Wehrwirtschaftsführer Badge

This ‘Abzeichen für Wehrwirtschaftsführer’ (economic leaders’ badge) was awarded to executives of companies or large factories classified as ‘rüstungswichtiger Betrieb’ (companies important for war material production). These leaders were appointed starting in 1935 by the ‘Wehrwirtschafts- und Rüstungsamt’ (Department for Economic and Armament Affairs), which was part of the ‘Oberkommando der Wehrmacht’ (OKW) and responsible for directing economic activity towards the war effort. After 1938, the Reich Ministry of Economics took over the appointments, and from 1940 onwards, the honorary title was increasingly awarded to leading employees in companies outside the armament industry to acknowledge their contribution to the wartime economy.