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Condition: Excellent
Maker: Schauerte & Höhfeld
Base Material: Tombak
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Product Description: This S&H General Assault Badge is a rare and very desirable variant. It’s made of Tombak, a brass alloy associated with early badge production. The earliest Wehrmacht combat badges were generally top quality, and this one is no exception. About 95 percent of the original silver electroplated finish remains on this badge. The obverse is clean and bright, with some light wear to the high points that exposes the golden tones of the Tombak base metal. It has sharp, crisp detail. On the reverse, this S&H General Assault Badge has typical, light age toning to some areas of the silver finished. It’s a stamped, hollow back type badge. There is no manufacturer marking, but the maker of this badge design is known to be the firm of Schauerte & Höhfeld, in Lüdenscheid. The hardware is textbook for S&H, with soldered hinge and catch, and a round wire pin. The pin works fine, and there is no indication of any alteration or repair. General Assault Badges by this maker are very tough to find in Tombak material. This is a choice badge, in a very strong excellent condition.
Historical Description: The German General Assault Badge was instituted on June 1, 1940. When the first Heer (Army) combat badges were instituted they only recognized those in the Infantry and Panzer (Tank) units. This left the supporting elements of the German Army without an award to recognize their combat achievements. Initially the General Assault Badge was intended for Combat Engineer units, but later this was expanded to include other units such as Panzerjäger’s (Tank Hunters), Cavalry Units, down to Medical Personnel who assisted the Infantry or Panzers during combat engagements. Eligibility also continued to grow to include members of the Luftwaffe (Air Force), Kreigsmarine (Navy), Waffen-SS, and Combat Police units.
The requirements for the General Assault Badge were the same as that of the Infantry Assault Badge and the Panzer Assault Badge. The soldier must have taken part in three combat assaults on three separate days. Three assaults in one day would only count as one assault. Before the institution of the Tank Destruction Strip, awarded to soldiers who destroyed a tank by means of explosives or mine, the single-handed destruction of an enemy tank would also earn the soldier the General Assault Badge.
The Standard General Assault Badge consists of an Oakleaves wreath surrounding a large National Eagle grasping the swastika with crossed bayonet and stick grenade underneath. The General Assault Badge can be found in several different base metals such as Brass, Copper Coated Aluminum, Copper Coated Zinc, and Zinc. The use of the different types of base metal was directly impacted by the war as it progressed. Shortages forced manufacturers to switch from quality base metals like brass to lower quality base metals like zinc.
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