Condition: Excellent
Maker: JFS – Josef Feix & Söhne, in Gablonz
Pattern: 50
Base Material: Zinc
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Product Description: This 50 Engagement General Assault Badge is a stunning and impressive example of this rare badge. It is made of two pieces of fine zinc alloy, and is textbook in every way. The wreath retains lots of original silvering, with typical age fading as is common on these. The large, bold eagle, bayonet and grenade emblem shows strong original darkening. There is only minimal wear, and all of the original detail is intact. The box with numeral “50” retains the original black paint to the recesses. The reverse of this 50 Engagement General Assault Badge is marked on the back of the wreath with the stylized “JFS” maker mark of the firm of Josef Feix & Söhne, in Gablonz. It features the Gablonz style hardware that one expects to see with this maker. The banjo pin, sheet metal catch and hinge retain original silver finish and are functional. The hinge and catch are held in place with the original crimps, with no repairs. The classic JFS aluminum rivets are nice and tight and are untouched. This handsome badge measures 58 mm high and 48.3 mm wide, and weighs 30.3 grams. It’s an all-original piece that could be the highlight of an advanced collection. The condition rates as excellent plus.
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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