Direct from Germany. A very rare, miniature pin badge, for;

                              Erinnerungsabzeichen für Marine Luftschiffe*.

Metal, non magnetic. (probably silver, but not marked). Approx. 22mm x 20mm, + full pin, with twisted pattern on shank.

In good, used condition, odd marks/ware etc.   

See scans for details.

These badges were awarded, 1920-22, for service in Marine Zeppelins, during 1914-18. The memorial badge for the crew of the airships was donated on 1 August 1920 by Reichswehr Minister Otto Gessler. There were two versions of the badge, for airships of the army and the Navy. Upon request, it was awarded to officers, deck officers, NCOs and crews of former airship crews - active, inactive and on leave, who during the war, had at least one year of active service on airships. This could be waived in case of  being wounded, or suffering an accident in the airship service, as well as being in captivity, or for very special services.

The oval badge consists of a wreath of laurel - (below) and oak leaves (above), is tied down three times, covered at the top with a ribbon bow and slightly surmounted by this. In the middle is the depiction of an army airship resting on the side of the wreath. The naval airship award shows a naval airship and the ribbon bow depicting the German imperial crown.

The Marine-Fliegerabteilung consisted of Zeppelins (airships), observation balloons and fixed-wing aircraft.

The main use of the Zeppelins was in reconnaissance over the North Sea and the Baltic, where the endurance of the craft led German warships to a number of Allied vessels. Zeppelin patrolling had priority over any other airship activity. During the entire war, around 1,200 scouting flights were made. During 1915 the German Navy had some 15 Zeppelins in commission and was able to have two or more patrolling continuously at any one time. They kept the British ships from approaching Germany, spotted when and where the British were laying sea-mines, and later aided in the destruction of those mines. Zeppelins would sometimes land on the sea surface next to a minesweeper, bring aboard an officer and show him the lay of the mines. The Naval and Army Air Services also directed a number of strategic raids against Britain, leading the way in bombing techniques and also forcing the British to bolster their anti-aircraft defences. The possibility of airship raids were approved by the Kaiser on 9 January 1915, although he excluded London as a target and further demanded that no attacks be made on historic or government buildings or museums. The night-time raids were intended to target only military sites on the east coast and around the Thames estuary, but difficulties in navigation and the height from which the bombs were dropped made accurate bombing impossible, and most bombs fell on civilian targets or open countryside.

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