Description
Product Description: A very rare 50 Engagement General Assault Badge. This 50 Engagement General Assault Badge is a two piece construction produced in zinc. The wreath retains a great amount of all its original silver finish covered in a heavy patina. The separately affixed eagle is remains in the same condition as the wreath, retaining most of the factory darkening. Eagle is affixed with four textbook style rivets. The reverse hardware remains intact and with no repairs. The hinge and catch are crimped in place, with the catch having the anti-rotation device in place. Magnetic pin. Maker marked on the reverse of the wreath “RK” for the producer Rudolf Karneth. Overall, a hard to find 50 Engagement General Assault Badge in choice condition.
Historical Description: Instituted on June 22, 1943, the new grades of the General Assault Badge were in a direct response to the increasing number of soldiers who had continued to accumulate “combat days” after they had met the initial requirements of the standard version. By 1943, the German High Command (OKW) realized the war would not be over as quickly as hoped for, and the need to recognize their soldiers at the front would require a new type of award and criteria. The four grades created by the German High Command were “25”, “50”, “75”, & “100”. The requirements for the Numbered General Assault Badge were like the standard version with the main difference now being the number of combat days required corresponded to the number on 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. This especially holds true for the higher “75” and “100” grades of the award. The numbered grades used the same design pattern as the standard version. However, the new grades of the General Assault Badge have more enhanced features such as enlarged eagle and wreath, with the addition of a number box at the bottom of the wreath to denote grade.
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