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Condition: Excellent
Maker: Wiedmann
Base Material: Zinc
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Product Description: This Wiedmann Infantry Assault Badge in Silver is a very attractive example. It’s made of fine zinc, and retains 100 percent of the original silver finish, which is extraordinary for a zinc badge. It’s got eye-catching shine. The obverse shows virtually no wear, and all of the original detail is intact. There are some tiny white spots of powdery oxidation on the lower half of the badge. The reverse of this badge is flat and smooth, and is maker marked behind the rifle butt with the stylized maker mark of E. Ferdinand Wiedmann in Frankfurt am Main. The hardware is correct for this maker, and is tombak, with “lily pad” style soldered hinge and catch components. The round wire attachment pin remains functional. This Wiedmann Infantry Assault Badge is a choice example of a desirable variant. The condition rates as excellent.
Historical Description: The Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) was instituted on December 20, 1939, by German Army commander Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch. The design of the badge featured the iconic K98 rifle, the standard German Infantry weapon of WWII, surrounded by oak leaves and surmounted by a German Army eagle and swastika emblem. The creation of this design has been attributed to the C.E. Juncker firm in Berlin. The badge could be awarded to members of the Heer and SS-VT (later the Waffen-SS) who participate in ground combat as infantry. To earn this award, soldiers had to participate in three or more assaults, counterattacks, or reconnaissance missions, or to have participated in hand to hand combat in an assault, or to have participated in three days of reestablishing combat positions. These actions had to take place on separate days to meet the award criteria. On June 1, 1940, a Bronze grade of this award was instituted, for motorized infantry. The criteria for the award were the same, only for motorized units. The earliest versions of the Infantry Assault Badge were made of Tombak or other high-quality alloys, with a plated finish. Later production awards were generally zinc alloy, with a bronze or silver wash that often faded with wear and time.
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