KM Zerstörer-Kriegsabzeichen "Baqueville"

**humble collector** · 04-27-2014, 01:01 PM

Third piece of the lot from this week. KM Destroyer badge with period replacement pin. Surprisingly in good condition?

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 04-27-2014 01:01 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**big ned** · 04-27-2014, 01:16 PM

Hi HC,

There's strong evidence that Baqueville awards were only produced after the Germans were pushed out of France and that they were produced for the liberating forces in a similar way to what occured later in occupied Germany with various awards, badges and even daggers being reproduced for occupying allied forces. It's not a badge I would consider personally for my collection due to these contentions, I don't need the grief.

Regards, Ned.

**humble collector** · 04-27-2014, 01:31 PM

Hi Ned, I read this info, and there is info that they were produced for the occupiers also. I understand your position on the badge. It was a package deal. 3 badges 2 helmets. I believe Baqueville also produced E-boat badges also U-Boat badges. Gordon Williamson Torpedos Los!
Mentions the contentious nature of the badges, but finds " General feeling in the collecting community now leans towards them being original to the period and not post war manufacture." All of their war badges are die struck zinc, card boxed, tissue wrapped inside.

**big ned** · 04-27-2014, 02:13 PM

I'm sorry HC but I personally cannot agree. There is no solid proof whastsoever, in period paperwork, photographs etc. that these badges are genuine of that time, it's all conjecture. Even the French firm of medal and award makers Baqueville of Paris after which these KM badges are named and supposedly produced by, have denied they are the manufacturers.

It all boils down to having faith in the item being genuine rather than the complete lack of proof, not conjecture or dad's war stories, that they were sanctioned pieces, or at least worn by members of the Kreigsmarine. That is the issue here until they can be proved to be the real deal or not. And until they are so proven, one way or the other, then I won't entertain them, it would eat at me every time I looked at it.

The onus of proof is what weighs heavily on these badges, and so far there is not one iota of that, nothing.

Regards, Ned.

**Adrian** · 04-27-2014, 03:36 PM

I have to agree with Ned, there are too many unanswered questions surrounding these pieces and no evidence they were made during the war.

The notion of them being made for occupying forces is fanciful as the Germans occupied vast swathes of the globe and yet they only employed a small firm on the French coast to make specific badges? Doesn't quite add up, especially when you consider the most common Kriegsmarine badge, the Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch apparently wasn't made by Bacqueville. A strange omission when you consider that arguably the most concentrated mine sweeping activity in the Kriegsmarine would have been in the English Channel and along the Atlantic Wall.

By that logic there should be a maker of Panzerkampfabzeichen in Kursk, a maker of U-Bootkriegsabzeichen in Lorient and a maker of Luftwaffe awards near Laon-Athies in north eastern France.

You buy a Bacqueville badge with your heart, not your head but please don't proclaim they are original without having any facts to evidence it. There simply isn't any.