I’m presenting here a comprehensive new classification system for the Destroyer war badge based upon obverse design. This fills the gap between our U-Boat badge and Minesweeper badge classification systems presented previously.
Announced by Großadmiral Erich Raeder on June 4, 1940, the Zerstörerkriegsabzeichen was only the second Kriegsmarine service badge introduced during the war and like its predecessor the U-Boat badge, was designed by artist Paul Casberg. Unlike the U-Boat badge there was no WW1 precedent to influence its design, so Casberg here followed the new format of a vertical oval wreath in oak leaves in a similar vein to the Heer IAB and PAB introduced six months earlier. Also similar to the Heer badges, the wings of the eagle are in bent repose rather than horizontally outstretched, but the eagle faces the opposite direction and both eagle and swastika are much smaller and more understated than their Heer counterparts. Emerging through the wreath is a 1936-class Destroyer modelled after "Z21" Wilhelm Heidkamp, flagship of the Narvik attack force, that was sunk two months previously in the First Naval Battle of Narvik, killing its commander, Kommodore Friedrich Bonte.
As with the U-Boat badge, C. Schwerin & Sohn was the premier manufacturer in the beginning and it’s a Schwerin badge pictured in Uniformen-Markt in 1940 (attached). Later there were 19 manufacturers of the Destroyer badge and in this classification system they are grouped into 7 design categories.
First I’ll define the 7 categories and then I’ll show the eagle and ship’s bridge area for each manufacturer within each group. These two areas on the badge provide an easy reference for distinguishing the different types.
Finally, a summary table will be presented which assigns a decimal “Destroyer Classification Number” (DC#) to each of 53 variants within the 7 categories.
Best regards,
---Norm
Announced by Großadmiral Erich Raeder on June 4, 1940, the Zerstörerkriegsabzeichen was only the second Kriegsmarine service badge introduced during the war and like its predecessor the U-Boat badge, was designed by artist Paul Casberg. Unlike the U-Boat badge there was no WW1 precedent to influence its design, so Casberg here followed the new format of a vertical oval wreath in oak leaves in a similar vein to the Heer IAB and PAB introduced six months earlier. Also similar to the Heer badges, the wings of the eagle are in bent repose rather than horizontally outstretched, but the eagle faces the opposite direction and both eagle and swastika are much smaller and more understated than their Heer counterparts. Emerging through the wreath is a 1936-class Destroyer modelled after "Z21" Wilhelm Heidkamp, flagship of the Narvik attack force, that was sunk two months previously in the First Naval Battle of Narvik, killing its commander, Kommodore Friedrich Bonte.
As with the U-Boat badge, C. Schwerin & Sohn was the premier manufacturer in the beginning and it’s a Schwerin badge pictured in Uniformen-Markt in 1940 (attached). Later there were 19 manufacturers of the Destroyer badge and in this classification system they are grouped into 7 design categories.
First I’ll define the 7 categories and then I’ll show the eagle and ship’s bridge area for each manufacturer within each group. These two areas on the badge provide an easy reference for distinguishing the different types.
Finally, a summary table will be presented which assigns a decimal “Destroyer Classification Number” (DC#) to each of 53 variants within the 7 categories.
Best regards,
---Norm
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