pre-WW2 Polish Badge of Volunteers to Legions from USA “Across the Ocean to the Legions”

A commemorative badge of Polish volunteers from the United States who joined Józef Piłsudski’s Legions during World War I. Most volunteers were affiliated with the Committee of National Defense, a small Polish-American group whose future vision for Poland was tied to Austria-Hungary. This rare specimen is made in silver, designed as a luxurious version.
The badge was produced in silver by Jan Knedler’s workshop in Warsaw. It takes an oval shape with four protruding domes on the sides. Inside the oval, the inscription against a red enamel background reads “Przez Ocean do Legionów 1914-1918” – “Across the Ocean to the Legions 1914-1918”. In the center, there is an enameled American flag against a wavy ocean backdrop, below which is the Eagle of the Polish Legions with the letter “L” on an Amazon shield. The reverse side shows a delicate counter die, with a hallmark “SR” for silver, used in the early 1920s by Knedler’s workshop, and a threaded post with an early type spinner nut by Jan Knedler.
The Committee of National Defense (KON), which had minor influence—approximately 5%—among the Polish diaspora in the United States, envisioned the creation of a Polish state allied with Austria-Hungary. The Committee recognized the Polish Legions of Józef Piłsudski as the true armed force of Poland, and viewed Russia as Poland’s main adversary.