Nazi War Badges of 1939-45 Part I (Army)

by David Littlejohn

The German “Kriegsabzeichen” or “war badge” is without British counterpart. It is neither a medal nor a proficiency award but somewhere between the two. Only those of the 1939-45 war will be dealt with in this series of articles since the large majority of war badges were original to the Nazi regime and only a very few found their origin in the first great war.

Probably the best known is the Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie Sturmabzeichen) which is an oval wreath of oak leaves across which a rifle with fixed bayonet slopes at an angle of 45 degrees, the wreath being surmounted by the closed wing type of national eagle with a swastika in its claws. This badge was instituted in December 1939 and was given to infantrymen who had taken part in three assaults on three separate days. It is made of white metal, usually silvered. The following month (January 1940) the badge was authorized for award to the Motorized Infantry also, under the same conditions as before, the only distinction being that in their case it was of bronze.

At the same time as this a different badge for general assault troops (Allgemenies Sturmabzeichen) was created. It was awarded to those units whose special task it is to be the spearhead of the attack and the design in this instance is an oval wreath of oak leaves inside which the closed wing national eagle surmounts a crossed bayonet and stick grenade. It is made of white metal. As the war progressed, it was necessary to “elevate” the status of this particular badge by the addition of numbers, 25, 50, 75 and 100 which appear in a small square at the base of the wreath and denote the number of assaults, but it was not always essential to take part in actual assaults since uninterrupted service at the front of varying lengths of time was also a qualification.

The numbered badges are rather larger than the un-numbered one being 5.9 cms. Deep and 4.9cms. wide as against 5.2 by 4.2cms. in the case of the un-numbered ones; also the general finish of the numbered type is better and the central motif is raised in relief.

A war badge for the crews of tanks and A.F.V.’s was also instituted in December 1939 and is called the Tank Assault Badge (Panzerkampfabzeichen). It consists of an oval wreath of oak leaves through which a tank is breaking, the whole being surmounted (as before) by the closed wing eagle and swastika. Two variants exist, one in silver for ordinary tanks and the other in bronze for the Panzer-Grenadiers, the design being otherwise exactly the same in both instances. As in the case of the General Assault badge, I t became necessary later to add the numbers, 25, 50, 75, and 100 to denote the mounting total of assaults. These appear in a small square at the bottom just as before.

These two badges are the only instance of this being done. Numbers were not added to the infantry Assault Badge or to any of the other badges to be described.

Infantry troops were further rewarded by the creation in November 1942 of a new award, the Close Combat Clasp or Hand-to-Hand Fighting Badge (Nahkampfspange). This takes the form of a 10cms. long clasp in the centre of which is a 2.5cms. square of oak leaves containing a bayonet crossed with a stick grenade, the top part of the square being filled by the spread wing type of national eagle and swastika. The “arms” of the clasp (on either side of this square) consist of rays and oak leaves (four rays and five oak leaves on each side). This clasp was instituted in three classes, bronze, silver and gilt of which gilt is the highest. It was given for 15, 30 and 50 days’ close combat (if wounded this could be reduced to 10, 20 and 40 days). It was also given as a reward for continuous combatant service on the Russian Front of 8, 12, and 15 months.

Troops engaged in Guerilla warfare (mainly in the Balkans and Russia) also had a special war badge. These units were drawn largely from the S.S. and the design incorporates their emblem. Once again it is an oval wreath of oak leaves down the centre of which a dagger points around whose blade five snakes twine, their head as if to strike. At the base is a skull and cross bones (the S.S. cap badge). The swastika appears on the dagger as a part of the hilt design. This, like the previous badge, is in three classes, bronze, silver and gilt for 10, 20 and 100 days of combat service with the guerrillas. (This badge was also given, under different conditions, to Luftwaffe personnel but this will be dealt with under the section devoted to air force war badges). The name in German is “Bandenkampfabzeichen”.

The only bade which was open to all three sections was the well known Wounded Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen). It is rather smaller than the others, being only 4.4 cms. deep as against an average size of 5 to 6 cms. in the case of the others. It is oval with palm leaves round the edge tied in a bow at the bottom. In the centre is a steel helmet on which is a swastika and behind the helmet two swords cross. The whole is in one piece, that is, the design is not “cut out” as in the other badges. This is one of the few badges whose origin was pre-Nazi. It was first instituted in March 1918, the design being then exactly the same (except, of course, that the swastika was absent). It was retrieved in May 1939 for the Condor Legion in Spain when the 183 were awarded, and again in September 1939 for the war which had just begun. Its three classes, black, silver and gilt denote 2, 4 and upwards of 5 wounds. Originally all three classes had hollow backs but later the silver and gilt classes were made solid and only the black class remained hollow.

By far the nearest was badge is the version of the above which was given to those wounded in the bomb plot against Hitler in July 1944. Basically it is the same, nut the steel helmet and crossed sword motif has been raised to allow for the addition below of the date 20 Juli 1944 and a reproduction of Hitler’s signature. It was awarded in black, silver and gilt according to the severity of the wounds sustained.

German military organization differed from the British in that most of the parachute troops and a good deal of the Anti-Air craft defences were under the air force and not (as in our case) the army command. However, small bands of special duty paratroops were drawn from the army and were commanded by the celebrated Colonel Skorzeny (the man who rescued Mussolini). The army type parachute troop’s war badge is slightly different from that of the Luftwaffe paratroops. The army badge is a guilt oval wreath of oak leaves across which an eagle in silver with wings together plunges, its head being to the left lower part of the wreath. It has no swastika in it s claws (differing from the air force type) and there is a small closed wing national eagle and swastika at the top of the wreath. It name in German is the “Fallschrimschützenabzeichen” and it was awarded, not at the completion of training, but after the first combat descent.

All three services had A.A. badges, but the design in each case was different. The army type A.A. badge (Heeres-Flakabzeichen) is, like the rest, an oval wreath of oak leaves across which, with its barrel to the top right, an anti-aircraft gun points. The wreath is surmounted by a closed wing national eagle (the Luftwaffe type has a flying eagle here). It was awarded on a points system. 16 points were necessary for qualification, two were given for each aircraft shot down and one (in the case of searchlight crews) for each first detection of an enemy aircraft. It is made in white metal.

All the above badges, with the exception of the Close Combat Clasp, were worn, by those entitled to them, on the left breast pocket. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the left breast pocket. These are all the army badges that might be so worn, but certainly Party and Sports badges were also worn on the left breast pocket of military uniform, but these are not true war badges.