German DRKB Deutscher Reichskriegerbund Shooting Award Gold Stickpin

Enameled metal stickpin. Gilt and unmarked. Made in bronze with separate enameled shield. This is a very unusual variant as it is Type 1 with a swastika. The swastika is riveted to the badge as you can see from images of the reverse. Much of the gilding is gone. Only version I have ever seen of the Type 1 with swastika applied. Measures 23mm in diameter and 52mm along the knurled pin.

Deutscher Reichkriegerbund (English: German Warrior League) was a war veterans’ and reservists’ association in Germany established in April 1873 in Weißenfels.

Its origins lie in a Warrior Association established in 1786 by fusiliers of Frederick II of Prussia’s army in Wangerin/Pomerania. The original purpose of the war veterans’ associations was to provide their members and former soldiers with proper burial arrangements. Former soldiers felt the need of commemorative tombs that would preserve the dignity of their former comrades-in-arms and honor them even after their death. This type of association received a considerable boost after Prussia’s victorious battles against the Danish (1864), Austrian (1866) and French armies in 1871.