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WWII GERMAN BADGES LDO / LIEFERANT NUMBERS AND MARKINGS


The German military complex during WWII was very concerned about the quality of their equipment. From the weapons right down to the medals and awards. In the early days of the Third Reich many badges were designed, manufactured and issued without any standardize form of quality control.

As the years went by, the number of military and civilian organizations requiring badges and awards incremented dramatically. The need to develop a standard to bring production under control arose.

THE LDO NUMBER
In 1941 it was decided to create the Administration of German Orders Manufacturers ( deutschen Ordenhersteller), known as the LDO. Its main purpose was to control the production of medals and orders. The LDO was directed by the Fuhrer's Chancellery.

The LDO published regulations which controlled the following:

  1. The dimensions of the award
  2. The materials to be employed in its construction
  3. The manufacturing techniques
  4. The finished to be applied

The RZM was also another organization with a similar mission to the LDO but presided over a different line of products.
The photo on the left shows the LDO marking on the pin of a War Merit Cross first class badge.

Manufacturing companies that produced medals, badges, orders, etc. during WWII were licensed. At that point they were assigned a number (commonly known as the LDO number) and were asked to stamp it on the medal or award during production. In many cases the markings would also be applied to the box or envelope in which the award was issued.

Certain manufacturers had multiple LDO numbers. These firms were fully licensed to produce some items and partially licenced to produced others. Only a couple of companies were given multiple LDO numbers, they are C.E. Juncker and Godet. These two organizations shared the LDO code 12, along with the Frank & Reif company.

The LDO code was usually applied by having the letter "L" followed by a slash "/". The manufacurer's number would follow.


THE LIEFERANT NUMBER
A second quality control number was also developed. The Pr�sidialkanzlei des F�hrers Lieferant (F�hrer Chancellery Supplier) number. The purpose for this number was the same as the LDO. It is not clear why the manufacturer board created two methods for tracking.

Both organizations published a series of information booklets about the profession recording a wide variety of information which included topics such as awards of new developments and product construction techniques. These organizations were considered to be trade guilds.

Companies that manufactured awards were licensed by the LDO. Every licensee was given a unique number identifier. In some instances, if the company withdrew membership and came back at a later date, the number given to them the second time may differ from that given the first time. Hence the reason for the existance of the "Variant LDO" column shown in the LDO definitions table below.

The photo to the right shows the number found on the back of a silver wound badge


Unlike the LDO number, the Lieferant number was not preceded by any characters. It was simply a number stamped on the badge or medal. Sometimes the marking was placed on the body of the pin. Other times it was located in the front of the pin.


MAKER'S LOGO AND/OR MARK
This was the trademark of the company that manufactured the badge or award. It could be either cast or struck into the design of the back of the product. In some instances can be found on the pin. The logo often times had a graphical feeling to it. The mark may be as simple as the name or initials of the company.

Example of maker logo of a Luftwaffe pilot's badge.

Example of a maker mark of a Kriegsmarine Destroyer badge.



MAKER'S ADDRESS
Some of the badges had the name and address of the manufacturer placed in the back of the badge or award. This mark may have been stamped or casted. This marking practice has been applied to items such as combat badges, tinnies, civilian awards and related items.

This example shows the manufacturer's name and address on the back of a Kriegsmarine high seas fleet badge.



REPRODUCTIONS
It is interesting to note that the absence of a manufacturer's marking on a medal or badge does not necessarily mean that the item is not authentic. There are various instances in which this could have happened:

  1. The medal or badge was produced prior to the development of standard controls.
  2. The manufacturer decided not to mark the items after production.
  3. Private purchase. Companies were allowed to sell directly to individuals. These items may not have the typical manufacturing markings.

There are cases where just about every medal or badge was marked (The Hindenburg Cross). While some other items were almost never marked (The eastern Front medal). A word of advice when determining the authenticity of a German WWII medal or badge, the reproductions may also be marked as the real thing.




LDO, LIEFERANT NUMBERS AND MAKER MARKS

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Lieferant and LDO Number Variant LDO Maker Marks Location Manufacturer
1 L/10 n/a M�nchen Deschler & Sohn
2 L/12 CEJ Berlin C. E. Junker
3 L/11 n/a L�denscheid Wilhelm Deumer
4 L/16 S&L L�denscheid Steinhauer & L�ck
5 L/17 n/a Jena-L�bstadt Hermann Wernstein
6 L/24 FZS Stuttgart Fritz Zimmermann
7 L/13 PM Berlin Paul Meybauer
8 L/19 n/a Bonn Ferdinand Hoffst�tter
9 n/a n/a Pforzheim Liefergemeinschaft Pforzheimer Schmuckhandwerker
10 L/21 n/a Pforzheim F�rster & Barth
11 n/a n/a Wien Grossmann & Co
12 n/a n/a Stuttgart Frank & Reif
13 L/60 GB Markneukirchen Gustav Brehmer
14 n/a n/a N�rnberg L. Christian Lauer
15 L/14 PO Wien Friedrich Orth (PO Applies to L/14 only)
16 L/59 n/a Schw�bisch-Gm�nd Alois Rettenmeyer
17 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
18 n/a n/a Markneukirchen Karl Wurster K.G.
19 L/51 n/a Frankfurt am Main E. Ferdinand Wiedmann
20 L/52 n/a Pforzheim C. F. Zimmermann
21 L/50 n/a Berlin Gebr�der Godet & Co
22 L/57 n/a Berlin B�rger & Co
23 n/a n/a Berlin Arbeitsgemeinschaft f�r Heeresbedarf in der Graveur- und Ziselierinnung
24 n/a n/a Hanau Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Hanauer Plaketten Hersteller
25 n/a n/a Hanau Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Graveur-, Gold-, und Silberschmiede-Innungen
26 L/18 n/a Pforzheim B. H. Mayer
27 n/a n/a Wien Anton Schenkl
28 n/a n/a Pforzheim Eugen Schmiedh�usler
29 n/a n/a Berlin Hauptm�nzamt
30 n/a n/a Wien Hauptm�nzamt
31 n/a n/a Wien Hans Gnad
32 n/a n/a Wien Wilhelm Hobacher
33 L/61 FFL L�denscheid Friedrich Linden
34 n/a n/a M�nchen Wilhelm Annetsberger
35 L/64 A L�denscheid F. W. Assmann & S�hne
36 n/a n/a Hanau Wilhelm Annetsberger
37 n/a n/a L�denscheid Adolf Baumeister
38 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
39 n/a n/a Gablonz Rudolf Berge
40 n/a B&NL L�denscheid Berg & Nolte, (Sample 1)
41 n/a n/a Oberstein Gebr�der Bender
42 n/a n/a Oberkassel Biedermann & Co
43 n/a n/a Zella-Mehlis Julius Bauer & S�hne
44 n/a n/a Idar-Oberstein Jakob Bengel
45 n/a n/a Wien Franz Jungwirth
46 n/a n/a Oberdonau Hans Doppler
47 n/a n/a Schw�bisch-Gm�nd Erhardt & S�hne A.G.
48 n/a n/a Gablonz Richard Feix
49 n/a JFS Gablonz Josef Feix S�hne
50 n/a n/a Wien Karl Gschiermeister
51 n/a n/a Gablonz Eduard G�rlach & S�hne
52 n/a n/a Idar-Oberstein Gottlieb & Wagner
53 L/58 n/a Dresden Glaser & S�hne
54 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
55 n/a n/a Geringswalde J. E. Hammer & S�hne
56 n/a n/a Pforzheim Robert Hauschild
57 n/a n/a Pforzheim Karl Hensler
58 n/a n/a Gablonz Artur Jakel & Co
59 n/a n/a Oberstein Louis Keller
60 n/a n/a Pforzheim Katz & Deyhle
61 n/a RK Gablonz Rudolf Karneth & S�hne
62 n/a n/a Dresden Kerbach & �sterhelt
63 n/a n/a Gablonz Franz Klast & S�hne
64 n/a n/a Pforzheim Gottlieb Friedrich Keck & Sohn
65 L/26 n/a Idar-Oberstein Klein & Quenzer
66 n/a n/a Oberstein Friedrich Keller
67 n/a n/a Gablonz Robert Kreisel
68 n/a n/a Gablonz Alfred Knobloch
69 n/a n/a Innsbruck Alois Klammer
70 n/a n/a Oberstein Lind & Meyrer
71 n/a n/a Gablonz Rudolf Leukert
72 n/a n/a Pforzheim Franz Lipp
73 n/a n/a Gablonz Franz Manert
74 n/a n/a Oberstein Carl Maurer & Sohn
75 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
76 n/a n/a Pforzheim Ernst M�ller
77 n/a n/a M�nchen Hauptm�nzamt
78 n/a n/a Gablonz Gustav Miksch
79 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
80 L/63 n/a Dresden G. H. Osang
81 n/a n/a L�denscheid Overhoff & Cie
82 n/a n/a Gablonz August Prager
83 n/a n/a Gablonz Emil Peukert
84 n/a n/a Schrobenhausen Carl Poellath
85 n/a n/a Gablonz Julius Pletsch
86 n/a n/a L�denscheid Paulmann & Crone
87 n/a n/a Gablonz Roman Palme
88 L/62 n/a Saarlautern Werner Redo
89 n/a RRS Schlag bei Gablonz Rudolf Richter
90 n/a n/a Hamburg August Richter
91 n/a n/a Gablonz Josef R�ssler & Co
92 n/a n/a Gablonz Josef R�ckert & Sohn
93 n/a RS&S Gablonz Richard Simm & S�hne
94 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
95 n/a n/a Gr�nwald Adolf Scholze
96 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
97 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
98 L/22 RS Wien Rudolf Souval
99 n/a n/a Graz-Eggenberg Schwertner & Co
100 L/55 n/a Mittweida Rudolf W�chtler & Lange
101 n/a n/a Gablonz Rudolf Tam
102 n/a n/a Wien Philipp T�rka
103 n/a n/a Gablonz August Tam
104 n/a n/a Kaufing Heinrich Ulbricht
105 n/a n/a Pforzheim Heinrich Vogt
106 n/a BSW Wien Gebr�der Schneider
107 n/a n/a Hamburg Carl Wild
108 n/a n/a Salzburg Arno Wallpach
109 n/a WH Gablonz Walter & Henlein
110 n/a n/a Gablonz Otto Zappe
111 n/a n/a Oberstein Ziemer & S�hne
112 n/a n/a Wien Argentorwerke Rust & Hetzel
113 n/a HA Dresden Hermann Aurich
114 n/a n/a Karlsruhe Ludwig Bertsch
115 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
116 L/56 F&BL L�denscheid Funk & Br�ninghaus
117 n/a n/a Wiesenthal Hugo Lang
118 n/a n/a Wien August Menze & Sohn
119 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
120 n/a n/a Wien Franz Petzl
121 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
122 n/a n/a Strassburg J. J. Stahl
123 n/a n/a Strassburg Beck, Hassinger & Co
124 n/a n/a Wien Rudolf Schanes
125 n/a n/a Pforzheim Eugen Gauss
126 n/a EH Oberstein Eduard Hahn
127 n/a n/a Pforzheim Moritz Hausch
128 n/a n/a Posen S. Jablonski & Co
129 n/a n/a Pforzheim Fritz Kohm
130 n/a n/a L�denscheid Wilhelm Schr�der & Co
131 n/a n/a Gablonz Heinrich Wander
132 n/a n/a Franz Reischauer Oberstein
133 n/a n/a Unknown Unknown
134 n/a n/a Hanau Otto Klein
135 n/a n/a Oberstein Julius Moser
136 n/a n/a Berlin J. Wagner & Sohn
137 n/a n/a Berlin J.H. Werner
138 L/23 n/a Oberstein Julius Maurer
139 L/53 n/a L�denscheid Hymmen & Co.
140 L/54 n/a L�denscheid Schauerte & Hohfeld
141 n/a n/a Oberstein Sohni, Heubach & Co
142 L/66 n/a Stuttgart A. D. Schwerdt
n/a L/15 n/a Pforzheim Otto Schickle
n/a L/25 n/a Wien A. E. K�chert
n/a L/65 n/a L�denscheid Franke & Co
n/a n/a n/a Berlin Schwerin & Sohn




 
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