Massive Tombak Wurster Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze

Product Description: This massive Tombak Wurster Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze is a top quality and very desirable early piece. It’s a heavy badge, made of a brass alloy. The front of the badge has a wonderful look, and retains most of the original bronze finish, which remains very bright, with attractive golden tones. There is some finish wear to the high points (the swastika, and high relief details of the eagle and Panzer tank) that reveal the brass color of the base metal. Virtually all of the original detail remains present on this badge. The reverse of this Tombak Wurster Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze is solid backed, and retains all of the original dark toned bronze surface finish. To the right of the hinge, the badge is marked with the “small W” maker mark of the firm of Karl Wurster in Markneukirchen. The hardware is functional, with a block hinge, and round wire pin and catch. The catch was neatly repaired at some point in the past. This is a very appealing example of a scarce Panzer Assault Badge variant, that remains in 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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