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General Assault Badge (Allgemaines Sturmabzeichen). Authorized on June 1, 1940, the General Assault Badge was authorized only for combat engineers who participated in direct assaults. The badge was an oval wreath with an eagle and swastika in the center, and beneath the swastika a crossed bayonet and stick hand grenade. Later in the war, eligibility for the General Assault Badge was extended to all soldiers not otherwise qualified for the Infantry Assault Badge or the Tank Battle Badge. Figure 29 shows the obverse and Figure 30 the reverse of the General Assault Badge.

Close Combat Bar (Nahkampfspange). After three years of war, Hitler realized that Germans serving as infantrymen in the Army and Waffen-SS deserved recognition for their combat bravery, and that the Iron Cross 2nd Class could not be awarded to all of them. Consequently, in November 1942, Hitler announced that all officers and men of the Army and Waffen-SS who participated in hand-to-hand combat, unsupported by armor, would be awarded the Close Combat Bar.

The bar (or badge) was awarded in bronze, silver and gold for 15 days, 30 days and 50 days, respectively, of hand-to-hand combat. If, however, the soldier was wounded in combat, the qualifying period was reduced to 10 days, 20 days, and 40 days, respectively. Regulations provided that an infantryman would receive retroactive credit for any close combat in which he had taken part from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa which had started in June 1941. Additionally, both the Army and Waffen-SS decided that there would be a formula for converting months of service on the Eastern Front into combat days. As a result, a soldier with eight months service was credited with five combat days; a soldier with 12 months service in Russia received credit for ten combat days; and a soldier with 15 months was awarded 15 days close combat time, sufficient for the award of the bronze bar.

The close combat bar was about 96mm long. In the center of the bar was an eagle and swastika atop a crossed bayonet and stick hand grenade. This was flanked on both sides by oak leaves and acorns. The badge was worn one centimeter above the upper left pocket of the uniform. Of the 18 to 20 million men who served in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, about 35, 000 received the bronze version. Fewer than 10,000 were awarded the silver Close Combat Bar. Only 631 men were awarded the gold badge, which was regarded by Hitler as akin to the German Cross in Gold and the highest award that an infantryman could receive short of the Knight’s Cross. Figures 31 and 32 depict the obverse and reverse, respectively, of the Close Combat Bar in bronze. Figure 33 shows a Waffen-SS

Figure 31: Obverse of the Close Combat Bar.

Figure 32: Reverse of the Close Combat Bar.

Figure 33: A Waffen-SS officer wearingthe Close Combat Bar above his pocket.

officer wearing the Close Combat Bar above his pocket; note the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross worn around his neck and the Iron Cross 1st Class centered on his uniform pocket.

Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen). In May 1939 Hitler revived the World War I-era wound badge in three classes. The black badge was awarded for up to two wounds; the silver badge for three and four wounds; and the gold badge for five or more wounds. This formula, however, was waived for more serious wounds. For example, a soldier who lost a leg, arm, or eyesight was immediately awarded the Silver Wound Badge. In the case of death or total disability, the gold badge was awarded.

The design of these Third Reich wound badges was very

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Figure 34: Obverse of the Wound Badge in Gold.

Figure 35: Obverse of the Wound Badge in Silver.

Figure 36: Obverse of the Wound Badge in Black.

similar to the World War I badge established in March

1918. It was an oval badge consisting of a steel helmet in the center, with two crossed swords in the background. The two major changes were that the helmet on the Third Reich badge was the 1935 pattern steel helmet rather than the World War I version and the addition of the swastika to the helmet in the center of the badge. Figure 34 depicts the obverse of the wound badge in gold. Figure 35 shows the obverse of the wound badge in silver. Finally, Figure 36 illustrates the obverse of the wound badge in black.

Special Badge for the Destruction of an Enemy Tank by an Individual (Abzeichen für Niederkämpfung von Panzerkampfwagen durch Einzelkämpfer). The German Army created the Tank Destruction Badge on March 9, 1942, with awards retroactive to June 22, 1941, the first day of the war with Soviet Union. The badge, in silver, was awarded for the single-handed destruction of an enemy tank or armored fighting vehicle. On December 18, 1943, the German Army authorized a higher grade, in gold, for those soldiers who had destroyed five tanks or armored fighting vehicles.

Figure 37: Obverse of the Special Badge for the Destruction of an Enemy Tank by an Individual.

The badge was created to reward a soldier who single-handedly destroyed an armored vehicle by using a hand-held weapon such as the anti-tank rifle, hand grenade, satchel (or bundle) charge, or magnetic shape charge. The award was an aluminum corded cloth band measuring 90mm in length and 32mm in width, edged with two 3mm high black woven thread stripes. Attached to the center of the band was the stamped metal silhouette of a tank. Figures 37 and 38 show the obverse and reverse, respectively, of the Tank Destruction Badge in silver.

Figure 38: Reverse of the Special Badge for the Destruction of an Enemy Tank by an Individual.

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While precise numbers of awards are not known, it seems likely that about 10,000 silver Tank Destruction Badges were awarded between 1942 and mid-1944. While soldiers received the bulk of the awards, Luftwaffe paratroopers and naval personnel who found themselves in ground combat also received the badge. Hitler Youth and Volksturm personnel also are known to have been awarded the Tank Destruction Badge.Well-known recipients include the infamous SS-Standartenfuhrer Jochen Peiper, who was convicted for his part in the massacre of American soldiers at Malmedy; Peiper also was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves and Swords. No one knows how many Tank Destruction Badges in gold were awarded, but the numbers must have been very few.6

Decorations and Medals of the German Federal Republic (1957 to present)

At the end of World War II, the wear of awards and decorations awarded by Nazi Germany were prohibited by the victorious Allies. On July 26, 1957, however, the German parliament enacted legislation permitting the wear of de-nazified Third Reich awards on the uniforms of Bundeswehr soldiers. In most cases, this simply meant the removal of the swastika. The Bundeswehr version of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, for example, is identical to the Third Reich version except that the swastika on the obverse is absent. In its place is the old symbol of three oak leaves on a stem, with acorns, as appeared on the original 1813 Iron Cross. However, the numerals 1939 remain at the bottom of the cross. Similarly, the de-nazification of the German Cross meant the substitution of oak leaves within an iron cross for the swastika that had been the centerpiece of the World War II decoration. Finally, the Bundeswehr version of the

Figure 39: Obverse of the Bundeswehr version of the Iron Cross, 1st Class.

Figure 40: Reverse of the Bundeswehr version of the Iron Cross, 1st Class.

Figure 41: Obverse of the Bundeswehr version of the Knight’s Cross.

Gold, Silver and Black wound badges simply removed the swastika from the helmet of the badge. Figures 39 and 40