Original German WWII Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge – Damaged – Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice condition early war production German WWII Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge badge in zinc, which originally had a separate Luftwaffe Eagle riveted on top of the one in the design. On this example however the superimposed eagle is missing, though the rivet hole can still be seen in the center of the underlying eagle.

It looks to be made from zinc with a silver wash on the wreath, which now shows an oxidized patina.The cloud and lightning bolt had had an oxide wash after the silver, so they are a darker color. The details are still very well retained on the badge. Comes complete with a functional round wire steel pin back attachment, with a crimped “barrel” hinge and “C” shaped flat wire catch, both of which were attached to the back.

There is no maker mark on the back, which was not uncommon for these badges. It may be possible to identify the maker based on the style of construction and the pinback hardware, however we were unable to find any exactly like this example in our records.

A very nice example with a missing eagle, ready to display!

The Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe (German: Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to Luftwaffe personnel for achievement in ground combat. It was instituted on 31 March 1942 by the commander-in-chief (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe) Hermann Göring.

The badge, designed by the graphic and textile artist Sigmund von Weech (1888-1982), features an oak leaf wreath with at its apex a Luftwaffe eagle, grasping a swas, flying above a storm cloud, from which a lightning bolt strikes rough ground. The general criteria for its presentation was the participation in three separate combat operations on separate days. Luftwaffe soldiers who had already been awarded medals or orders of the Heer such as Assault Badge or the Infantry Assault Badge, were required to exchange their badges for the Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe.

As the war progressed it became necessary to further distinguish those soldiers who had already exceeded the awarding criteria. To accomplish this distinction four numbered grades were introduced on 10 November 1944 based on the number of combat operations.

1st grade (I. Stufe) for between 3-24 eligible operations
2nd grade (II. Stufe) for 25 eligible operations
3rd grade (III. Stufe) for 50 eligible operations
4th grade (IV. Stufe) for 75 eligible operations
5th grade (V. Stufe) for 100 eligible operations