Auction 6 Third Reich German Militaria
Jun 13, 2021
PO Box 13020 Des Moines, IA 50310, United States

The auction has ended

LOT 14:

Set of German Combat Decorations (5)

Sold for: $125
Start price:
$ 50
Estimated price:
$150 - $200
Auction house commission: 25%
sales tax: 7% On lot's price, no sales tax on commission
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Set of German Combat Decorations (5)
Set of German Combat Decorations

1.) General Assault Badge (Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen).
The General Assault badge was introduced on June 1st 1940, by Generaloberst Walther von Brauchitsch, for award to support personnel who were ineligible for the Infantry or Panzer Assault badges. Criteria for award of the badge was basically the same as the criteria for award of the Infantry and Panzer Assault badges with the main qualification being participation in three separate assaults in a supporting role.
On its introduction the badge was only intended for award to combat engineers and was designated, Pionier-Sturmabzeichen, (Engineer's Assault Badge). Shortly afterwards award of the badge was extended to other support personnel including artillery and assault gun personnel, anti-tank and anti-aircraft personnel and medical personnel.
Before the introduction of the Tank Destruction Strip in March 1942, personnel who had single handedly destroyed an enemy tank with Infantry weapons were awarded the General Assault Badge.
Die struck, solid backed, alloy construction award with a silver finish. The badge features a cut-out, high relief Wehrmacht styled eagle with down-swept wings positioned above a crossed bayonet and stick grenade, and encompassed by an embossed, vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath.
Manufacturer: Steinhauer & Lück, Lüdenscheid.
Material / type of production: zinc silver / solid embossing
Needle: non-ferrous metal
Hook: missing
Hinge: non-ferrous metal

2.) War Merit Cross 2nd Class With Swords (Kriegsverdienstkreuz II mit Schwertern.
The War Merit Cross was instituted on October 18th 1939, in two classes with both classes issued, with and without swords, for award to military personnel and civilians, including females and foreigners, for exemplary service and/or bravery in Germany's war effort, in a non-combatant role. The addition of swords to the award signified bravery while awards without swords were bestowed for service.

Cross
Die struck bronze, construction bravery award, with a bronze wash is in the form of a Maltese style cross with a circular centerpiece with an embossed, canted, swastika encircled by a nicely detailed oak-leaf wreath to the obverse.
The reverse centerpiece has the embossed date, "1939", which is also encompassed by a nicely detailed oak-leaf wreath. The background field of both the obverse and reverse centerpieces is smooth while the arms of the cross have a pebbled background field with raised, smooth, outer edges. The swords, indicating bravery, emanated upward, between the arms of the cross.
Unmarked.
New ribbon added to the set.

3.) The black wound badge 1939 (Verwundeten-Abzeichen, Schwarz 1939)
Was the lowest of the three classes and was awarded for one or two wounds.1939 pattern, die stamped, magnetic sheet metal construction, holl ow backed badge with a black wash. The badge is in the form of an embossed, vertically oval, laurel leaf wreath encompassing an embossed profile of an M35 pattern helmet with a high relief, canted, swastika to the center, superimposed over crossed swords on a pebbled base field.
Manufacturer: L/11 for Wilhelm Deumer, Lüdenscheid.
Non-magnetic, no needle .