In order to facilitate the identification of the dead and seriously wounded, the army command of many countries introduced the obligation for soldiers to wear special metal tags. A product in the form of a plate with information about the owner and the place of his service engraved on it is today known as an army dog tag. Popularly, these identification plates are called "medallions of death", "dog tags" or "suicide bombers".
The introduction of army dog tags makes it possible to forget about such a thing as "unknown soldier" only in the armies of those states that strictly monitor the wearing of these medallions.
Meet the suicide bomber
An army dog tag is a metal product that bears the personal identification number, blood type of the owner, the unit and unit in which the soldier served. Some "suicide bombers" also indicate the name and surname of the serviceman.
The army badge (the photo of the identification medallion is presented in the article) is equipped with a special hole,with which a metal plate can be attached to a chain. The tag data is worn around the neck.
About the first identification items
According to some scientists, Ancient Greece is considered the birthplace of army tokens. As "medallions of death" the Spartans used small planks - wanderers, on which the warriors inscribed their names. Before the start of the battle, the wanderers were tied to the hand.
About German "dog tags"
There is a legend that the army dog tag was invented by a Berlin shoemaker in the 60s of the XIX century. To his two sons, who went to war with the Prussian army, he gave two home-made tags made of tin. On them, the father indicated the personal information of his children. The shoemaker hoped that in the event of the death of his sons, they would not remain unidentified. Satisfied with his invention, he proposed to the Prussian Ministry of War to introduce such tags for all military personnel. However, the shoemaker unsuccessfully argued his proposal, citing the experience with dog tags as an example. The Prussian king Wilhelm I did not like this comparison. Nevertheless, after some time, they returned to this idea. As an experiment, it was decided to use tin "dog tags" for individual units of the Prussian army.
After the Austro-Prussian War
In 1868, the Prussian General Physician F. Loeffler wrote the book "The Prussian military medical service and its reform." In it, the author described in detail all the advantages of wearing individual identification medallions by soldiers and officers. As an argument, he cited the sad experience of the Austro-Prussian war of 1866: out of 8893 human bodies, only 429 were identified.
These products were made from tin. They were characterized by a rectangular shape and rounded corners. The upper edge was equipped with two holes through which the cord was threaded. The necessary information on the medallion was stuffed by the owner himself or by local craftsmen. Named army badges with engraving were intended for officers. The surface of the officer's "suicide bomber" was subjected to a chrome and silver plating procedure. The name and surname were indicated at the top of the tin plate, below - the military unit. The officers bought the medallions, but for the soldiers, the “suicide bombers” were free. The number of the fighter and the name of the unit were indicated on the soldier's army badge.
Identification badges in World War I
In 1914, in Germany, the military command refused to put on the medallions only the name of the unit and the personal number of the serviceman. Now the soldier had the right to indicate his first and last name. In addition, the date of birth and home address were indicated on the "suicide bomber". The medallion also indicated the transfer to the new part. The old part number was crossed out. The standard size of an army badge was approved: 7 x 5 cm. These dimensions were preserved until the end of the Great Patriotic War. Tokens of the 1915 model were made of zinc alloy. Later, in the production of identification medallions, they began to useduralumin.
How were tokens worn?
Medallions were worn on special cords 800 mm long. However, as practice has shown, the left inner pocket of the jacket and a special chest leather wallet were ideal places for tokens. Checking whether military personnel had identification medallions was carried out by sergeant majors, less often by officers. If a soldier did not have his personal badge, then after a disciplinary sanction he was given a new one.
About German tokens during World War II
Wehrmacht soldiers used identification tags made of zinc or brass. Since 1935, tokens have been predominantly made from aluminum alloy. Since 1941, the production of "suicide bombers" from ordinary steel has been established. The sizes of the tokens varied between 5 x 3 cm and 5 x 7 cm. The thickness was 1 mm. The badges of the Nazi Navy servicemen indicated the name of the ship, the name, surname and number of the owner in the crew list. The following parameters were envisaged: 5 x 3 cm. Zinc medallions of the 1915 model were intended for the ground forces, the SS and the Wehrmacht police. The lower edge of the token was equipped with an additional hole, with which it was possible to connect broken identification badges into one bundle.
Military experts of the Wehrmacht considered that entering the name, surname, date of birth and home address of the owner is undesirable, since this information can be used by the enemy. In 1939, the standard German badge of 1915 underwent some changes: the badge now indicated only the military unit and serial number. Later, withIn order to classify information about military units, a corresponding 5- or 6-digit digital code was created for each of them. In 1940, the letters O, A, B or AB first appeared on Nazi suicide bombers. They denoted the soldier's blood type.
About American "dog tags"
The standard size of the token was 5 x 3 cm. The thickness of the American medallion was 0.5 mm. In the manufacture of the identification product, white metal was used. The medallion had rounded edges and smooth edges. Only 18 letters were machine-embossed on it.
They were located on five lines. The first was the name of the soldier. On the second - an army serial number, the presence of vaccination against tetanus and blood type. On the third line - the name of the closest relative. On the fourth and fifth - the home address. Since 1944, the last two lines, by decision of the US command, were decided to be removed. Also on the American "suicide bomber" was indicated the religion of its owner.
About medallions in the Red Army
In the Great Patriotic War, Soviet soldiers did not use metal tokens, but special, twisting plastic pencil cases. The fighter wrote all personal data on paper, after which he put it in a pencil case. For this purpose, the Red Army soldier could use both a special form and an ordinary paper sheet.
The fighter had to issue two copies. After his death, one remained in a death case, and he could getrelatives. The second was for the office. As tokens, the Red Army also used shells from ammunition. Having poured gunpowder out of the cartridge, Soviet soldiers inserted notes with personal data inside the sleeve, and the hole was plugged with a bullet. However, this method of storage is considered not the most successful. Water often got into the sleeve, as well as into the pencil case, as a result of which the paper collapsed, and the text could not be read. Most of the Red Army soldiers believed that the “death medallion” was a bad omen, and therefore they mostly wore it without a note.
Our days
Today military medallions made of duralumin are intended for servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, military formations and bodies. The plate bears the unique personal number of the soldier. The military commissariat became the place of issuance of the suicide bomber. You can also get it at the place of service.
About Proff Grever medallions
Production of army dog tags to order is the main activity of this engraving workshop. Medallions are made from brass, stainless steel and aluminum. Judging by consumer reviews, Proff Grever can order a product of any complexity. Masters in their work use diamond mechanical engraving. For inscriptions, a specially approved font is used that meets all the requirements of the military regulations of the Russian Federation. The workshop is located in Moscow.
Under the army dog stylize is also very popular todaysouvenir men's accessories. A medallion in the style of an army tag will be a good gift for February 23rd.
