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WW2 Polish “Tobruk” Badge Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade No. 0558 with Document
£1,499.99
Silver, Egypt/Palestine 1942, 48mm x 47mm
A commemorative badge of the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade, commonly known as the “Tobruk” badge. Produced circa 1942, this is an awarded and individually numbered piece, marked “0558” on the reverse, issued to Bombardier Franciszek Zielonka. It comes with the matching official award document, dated April 2, 1943.
In stock
Zielonka was a veteran of the Battle of Monte Cassino and was awarded the Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross No. 14,240. He served in the 2nd Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment.
Complete sets comprising both the badge and the corresponding award document are now rare on the collectors’ market.
The badge features a crowned eagle with outstretched wings, perched on a pedestal bearing the inscription “Tobruk” and the initials “SBSK” (Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade). Two upward-pointing British bayonets and a crescent moon at the bottom complete the design.
The reverse is smooth, with a soldered post and the correct screwback fastener. It is numbered “0558” and marked with the “800” silver fineness hallmark, indicating 800-grade silver.
This particular version of the badge is referenced by Tony Leszczuk and Krzysztof Barbarski in The Polish Army in the West 1939–47: Commemorative and Specialist Badges (2020), entry 12a, page 9.
