There are few posts on the forum about these ring patterns. For more information use ‘Wir fahren’ in the Search function.
"Wir fahren gegen Engelland" is the title of ‘Matrosenlied’ (Sailors’ Song), a WW1 German Navy song that was also popular in WW2. I posted a period postcard with the lyrics.
This ring is the classic pattern. On both sides are a torpedo amid the waves. The cartouche shows a battleship with three fighter aircraft in the sky above. It is brass and retains most of the silver wash. There was often a black paint finish, and what remains is also seen on this one. The rear is marked "GES. GESCH. Nr. 866 C.M.O.", indicating that the design was legally protected. These rings were introduced around the time of The Battle of Britain. That didn’t go well for the Nazis and the rings subsequently fell out of favour.
I have a silver version of this ring too. It may be a postwar copy; they weren’t available in silver. For comparison, you can see the two side by side.
P.s. I’m not sure why ‘England’ is spelled like this. It’s the same spelling in German. My guess is that it is phonetic and rhythmically how the song is sung… with three syllables in ‘ENG-(EL)-LAND’. You can listen to the song here.
