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Condition: Excellent
Maker: Rudolf Karneth
Base Material: Zinc
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Product Description: This 25 Engagement General Assault Badge is a textbook example of this very rare and extremely desirable combat award, with a great look. It’s made of fine zinc, as all of these were, and retains strong original finish. Most of the silvering on the wreath and the blackening on the eagle are still intact. There is a very slight age patina, and no evident wear, with all of the original detail intact. The black paint in the recesses in the “25” box is still present. On the reverse, this beautiful 25 Engagement General Assault Badge is marked with a stylized “RK” in a circle, indicating manufacture by the firm of Rudolf Karneth. The original silver finish on the reverse has nice luster. The rivets are tight and correct, and the hardware setup is typical for this maker, with a crimped-in hinge and catch. The magnetic banjo-style attachment pin is functional. This is a completely untouched and choice piece, with no repairs. It’s in excellent condition.
Historical Description: The Numbered General Assault Badge was instituted on June 22, 1943. The instituting of the new grades of the General Assault Badge was in a direct response to the increasing number of soldiers which had continued to tally “combat days” after they had met the initial requirements of the standard version. The different grades created by the German High Command were “25”, “50”, “75”, & “100”. The requirements for the Numbered General Assault Badge were very similar to the standard version except the number of combat days required corresponded to the number of the award. For example, the General Assault Badge with a “25” box would have required the soldier to have 25 combat assaults on 25 different days. Many soldiers in the German Army did not live to see the required “combat days” for the higher grades, most specifically the “75” & “100” grades.
The numbered grades used the same design pattern as the standard version. However, these grades of the General Assault Badge have more enhanced features such as enlarged eagle, enhanced wreath, plus the addition of a number box at the bottom of the wreath to denote grade.
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