Croatia, Independent State. An Extremely Rare Armoured Personnel Badge, by Braća Knaus

A rare and extremely well-preserved Second World War Croatian Armoured Personnel Badge, constructed of a bronze alloy, the obverse consisting of an oval trefoil wreath, joined together at the bottom by a raised shield bearing an Ustaše insignia in the form of a Croatian national emblem overlaid by a letter “U”, topped by raised initials “NDH” for Nezavisna Država Hrvatska (Independent State of Croatia), surrounding a central winged wheel with its centre pierced by crossed swords, the reverse with a barrel hinge and flattened vertical pinback meeting a flattened catch, unmarked but with the physical characteristics of manufacture by Braća Knaus, Zagreb, measuring 66.20 mm (w) x 56.95 mm (h), weighing 21.8 grams, minor loss of finish is evident to high-contact points and minor oxidation is visible near the catch, a scarce badge in overall extremely fine condition. Footnote: An example of this badge is found on page 67 of “Croatian Uniforms and Insignia: 1941-1945” by Krunoslav Mikulan and Siniša Pogačić, 2008. According to the authors, its precise usage is unknown, but it is believed to have been worn by qualified tank and armoured personnel.