Imperial German WW1 Wound Badge

The Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen) was a military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was awarded to wounded or frostbitten soldiers of the Imperial German Army during World War I.
During the Battle of the Somme in October 1916 Hitler received a wound in his left thigh when a shell exploded at the entrance to the dispatch runners' dugout. He was sent for almost two months to the Red Cross hospital at Beelitz in Brandenburg, and was awarded the Wound Badge in black on 18 May 1918. On 15 October 1918, he and several comrades were temporarily blinded due to a British mustard-gas attack. After initial treatment, Hitler was hospitalized in Pasewalk in Pomerania, and was still these when he learned of Germany's defeat on 10 November. The Wound Badge is one of the 3 medals that Hitler wore constantly on his uniforms (but rarely with civil clothes). Hitler's badge being a World War I award, there was no swastika on the helmet of his version. While issued pieces were seamless with pebbled surface, privately purchased badges in most cases had a cut-out design: we can see photographic evidence of Hitler wearing both versions. All versions of the Wound Badge were worn on the lower left breast of the uniform or tunic. The badge was worn below all other awards on the left.

Code: 23626