Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge – G. Brehmer

Product Description: This is a choice example of a Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge. It is made of fine zinc that retains nearly all of the original high-quality silver finish. Some minor wear and flaking to the finish reveals the gray color of the base metal in some areas. The silvering has an appealing, matte look, and shows only minimal age toning. The detail on the riveted eagle is very sharp. The reverse of this Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge is flat and smooth, with beautiful finish. There is no maker mark, but this variant is known to have been manufactured by the firm of Gustav Brehmer, Markneukirchen. The initials “A.H.” are scratched in small letters by the hinge and likely are the initials of the badge’s original owner. The hardware setup is textbook for this maker, and the hinge and catch are held in place with the original solder. The round wire attachment pin is functional. This is an exceptional badge with outstanding eye appeal. The condition rates as excellent plus plus.

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.