Awards of
World War IIThe Luftwaffe Naval Battle Badge, a military decoration of the Air Force of the Third Reich, was established by Hermann Göring on November 27, 1944, and was the last award established for the Air Force.
The award was intended for crew members of rescue ships, supply ships, radar reconnaissance ships, and other auxiliary vessels of the Air Force.
The criteria for the award were as follows:
For rescue ships:
20 days at sea with at least one rescue attempt
10 days at sea with a successful rescue attempt.
For others Auxiliary vessels:
60 days at sea in the North or East between 5 and 20 degrees longitude
20 days in Mediterranean waters, including the Aegean and Black Seas.
Awarded based on the accumulation of days at sea. 10 hours at sea were equivalent to a day at sea.
The award was made of gilded zinc and shaped like an oval wreath of oak leaves. The Luftwaffe symbol, a soaring eagle holding a swastika in its talons, was superimposed on the top of the wreath. The center of the award depicts a ship sailing on the waves, complete with rigging and a smoking funnel.
The reverse of the award features a vertical pin for attaching to clothing and may bear the manufacturer's stamp.
The badge is worn on the left breast pocket of the jacket, below the Iron Cross First Class.