Original German WWII 25 Engagement General Assault Badge by Rudolf Karneth & Söhne Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Known in German as a Allgemeines-Sturmabzeichen mit Einsatzzahl 25, this excellent donation badge is constructed of silvered and patinated zink. The obverse (front) comprised of an oval oak leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by a plaque bearing a raised number 25, overlaid by a Heer-style 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, maker marked with the RK logo of Rudolf Karneth & Söhne, Gablonz. All hardware is still held firmly in place by this makers crimping techniques, there are no repairs at all. 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 eagle, wreath and eagle, plus the addition of a number box at the bottom of the wreath to denote grade.