Original Items: Only One Available. Called in German an Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber, this genuine badge is constructed of die-struck silvered zinc. Over time, the silvering can wear and flake off, showing the oxidized base metal, which is zinc. This example has lost almost all of the original wash, with any that remains having oxidized. This has given it a really nice aged patina that is impossible to duplicate!

The design of the badge consists of an oval oak wreath tied together at the base via a ribbon, with a national eagle clutching a mobile swas (hook cross), with a vertically oriented Karabiner 98k with the bayonet attached to the front of the barrel and the carrying sling hanging from the rifle superimposed on the wreath. The back of the eagle is marked with a BSW mark in a clover, the trademark for Brüder Schneider A.G. of Wien (Vienna), a known WWII era maker of badges, particularly some of the rarer hinge and catch variations on the Infantry Assault Badge.

The back also features a vertical pinback, with a soldered on barrel hinge and bent round wire catch. This example is overall in very good condition, with one small dent at the bottom and a lovely patina.

Overall a very nice example of this type of badge, ready to display!

The Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) was a German war badge awarded to Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during the Second World War. This decoration was instituted on 20 December 1939 by the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch. It could be awarded to members of non-motorized Infantry units and units of the Gebirgsjäger that had participated in infantry assaults, with light infantry weapons, on at least three separate days of battle in the front line on or after 1 January 1940. When a counter offensive led to fighting, it could also apply. Award of the Infantry Assault Badge was authorized at regimental command level, and mechanized or motorized infantry were not eligible for the original badge. A bronze variant of the Infantry Assault Badge was created in June 1940, authorized for motorized and mechanized infantry units, using similar requirements for award as the original silver variant.