Condition: Excellent
Maker: Hermann Aurich
Base Material: Zinc
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Product Description: This is a nice example of a desirable, maker marked Panzer Assault Badge in Silver. It’s made of a fine zinc alloy. Most of the original silver finish has evaporated with time, as is typical for zinc based awards. Visible traces of the finish remain on both the obverse and reverse of this badge. The front of the badge shows good detail, with only slight evident wear. The lighter color of the remnant finish contrasts with the dark gray tone of the base metal. On the reverse, this badge is maker marked near the catch with the stylized “HA” logo of the firm of Hermann Aurich. The unique hardware is textbook for this maker, with a hinge affixed via a crimped-in round plate. The hardware is intact and functional, and retains the original finish. There are no signs of repair to the original crimps holding the hinge and catch. This Panzer Assault Badge in silver by Hermann Aurich is all original, and remains in excellent condition.
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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