Croatia, Independent State. A Rare Gendarmerie Patrol Badge, by Braća Knaus certificate_of_authenticity Soon after the Italian military

Soon after the Italian military units surrendered to the Germans as the flight of Italian King Victor Emmanuel III from Rome had made further resistance senseless

Bronze military aid badge

the reverse bears the inscription “FÜR VERDIENST” (FOR MERIT) encompassed by a laurel wreath tied with a ribbon at the bottom

vertical pinback (non-period

Croatia, Independent State. A Rare Gendarmerie Patrol Badge, by Braća Knaus certificate_of_authenticity Soon after the Italian militaryConstructed of silvered bronze, the obverse consisting of a circular laurel leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by a banner overlaid by an inscription of VODJA OPHODJE (PATROL LEADER), surrounding a central Croatian national emblem, the reverse retaining an attachment clip, unmarked but demonstrating the characteristics of manufacture by Braa Knaus, Zagreb, measuring 50 mm in diameter, demonstrating a consistent patina throughout, in near