On a relatively large number of badges we see the most famous decoration of the German Empire, the Iron Cross. Iron Cross badges appear mostly with portraits of the rulers of the Central Powers or propaganda badges symbolizing the alliance. They usually have some other indication of a German ally on them, such as a portrait of the emperor or German national colors. But not in all cases. This suggests that the German Iron Cross in general was also a symbol of courage and aptitude in the Monarchy. This esteem was obviously reinforced by the fact that the crew of the monarchical troops cooperating with the Germans were also often awarded this Order.
The Iron Cross is also visible on some of the propaganda badges that were bazaar goods. What’s more, the shape of several items is exact the same as the German award. The piece presented in this post is one of them. In the wear photo attached to the post, the soldier wears an iron cross-shaped badge. I can’t recognize the coat of arms in the middle, it may have belonged to one of the Austrian provinces. Images of variants can also be found in the literature.
Another nice badge has the Hungarian coat of arms in the middle. True, there the garland connecting the stems of the cross is more reminiscent of the award of the Cannon Cross of the Monarchy.