Item:
ONSV24MJL042

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Original Rare German WWII 25 Engagement General Assault Badge by Rudolf Karneth & Söhne of Gablonz

Regular price $2,595.00

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. Known in German as a Allgemeines-Sturmabzeichen mit Einsatzzahl 25 (General Assault Badge for 25 Engagements), this excellent badge is constructed of silvered and patinated zinc. The obverse (front) comprised of an oval oak leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by a silver plaque bearing a raised number 25, overlaid by an art-deco style Heer closed-wing German national eagle clutching a mobile swas, above a crossed bayonet and stick grenade. The reverse with a barrel hinge and banjo-style pinback meeting a flat wire catch, with four visible rivets securing in place the obverse eagle. It is maker marked on the rear of the wreath with the RK in a circle logo of Rudolf Karneth of Gablonz, which today is Jablonec nad Nisou in the Czech Republic.

All hardware is still held firmly in place by this makers crimping techniques, there are no repairs at all. The wreath still shows a good amount of the original silver wash on both sides, though it is patinated, and the blacked finish on the central eagle device is still well retained. The "25" at the bottom is also still crisp. This is one of the nicest examples of a Numbered General Assault Badge we have been able to offer.

The Numbered General Assault Badge was instituted on June 22, 1943. The instituting of the new grades of the General Assault Badge was in a direct response to the increasing number of soldiers which had continued to tally “combat days” after they had met the initial requirements of the standard version. The different grades created by the German High Command were “25”, “50”, “75”, & “100”. The requirements for the Numbered General Assault Badge was very similar to the standard version except the number of combat days required corresponded to the number of the award. For example, the General Assault Badge with a “25” box would have required the soldier to have 25 combat assaults on 25 different days. Many soldiers in the German Army did not live to see the required “combat days” for the higher grades, most specifically the “75” & “100” grades.

The numbered grades used the same design pattern as the standard version. However, these grades of the General Assault Badge have more enhanced features such as enlarged art-deco style eagle, more detailed bayonet and stick grenade, plus the addition of a number box at the bottom of the wreath to denote grade.

The General Assault Badge (Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen) was a military decoration awarded during World War II to personnel of the German Army, Waffen-SS and Ordnungspolizei (order police) who supported an infantry attack but were not part of specific infantry units and therefore did not qualify for the Infantry Assault Badge. It was instituted by General Walther von Brauchitsch on 1 June 1940.

Design
The decoration, designed by the Berlin-based firm of Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus, was an oval disk that measured 5.3 cm (2 in) by 4.2 cm (2 in) by .6 cm (0 in) wide. A wreath of five oak leaves runs around the circumference on each side of the medal with a pair of acorns at the base. Inside the wreath is a large Wehrmacht-style eagle with folded wings grasping a swas which itself surmounts a crossed bayonet and stick grenade. The medal was held in place on the uniform with a pin and catch.

From 22 June 1943, the medal was adapted with a small plate at the base with either 25, 50, 75 or 100 to recognize those soldiers that had taken part in numerous attacks. These were known as grades II through IV, accordingly. On the Class IV badge, the oak leaves which run around the circumference on each side of the medal, along with the bayonet and hand grenade were larger in size. Further the wreath was gold in color.

Criteria for Award
The medal was originally designed for presentation to combat engineers, as well as members of the artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank who supported infantry units in combat. It could also be awarded to medical personnel attending to battlefield casualties in "close combat conditions". Prior to the introduction of the Tank Destruction Badge, the General Assault Badge could be conferred for the single-handed destruction of tanks or armored vehicles.

Other determining factors for award:
- Ineligibility for the Infantry Assault Badge
- Participation in three infantry or armored attacks on three different days; or
- Participation in three infantry or armored indirect assaults on three different days.

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