civilian suit.

Here is a photo from a Soldbuch showing the miniature worn on the lapel of a civilian jacket of a Diver serving with a U-Boat Flotilla.

[Gordon Williamson]

This award document is to a Kriegsmarine sailor serving on the naval supply ship that sailed to refuel the Bismarck (which of course never turned up!-but it did refuel the Prinz Eugen)

[Gordon Williamson]

This one is to a Merchant Marine engineering officer, but his ship was taken over by the Kriegsmarine and used as a fleet auxiliary. It saw action at Narvik and subsequently made it back to Germany some time afterwards, so as his ship was officially in naval service, rather than merchant marine, even though he was a "civvie", he received the naval version of the award doc.

[Gordon Williamson]

This is the same guy's Soldbuch entry. Note the Narvik shield, one of only 442 of 3661 Naval Narvik Shields went to Merchant Officers, making it an extremely rare award

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