Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge – FLL

Product Description: This Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge is an outstanding example of this later war variant. It is made of fine zinc, and still retains nearly all of the original, factory applied finish. The obverse shows no wear, and there is no indication this badge was ever issued. The bright silver wash on the wreath contrasts handsomely with the original darkening on the central lightning bolt, clouds and ground. The Luftwaffe flying eagle and swastika emblem shows crisp, fine detail. The reverse of this appealing Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge is flat and smooth. There is no maker mark, but this variant is attributed to the firm of FLL (Friedrich Linden, Lüdenscheid). The hardware setup features a sheet metal hinge, round wire attachment pin, and a soldered catch with catch plate. The pin is functional, and there are no repairs and no damage to note. This eye-catching badge displays exceptionally well, and would be tough to upgrade. The condition rates as near mint.

Historical Description: In the early days of WWII, the German Air Force had few units intended to serve as infantry. As the war progressed, and especially after the disastrous first winter on the Eastern Front, more and more Luftwaffe personnel were being engaged in ground combat on the front lines. To recognize the combat experience of these soldiers, Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering introduced the Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge on March 31, 1942. The badge had been designed by Sigmund von Weech and featured a Luftwaffe eagle and swastika emblem atop a wreath, within which was a storm cloud striking the earth with a bolt of lightning. Those Luftwaffe soldiers who had previously been awarded German Army ground combat badges such as the Infantry Assault Badge, General Assault Badge, or Panzer Assault Badge, were to exchange them for the new Luftwaffe badge. To earn this badge, Luftwaffe soldiers had to survive three ground combat actions on three separate days, be wounded in a ground combat action, or to have earned another decoration in such an action. Luftwaffe soldiers killed in ground combat were to receive the award posthumously. Personnel who could receive this award included paratroopers, members of the Luftwaffe Field Divisions, assault gun crews, and even Flak crews tasked with using their anti-aircraft guns against ground targets. On some of these badges, mostly early versions, the Luftwaffe eagle is a separate piece, riveted on. Later in the war, the eagle was most often integral to the badge.

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