Badge of the "Jewish Battalion" - Jewish fighters in the Soviet army during WWII. Headlined in Russian: "Ukraine, Volunteer, Army", and "Jewish Battalion" in Russian and Hebrew. In the center a Star of David. An unparalleled rare find.
During World War II some 500,000 Jews served in various volunteer units in the Soviet army. Before us is a combat badge of a "Jewish Battalion" in this army. In most cases, Jewish fighters had no means of identifying their origin, mainly because of the Allied opposition to distinguish them as a separate group. Hence the rarity of the tag before us.
During World War II, thousands of Jews who participated in battles in combination with Allied forces received honors, among them the highest such as: "The Hero of the Soviet Union" the Medal of Honor in the United States, and other honors in the various armies.
11x8 cm. Wire cracking, and slight tear to upper left.
