(Kriegsabzeichen für Minesuch-, U-Bootsjagd- und Sicherungsverbände)

Date Instituted

31 August 1940

Requirements

* Being wounded in action, or
* Having one's ship sunk in action, or
* Performing acts above and beyond the call of duty, or
* Having completed 3 operational sorties, or
* Having completed an extra dangerous mission in a mined area, or
* Having completed a mission that included 25 days or more of escort duty

Number Awarded

?

Known makers/markings

Unmarked, A, AS, R.K., Schwerin, W, WH, R.S. & S., R.S., L/18, L/21


Crew from a minesweeper unit in Norway

(Courtesy of Simon Olsson)

Holder of the Minesweeper Badge

(Courtesy of André Hella)

Kapitän zur See Friedrich Ruge inspecting a minesweeper

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3 0 Germany)

Comments

It was designed by Otto Placzek.

A variant with diamonds was also produced and was awarded at least once, the recipient being Fregattenkapitän Gerhard von Kamptz.

Photo courtesy of Rusfront

Sources used

Christopher Ailsby - A collectors guide to the Kriegsmarine
Christopher Ailsby - World War 2 German medals and political awards
John R. Angolia - For Führer and Fatherland: Military awards of the Third Reich
David Littlejohn - Orders, decorations, medals and badges of the Third Reich