The Destroyers War badge was authorized on June 4th 1940 by the Grand Admiral Erich Raeder. This award was first issued to participants of the battle of Narvik. The recipients of the badge were originally members of a destroyer crew. However, later on the same year the eligible recipients grew to include crews from Torpedo boats and E-boats.

Qualifications to receive the award included:

The recipient was wounded during action. Participation on 12 missions without enemy contact. Service on a ship sunk by the enemy. For heroic service during combat where no other award was given.

The design of the badge consisted of an oval wreath with an eagle in the top portion and a knot in the bottom section. The image of a destroyer is placed inside the wreath. It is depicted as eing in motion by showing waves parting in the front. The wreath is gold in color. The guilding had a tendency of wearing out due to normal wear, leaving the badge with a silver/gray tone.

The back of the badge has a hook and a horizontal pin. The hook located in the top portion of the badge enabled the bearer to secure the award to a tunic and reduce the lateral motion of the award.

The pin has a barrel hinge on one end and secures to a latch on the other end. The pin is of the "wire" type. Special attention must be payed to the shape of the hooks and how they are attached to the body of the award. These are some of the key elements that will allow a collector to distinguish a real badge from a reproduction.