Rare L/18 Marked Black Wound Badge – B.H. Mayer

Product Description: This rare L/18 Marked Black Wound Badge is a great piece. The obverse retains nearly all of the original smooth black factory applied paint, with only slight wear to the high points exposing the steel base metal. The reverse has an all-original, uncleaned look, with some old dust. The hardware features a sheet metal hinge and round wire pin and catch, and is functional, with no repairs. This badge is maker marked on the pin with “L/18” for the firm of B.H. Mayer. It’s probable that this badge was actually produced by Otto Schickle.. The Mayer firm purchased the stock from Schickle after they went out of business in 1941, and began marking the badges with their own LDO code of “L/18.” These pin-marked L/18 badges are rare, and very desirable to collectors. This L/18 marked Black Wound Badge was a direct purchase from the daughter of the veteran who brought it back. The veteran’s name was Technical Sergeant Leonard Schlicht, and he served in the Italian Campaign under the 88th Cavalry Reconnaissance of the 88th Infantry Division of the 5th Army. T.Sgt Schlicht’s daughter said her father would not speak very often of the war, and given the role of an armored recon unit, it’s safe to presume that T.Sgt Leonard Schlicht saw quite a bit of combat during his time in Italy. This badge that he brought back is a nice example of this scarce variant.

Historical Description: The German Wound Badge was instituted during the First World War to recognize those wounded in the conflict. It was designed using a World War One style Imperial German helmet as the main motif. The helmet was set on top two crossed swords against a pebbled background and surrounded by a laurel leaves wreath.

During the Spanish Civil War, the Third Reich reinstated the Wound Badge for a short period to honor those who were wounded during the conflict from 1936 to 1939. These German units participating in the assistance of the Spanish Fascists were deemed the “Condor Legion”. The pattern of the World War One Wound Badge was again used, except this time with a raised swastika on the center of the World War One era helmet.

At the outbreak of war in September 1939 with Poland, Adolf Hitler once again reinstated the Wound Badge Award. Again, the pattern of the badge was similar to that of the earlier style except the new design was freshened up a bit by using an M35 pattern German helmet and a slightly softer looking wreath. This pattern was used until the end of the war in 1945. It is impossible to know the exact numbers of wound badges awarded during the course of the Second World War due to the vast scale and countless individuals who were wounded or killed in the conflict.

The Wound Badge Awards came in three different types of grades representing the amount, or severity, of wounds received. The first grade, the Black Wound Badge was awarded for 1 to 2 wounds received in combat. The Silver Grade was awarded for 3 to 4 wounds, and finally the Gold Grade for 5 or more wounds, total disability, or death.

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