groundassaultbadges

"THE GROUND COMBAT BADGE CAN BE AWARDED TO MEMBERS OF THE AIR FORCE HAVING BEEN IN GROUND COMBAT. IT IS AWARDED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS ONLY TO THOSE IN THE MOST FORWARD POSITIONS AND BEING ENGAGED IN COMBAT FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. IN COMBAT, THE WEAPONS USED DURING AN ASSAULT CAN EITHER BE INFANTRY OR ARTILLERY OR MAN TO MAN IN CLOSE COMBAT. THE ASSAULT IS CONSIDERED SUCCESSFUL IF COMBINED WITH SUPPORT TROOPS WHICH PENETRATED THE ENEMY LINE. COUNTER ASSAULTS AND COUNTER ATTACKS AS WELL AS SCOUTING IN DEPTH ARE ALSO CONSIDERED IF SUCCESSFUL. PARTICIPATION IN A GENERAL ASSAULT WITH TANKS, HEAVY ARTILLERY AND HEAVY INFANTRY WEAPONS SUPPORT (AGAINST BUNKERS, ETC.) WILL NOT BE A BASIS FOR THE AWARD OF THE AIR FORCE GROUND COMBAT BADGE."

SOLDIERS WHO HAD RECEIVED THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY BADGE COULD HAVE THIS EXCHANGED FOR THE GROUND COMBAT BADGE. THOSE WHO HAD QUALIFIED AND RECEIVED THE INFANTRY,GENERAL OR TANK ASSAULT BADGES WERE ADVISED TO EXCHANGE THESE AWARDS FOR THE GROUND COMBAT BADGE. THE DECIDING AUTHORITY FOR THE AWARDING OF THIS BADGE WAS LEFT TO THE COMPANY, BATTALION OR HIGHER COMMANDER.

THE AWARD CAME WITH AN AWARD CERTIFICATE AND WAS TO BE WORN ON THE LEFT BREST.

MAKERS OF THE GROUND COMBAT BADGE WERE FEW. THIS AUTHOR HAS IDENTIFIED ONLY 6 KNOWN MAKERS OF MARKED BADGES. THESE ARE GENERALLY ZINC MADE, DIE CAST PIECES.

MAKERS INCLUDE:

GUSTAV BREHMER, MARKNEUKIRCHEN

CE JUNCKER, BERLIN

RUDOLF KARNETH &SOHNE, GABLONZ

G.H. OSANG, DRESDEN

MUK 5 , ARBEITSGEMEINSCHAFT METALL UND KUNSTSTOFF, ABBREVIATED TO AGMUK SOMETIMES, TRANSLATED AS THE COMMUNITY OF METAL AND ARTIFICIAL MATERIAL PRODUCERS. THIS WAS A CONGLOMERATE LOCATED IN GABLONZE AND 5 INDICATES ONE OF THESE PRODUCERS.

GEBRUDER WEGERHOFF, LUDENSCHEID

THIS LIST IS NOT 100% COMPREHENSIVE AS THE AUTHOR HAS SEEN UNMARKED BADGES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY OTHER FIRMS.

THERE IS ALSO THE UNMARKED LATE WAR ONE PIECE CAST VERSIONS THAT THOUGH NOT KNOWN WHICH MAKER PRODUCED THEM ARE VERY NUMEROUS ON THE MARKET AND QUITE WELL KNOWN BY COLLECTORS.

REFERENCES USED:

DOEHLE DR. HEINRICH "MEDALS AND DECORATIONS OF THE THIRD REICH" BERLIN 1943. REPUBLISHED BY REDDICK ENTERPRISES.

THE AUTHOR WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS FOR DONATING PICTURES USED ON THIS WEB SITE: ALAN, FRANK, IVAN, LORENZO, LARRY AND RICH OF THE WERHMACHT AWARDS FORUM

THE LUFTWAFFE GROUND COMBAT BADGE OR ERDKAMPFABZEICHEN WAS AUTHORIZED ON MARCH 31, 1942. THERE WAS A NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LUFTWAFFE IN THE GROUND CAMPAIGNS BEING WAGED ACROSS EUROPE BY THIS TIME. THE LUFTWAFFE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF EMPLOYING 22 DIVISIONS WORTH OF THEIR PERSONNEL AS GROUND SOLDIERS TO HELP ALLEIVIATE THE TREMENDOUS MAN POWER DRAIN OF THE EASTERN FRONT. THE LUFTWAFFE LEADERSHIP REFUSED TO FULLY AMALGAMATE THESE SOLDIERS INTO THE ARMY/WERHMACHT AND THIS BADGE WAS INSTITUTED TO HONOR THOSE SOLDIERS WHO WOULD NORMALLY HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE ARMY'S INFANTRY,GENERAL OR PANZER ASSAULT BADGES.

THOUGH NUMBERED VERSIONS OF THIS BADGE WERE AUTHORIZED BEFORE THE END OF THE WAR, THERE HAS BEEN NO DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF ANY BEING AWARDED. THIS AUTHOR BELIEVES THAT SOME MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED HOWEVER.