Infantry Assault Badge in Silver – Ernst L. Müller

Product Description: This Infantry Assault Badge in Silver is an excellent example of the desirable and scarcer maker Ernst L. Müller, Pforzheim. Struck in zinc base metal, the badge exhibits a pleasing light patina across both the obverse and reverse, with traces of the original silver wash still visible and nicely settled into the recesses of the design.

The badge features Müller’s distinctly concave profile and finely executed details throughout the wreath and eagle. The reverse displays the textbook hardware configuration for this maker—complete, original, and unaltered—with nearly all of the factory-applied black finish remaining on the pin. The hinge, pin, and catch are all intact and show no signs of repair.

A lovely and untouched example of a mid- to late-war Infantry Assault Badge in Silver by Ernst L. Müller, offered here in excellent + condition, representing both quality and rarity from a lesser-seen manufacturer.

Historical Description: The Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) was instituted on December 20, 1939, by German Army commander Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch. The design of the badge featured the iconic K98 rifle, the standard German Infantry weapon of WWII, surrounded by oak leaves and surmounted by a German Army eagle and swastika emblem. The creation of this design has been attributed to the C.E. Juncker firm in Berlin. The badge could be awarded to members of the Heer and SS-VT (later the Waffen-SS) who participate in ground combat as infantry. To earn this award, soldiers had to participate in three or more assaults, counterattacks, or reconnaissance missions, or to have participated in hand to hand combat in an assault, or to have participated in three days of reestablishing combat positions. These actions had to take place on separate days to meet the award criteria. On June 1, 1940, a Bronze grade of this award was instituted, for motorized infantry. The criteria for the award were the same, only for motorized units. The earliest versions of the Infantry Assault Badge were made of Tombak or other high-quality alloys, with a plated finish. Later production awards were generally zinc alloy, with a bronze or silver wash that often faded with wear and time.

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