I would say that's a boat anchor if you didn't already know that. It is used to hold the boat steady while dredging for guns tossed into the lakes.
Likely something that an "Watch Officer or officer of the Day" would wear as a symbol of his position. I have a photo showing some Luftwaffe officers with another officer-that is wearing a Luftwaffe version of this duty badge. I think its known as an "Officer in charge of the airfield" badge. Yes--these are very rare and ive never seen a Kriegsmarine version.
What are those little hoops for ?
What are those little hoops for ?
...maybe it's a German tent stake...works like one of these winch dead man anchors...the harder you pull on it...the deeper in the ground it tries to go...![]()