Legion Condor wound badges part 2

[Chris Boonzaier]

I have posted these ages ago.
First 2 were awarded in 1940 for Narvik, last one in 41-42 for Afrika.

I think the idea that anyone with one of these who was wounded in WW2, and got this badge again, but in the corresponding grade is a far fetched story.
Maybe in an isolated case, but by no means official practice.
In fact, we can more or less see, that as far as the Govt was concerned, there was no real "spanish" wound badge at all, there was a badge with.. and one without the swastika.
That there was a design change, that we all know, but that after WW2 started, there was any official differentiation between the 2 badges, that we do not see at all.

[Chris Boonzaier]

ü

[Denis]

If my memory serves, Angolia's in "For Führer and Fatherland" shows an army NCO who also received the so called Spanish Wound badge for wounds received during WWII. So As Chris said previously, this is surely not an offical pratice, just an opportunity where the awardee received this specific wound badge.
Maybe another member will be able to confirm this point.
Denis

[Chris Boonzaier]

BTTT

[Javier D. Garcia]

Well, maybe the theory of wonded in Spain and wounded again in WW2 receive the same style of badge is not true...
We, the collectors, use to "invent" funny stories to explain what we don´t understand or what is not documented, all that points to the "grey area", but things use to be more simple.
Let me explain, maybe we´re argueing lots of possibilities and what really happend is that they made a first batch of badges just improving the WW1 ones by adding a swastica for the Legion Condor troops. After that, manufacturers started to make the same style of badges to sell in their shops for private purchases. When they changed the style of badges, to the WW2 ones we all know, dealers still have the old style and they keep selling them till they finish all supplies.
The same happend to the official awarded ones, because they have badges remaining from the first batch and they were mixed with the WW2 ones, just because they made no distinction between both styles. That would explain why we can find 1936´s badges awarded as late as 1942.

Maybe Chris is right and the story of repeated wounds is a "cooked" story from the collector comunity and for the collector comunity.

I´d like to hear more opinions...

Cheers,

Javier.

[Chris Boonzaier]

""Let me explain, maybe we´re argueing lots of possibilities and what really happend is that they made a first batch of badges just improving the WW1 ones by adding a swastica for the Legion Condor troops. After that, manufacturers started to make the same style of badges to sell in their shops for private purchases. When they changed the style of badges, to the WW2 ones we all know, dealers still have the old style and they keep selling them till they finish all supplies.
The same happend to the official awarded ones, because they have badges remaining from the first batch and they were mixed with the WW2 ones, just because they made no distinction between both styles. That would explain why we can find 1936´s badges awarded as late as 1942. ""

Bingo, thats just what I thought.

The logic of specifically awarding a Condor Legion wound badge in WW2, because the guy had one before...escapes me totally, seen like that, anyone with a WW1 wound badge would have got the same as well ?

[natureboy42]

condor legion wounded badge

Hello,
I'm not to up on all the going on's with german badges but I purchased what looks like a gold wounded badge and after reading up on the wounded badges I noticed it was a German condor legion wounded badge. Can anyone inform me as to the rarity of these badges how they were distributed. Any information would greatly be appreciated.

[atcase]

Hi To All,
i feel it is only logicall that any surplus badges from the 1936 era would have been used up befor the issuing / purchasing of the new design instead of intently issueing a 36 patt. (if it exist ) official 36 patterns of the award (compared to the prototype and the 1st type 39 wound badge) will be rare.

So as a general consensus how do the members here feel about the rarity of 1936 patt. badges, compared to the 1939 prototype and 1st / 2nd pattern badges or are they just all "wound badges" ????

This subject has been raised on several occaisions but i can`t say that a resolute answer has been given ??

Opinion welcome
Ashley

[Rick Research]

It would perhaps be better to erase "1936" as a badge type designation from everyone's minds. The badge for those wounded in Spain was created 22 May 1939, 3 months and a week before WW2 started.

Those badges weren't awarded until the summer of 1939, so were what was on hand for Poland etc.

Among those often photographed wearing the mis-named "Legion Condor" type wound badge was SS Brigadeführer Otto Kumm-- wounded in France in 1940.

The BADGE itself can NOT be distinguished as to "Spain" or "WW2"-- only the AWARD DOCUMENT will indicate which "type" of the identical design was actually awarded.

There are thousands of these WW1 with swastika design wound badges out there...

but when is the last time anybody SAW an award document for one of the 183 actually wounded in Spain 1936-39? I haven't seen an award document for one of those "real Spain" 183 come up for sale in over 30 years.

There was ONE--exactly ONE-- silver grade wound badge for Spain-- yet the BADGES in this grade are not rare. And NONE of the gold so-called "1936" badges were EVER awarded-- so any of that grade encountered HAD to have been a WW2 award.

Statistically, it is far more logical and accurate to refer to these as "initial WW2 type" wound badges, or something like that, since simply on the mathematical odds you can virtually guarantee that NONE of the BADGES out there were ACTUALLY awarded to a German who served in Spain 1936-39...

Not unless you've got the PAPERWORK to document it!