Bronze Panzer Assault Badge – Frank & Reif

Product Description: This bronze Panzer Assault Badge is made of fine zinc. The obverse retains good original “Brennlack” finish, with slight wear to the high points that exposes the dull gray color of the base metal. It’s very clean, with great original detail to the Panzer tank and German Army eagle and swastika emblem. The reverse of this bronze Panzer Assault Badge is solid, and is nicely maker marked behind the tank with the wording “Frank & Reif, Stuttgart” in raised lettering. The original sheet metal hinge and round wire pin and catch are intact and functional, with no repairs, and are still held in place with the original solder. The hardware components retain original gold-toned finish. This textbook Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze has a handsome look, and remains in overall excellent condition.

Historical Description: The Panzer Assault Badge was instituted on December 20^th, 1939.    It was awarded in the silver grade to Panzer crewman who met the combat requirements. On June 1^st, 1940, following the start of the blitzkrieg against France, the bronze grade was introduced to award armoured reconnaissance, motorcycle riflemen, and panzer-grenadier units.  The requirements for both versions were the same, the soldier must have participated in three combat assaults on three separate days to be eligible.       

 The design of the Standard Panzer Assault Badge consists of an oakleaf wreath surrounding a Panzer (Tank) with the German National Eagle positioned at the top clutching a swastika.  The Standard Panzer Assault Badges can still be a common occurrence at local gun and military shows even now.  The German Army had tens of thousands of Panzer crewmen who became eligible for the award as the war progressed.  Because of the large number of soldiers who had fulfilled the requirements to wear the award, a high demand for producing of the Panzer Assault Badge was needed.  In response to this, approximately 35 manufacturers were authorized to produce the award between 1939 and 1945.  Many of these manufacturers created their own version of the badge by artistically designing their own version of the eagles, wreath’s, and tanks on the badge.  The design of one Panzer badge may not be identical to the next one encountered.  This makes the collecting of the different manufacturers and their variants its own niche in the hobby.

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