Original German WWII Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge Attributed to Arno Wallpach of Stuttgart – Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition war time production German WWII Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge badge in zinc, with the entire badge a solid cast piece. Early examples had the eagle riveted on, and some other later examples soldered on the eagle. This example in zinc looks to originally had a silver wash on the wreath and eagle, with dark paint on the cloud and lightning bolt. The details are still very well retained on the badge, however the silver wash has either worn away or oxidized, while the dark paint shows some heavy chipping.

Comes complete with a functional round wire steel pin back attachment, with the hinge and catch both part of the original casting. The badge is unmarked, but the single piece cast construction with cast in hinge and catch are all textbook for maker Arno Wallpach of Stuttgart. We have compared it to other known examples, and it is a perfect match, with this being a lovely example. The rear pin still works flawlessly, and overall the badge has a fantastic patina.

A very nice example, 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