A Medal of the Union of German Naval Veterans for Valour in the World War 1914-1918
Bronze gilt, engraver marked "L. Manzel" on the obverse, 38.2 mm, integral loop, scattered gilt wear, near extremely fine.
Footnote: The medal was instituted in November 1922 by the Union of German Naval Veterans Associations (Bund Deutscher Marine-Vereine, BDMV, 1922-1935), a veterans organization created at the end of nineteenth century. Initially known as German Naval Union (Deutschen Marine-Bund, DMB) it was founded on June 27, 1891 in Kiel and incorporated sixteen veterans' associations with manpower of 1,000 members approximately. Active and retired naval military personnel of any rank were eligible to become members of the Union, and this rule remained unchanged until the Second World War.

