WWI Wound Badge For Austrians serving in the Werhmact in WWII

[patches]

Something I've been pondering for awhile.

 

We all know that the Austrian Army was literally overnight incorporated in mass into the German Army on Anschulss, insignia start to be worn, the breast eagle, helmet decals etc etc etc. Clearly there were veterans of the Great War serving still, now if these veterans were wounded in Austrian Service in that war, were they allowed (Pre WWII) in due course to wear German Wound Badges to signify they were wounded in that war?

[easterneagle87]

Didn't "that" man, an Austrian, wear a black wound badge? He guess did serve in the German Army.

[patches]

Didn't "that" man, an Austrian, wear a black wound badge? He guess did serve in the German Army.

Well yes LOL, but then he was in the German Army. Those Austrian vets, would they be allowed to wear the German World War I badges if they were wounded in that war.

[patches]

It's possible that they all simply wore the old Austro-Hungarian Wound Medal, and the ribbon for it on their ribbon bars.

 

 

 

 

they of course would wear the 1939 badges if they were subsequently wounded in the next war, still begs the question, why not wear the German one, especially if the were wounded in the Great War and two or more times in the next, upgrading to Silver wound badge.

[patches]

Hmm, here's a photo of Lothar Rendulic, a former Austran Officer of the Great War, note he's wearing a German Wound Badge of the Great War type. Here it say he was wounded in the Great War in 1915 as Kompanie Chief 10. Kompanie Infantrie Regt 99 in Galicia and was awarded the KuK Verwundetenmedaille, also says awarded Wound badge 1939 in Schwarz, but doesn't list WWII Wounds, i don't know, was Rendulic wounded in Gernam service?, could this be an upgrade for his Great War wound?.

 

 

 

[patches]

Here's another Austrian, Karl Eglseer, Eglseer seems to have been wounded twice in the Great War, see here but gives the three time Verwundetenmedaille mit 3. Mittelstreifen, he has an award of the Silber Wound Badge 1939, so either 3 awards of the KUK wound medal is an error, or his record omits that third wound in the Great War for some reason, (an error), and he was wounded three times, and the Silber Badge is in recognition of those three Great War wounds, or he was wounded twice in the Great War, and wounded in WWII, and the Silber Badge was a upgrade for three wounds total, KUK and Wehrmacht.

 

 

 

[patches]

Cecking out what former Austrian Officers now Wehrmacht Officers i can find lead me to Julius Ringel. He was woned twice in the Great War, and we see him with a Silber Wound Badge, was he wounded three times in WWII, or was he wounded once in WWII?

[patches]

Another potential Frederich Franek, one time commander of the 44.Infantrie Division Hoch Und Deutschmeister in Italien. Franek was wounded twice in the Great War, and this German language page here, gives a Schwarz wound badge 1939 type, in this foto seems to be a Silber badge.

 

[patches]

In the process of reading this big fat book on the history of the Habsburg Army, For God and Kaiser, I checked out the last three four pages or so, skimming through really and noticed this bit of info. It states that 220 former officers of the Habsburg Army became Generals in the German Army, , Air Force too, like Loehr in example for the Air Force. Sure wise there was a list or something.

[Hermann]

An award, in this case a Verwundetenabzeichen, is officially given with an accompanying certificate.

 

Perhaps earlier wounds from earlier conflicts were taken into account when somebody was wounded in WW2.

 

But somehow I can't see a German soldier with previous service in the French Foreign Legion receive a wound badge in silver because he received two Medaille des Blessees in the Legion. Perhaps it was different for Austrians, but if the guy never mentioned an earlier wound he got a black wound badge.

 

Or perhaps in case of a general, his aide arranged it.

 

Strange that getting wounded in different armies is counting towards a higher grade . Sounds stupid.

 

Regards

Herman

[46IR]

from what i gather austrians where awarded the german award when in ww1 service along with their own award. During ww2 it was the same and so the count countinued for example:

1 wound in ww1 got you a black wound badge if the soldier later served in ww2 and was wounded a further 2 times (3 in total) he got the silver.

if wounded twice in ww1 and twice in ww2 he also got the silver

he would be issued his new award in the TR style not the ww1 and his ww1 badge would be put in a cupboard etc

[patches]

from what i gather austrians where awarded the german award when in ww1 service along with their own award. During ww2 it was the same and so the count countinued for example:

1 wound in ww1 got you a black wound badge if the soldier later served in ww2 and was wounded a further 2 times (3 in total) he got the silver.

if wounded twice in ww1 and twice in ww2 he also got the silver

he would be issued his new award in the TR style not the ww1 and his ww1 badge would be put in a cupboard etc

So are we to understand that in WWI, wounded Austro Hungarian officers and men received both the German Wound Badge and the KuK Wound medal???

 

[AB45]

Gude Patches

Award of Wound Badges of the First World War.

The wounded badges of the First World War were awarded for the most part only after the war on request. Applications had to be submitted to military authorities until 1933. With the seizure of power by the National Socialists, the city administration was responsible for the applications. The applicant needed proof of wounding with military certification.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verwundetenabzeichen

 

It can be assumed that the NSDAP, the Austrians, from 1938 carry the 1.WW Vwa

also allowed. It just looks better on a German uniform.

The NSDAP certainly had no interest in K.u.k badges.

[patches]

 

Gude Patches

Award of Wound Badges of the First World War.

The wounded badges of the First World War were awarded for the most part only after the war on request. Applications had to be submitted to military authorities until 1933. With the seizure of power by the National Socialists, the city administration was responsible for the applications. The applicant needed proof of wounding with military certification.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verwundetenabzeichen

 

It can be assumed that the NSDAP, the Austrians, from 1938 carry the 1.WW Vwa

also allowed. It just looks better on a German uniform.

The NSDAP certainly had no interest in K.u.k badges.

 

Thanks AB, that's what I,m starting to imagine, that when the Austrian Army was incorporated in mass into the German Army overnight literally, in due course KuK veterans still serving were permitted to wear the German Wound Badge if they were wounded, probably not wearing the Kuk Ribbon for the wounds anymore, though they probably still wore their higher Kuk valor decorations they mighy of received.

 

Like Edmund Gaise-Horstenau, a former KuK Offcer, pretty sure there are a lot KuK decorations he wearing there.

 

[patches]

Well this page somewhat settles the question for me.

 

A German language Metapedia page on the fromer KuK Officer, now SS Man Herbert Von Obwurzer, he was wouned in the Great War, and after 1938 now in the German Army gets the 1918 Badge in Black.

 

The Operative paragraph. Under his Abzeichenungen.

 

Verwundetenabzechen (1918) in Schwarz

 

Ursprünglich erhielt er die k.u.k Verwudetenmedaille mit einem Streifen, die bei der Wehrmacht dann für das Verwundetenabzeichen ausgetauscht wurde

 

https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Obwurzer,_Herbert_von?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=86fa8595c9ea5ce58cedbbee915bb848f2da904a-1582697108-0-AXXdVZCyh5EX8l3YgEGsMrWou-t6l5yfuGMZMikLnBQq2esl96mfjL1CXMjSLEtIAfhio1jiKZbZDfTBJPTtcNXN-Ju99oKO3589pw5PYOt80rm2jcPyQMvkJZ1-3VN0CHmH5-pgWp4NqL0WwZWbhmh0PzUluNaoUKtWV_ZvZKkdU9-TzHxEOhillMPDWzRlyODOo5xWVfPOuaZE-n10B2UDaE1R1FjZE1dpLU9KQoq7e89A5VDl_NccjR9R2lY6SWYDLRUfVj2eOtKZHTT2JbvsybhVA4xslPJaxBc70c2G_KpcpZywOhlHEOWUA3DsMg

[patches]

Here's a German WWI Wound Badge in either Silver or Gold being worn by a KuK Veteran now in the German Army.

 

Josef Sepp Beran in 1941, of a Non Infantry Arm, unit and other info on him unknown, he wears his WWI Austro-Hungarian medals we see, two Tapferkeit Medaille, one with Bar, the Karl-Truppenkreuz, the last one with dark ribbon I can't find, anyone know it? It is significant that he does not wear the Verwundetenmedaille now.

 

[Hermann]

Isn't the last medal the KuK Wound medal?

[patches]

6 hours ago, Hermann said:

Isn't the last medal the KuK Wound medal?

Maybe, but it looks like a solid colored ribbon in the photo.

 

The Wound Medal.

[patches]

Found another.

 

Johann Mickl, in 1943 or 44. Johann Mickl, Austrian, was wounded 4 Times in the Great War, in this photo he's wearing the Gold Badge, as he was wounded in WWII, as Commander of the 90th Light Division in the Africa Korps, December 1941, making that wound his 5th, thus getting the Badge in Gold.

 

Johann Mickl served in a few different divisions in the war and Died of Wounds in April 1945 Yugoslavia as Commander of the rather notorious 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division, despite it all a Barracks was named in his memory in the Bundesheer, Die Mickl-Kaserne.

 

His extensive Wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Mickl#World_War_II

 

And a nice FB page of him FB's Bundesheer page.

https://www.facebook.com/bundesheer/posts/2110089845744130/

[patches]

An incredible find, this Indonesian site lists all Former KuK Officers who became Generals In the German Wehrmacht, got portraits of some of them at the bottom of the page.

 

http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2009/06/