Germany, Third Reich. A Kriegsmarine Destroyer Badge & Award Document Signed, by Vizeadmiral Leo Kreisch

A Kriegsmarine Destroyer Badge. (Zerstörerabzeichen). Instituted June 4th, 1940. (1940-1945 issue). Constructed of gilded and silvered zinc, the obverse consisting of an oval oak leaf wreath joined together at the bottom by ribbons and topped by a German national eagle clutching a mobile swastika, around a central destroyer cutting through waves, with its bow extending beyond the edge of the wreath, the reverse with plain, with a repaired vertical pinback meeting a crimped round wire catch, with the stabilizer catch broken off, marked “JFS” for manufacture by Josef Feix & Söhne of Gablonz, measuring 45.5 mm (w) x 54.0 mm (l), weighing 26.42 grams, with some of the gilt remaining on the wreath but with all of the silver finish worn off the Destroyer warship, in overall better than fine condition.

An award document for a Destroyer War Badge (Verleihungsurkunde für ein Zerstörerkriegsabzeichen) to Maschinemaat (Machinist/Engineer) Karl Schwensfeger of the torpedo boat T4 and signed in fountain pen by Vizeadmiral Leo Kreisch, awarded on October 25th, 1944 and bearing a partially visible Kriegsmarine Oberkommando stamp, measuring 148 mm (w) x 208 mm (l), the document has been previously folded in half with creasing along the edges of the page and hole-punched with two holes, in overall very fine condition. 

Footnote: Leo Kreisch (June 25th 1895 - 1977) was a German Officer of the Kaiserliche Marine, the Reichsmarine, and served as the Führer der Zerstörer and later as Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine. 

The German torpedo boat T4 was one of 12 Type 35 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during the late 1930’s. She was laid down on December 29th 1936, launched on September 15th 1938 and fully completed on April 27th 1940. T4 served in the English Channel participating in multiple escort missions. During the period this award document was issued to Schwensfeger, T4 operated in the Baltic. At the end of the war, T4 was allocated to the United States and sold to Denmark on June 18th, 1948. She was never commissioned by the Royal Danish Navy and was scrapped in 1951.