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Condition: Excellent /Near Mint
Marker: Frank & Reif, Stuttgart
Base Material: Zinc
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Product Description: This PABiS is a choice example of a desirable, maker marked badge, with a wonderful finish. It is made of a fine zinc alloy, which has been finished with a heavy nickel plating. This original finish is extremely well preserved, with lots of original luster, as well as some small areas of oxidation. The obverse retains full original detail, with no sign of actual wear. The reverse of this mega PABiS is nicely maker marked, with the manufacturer name “Frank & Reif Stuttgart” in raised lettering above the catch. The hardware on this badge is exactly what one expects to see on a piece by this maker, with a round wire pin and catch, and sheet metal hinge. The hinge and catch plate are affixed to the badge with the original solder; there is no damage, no repairs, and everything works as it should. It is tough to find any wartime German Army badge with a finish that is this nice; to find this on a zinc badge is extraordinary. This badge borders on near mint condition, and would be very hard to upgrade.
Historical Description: The Panzer Assault Badge was instituted on December 20th, 1939. It was awarded in the silver grade to Panzer crewman who met the combat requirements. On June 1st, 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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