The Admiral's Rare Badge

On July 20, 1944 Vice Admiral Karl Jesko v. Puttkamer was wounded in the bomb blast at Wolfsschanze, Hitler's headquarters near Rastenburg. He was Hitler's adjutant to the Kriegsmarine and was sitting seven places to the right of Hitler when the bomb exploded.

As John Toland describes it in his book "Adolf Hitler", 1976, Doubleday & Co. Inc., "At exactly 12:45 PM flames shot up and a hail of glass splinters, timber and plaster rained down. Smoke erupted in the room. Admiral von Puttkamer had felt a strange jerk a split second before the explosion... He followed Hitler and Keitel down the long corridor. Outside a knee gave and he collapsed on the ground..."

This badge was purchased directly from Admiral Puttkamer in 1959 by S.W. Bumball, who was an early collector-dealer of Third Reich relics. His list of 1961 shows an Infantry Standarte at $12.50; General's shoulder boards from the uniform of General Friedrich v. Paulus for $17.; a 20 July 1944 Wound Badge and cased Award Citation for Admiral Hans Erich Voss, $300.; (I also note that Bumball was the first person in the U.S.A. to have the Voss badge, case, documents, and all!); Original watercolor, postcard size, done by and signed on the front by Adolf Hitler in full. The card was sent by an officer in Hitler's World War One Division and still has the original stamp and World War One postmark. This item was $500.

Mr. Bumball later stated in a letter that he sold Admiral Puttkamer's 20 July 1944 Wound Badge to Norm Fladerman for $50. Times sure have changed in thirty years.

Shown here is the Admiral's badge, its in silver with great luster. It has the usual wide pin back and is deeply struck with "800" and "L/12" marks. The badge is cased exactly like the Voss 20 July 1944 Badge pictured on page 270 of "For Fuhrer & Fatherland" vol. 1. Only five of this rare badge can be attributed as awarded. Here is one of them. A great badge for the Admiral!

Charles Snyder, "The Admiral's Rare Badge", Der Gauleiter, 1996

Note: The photo in DG of the badge was quite poor, so I have included a photo of another 20 July wound badge for those who are not aquainted with what they look like. I doubt the one in the photo is original, but it serves as an example. Bob