The insignia of the armies are the pieces made in the largest number of copies. They brought the manufacturer a huge income, a good business deal. But it is a grateful task for the novice collector too, to collect these, as they can be obtained cheaply and easily. I think it’s a grateful task, since the badges themselves are beautiful, they also have a story and it is good to deal with them.
The badge that is the subject of the post was made for the 1st Army, presumably in late 1916. The badges issued for the 1st Army in previous years appeared at Christmas. I will also present these here. The first was made in 1914, the second in 1915. These badges were produced in very large quantities, in 1914 by the Gurschner company in Vienna and in 1915 by the Brüder Schneider firm. The oval badge in 1914 was one of the first kappenabzeichen in the Monarchy. It is very typical that it is decorated with a portrait of the ruler: according to the official provision of the time, only the portrait of the ruler was allowed to be worn on the caps. By 1915, the implementation of the provision had relaxed, so by that time the Brüder Schneider company had decorated the badge of the 1st Army with a trench scene.
The third badge, which is also on the wear photo, is the last one from 1916. It is also a Brüder Schneider product. Its occurrence is much rarer than that of the first two. This badge may have been manufactured by the company on its own initiative. The first two Christmas badges were ordered by the Military Aid Office.
It is worth noting that the 1st Army was stationed until 1916 in Galicia and later in Transylvania.