(Kriegsgefangener Erkennungsmarke). Constructed of zink, with three suspension loops, the obverse bearing a double-stamped inscription of “STALAG 344” and an identification number of “31018”, otherwise unmarked, measuring 60 mm (w) x 40 mm (h), with age-appropriate wear evident, in overall better than very fine condition.
Footnote: Formerly Stalag VIII-B and renamed Stalag-344 in 1943, this facility had a lengthy history of hosting prisoners of war. Originally constructed to accommodate French prisoners during the Franco-Prussian War, it was reopened to house Allied POWs of various nationalities during the First World War. Reactivated in 1939, approximately 100,000 Allied POWs were housed in, or transited through, Stalag-344. The camp was liberated by the Red Army on 17 March 1945.

