Instituted 14 July 1942 primarily as a gallantry award for Ostvolk units - eg Baltic and Russian troops serving with the German army. It was also awarded after October 1942 to German troops serving with these units, provided they already had an Iron Cross, ist or 2nd class.
The box for this (missing for this one) was in black morroco (leatherette) with the image of the award embossed in silver on the lid. The award is made of pot metal with a silver wash finish and no maker's mark.
Its condition is OK for its age, but there is a little rust on the reverse of the pin, which still has traces of gilding on it. Most of the silver finish has been absorbed by the zinc content of the badge. This is quite normal; the loss of gilding on U-boat badges, where zinc was the base metal, is a case in point.
If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.
[Militaria : Badges : Third Reich : Wehrmacht]
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