General Assault Badge “Special Grade 50” by Rudolf Karneth
Price: $3295.
BUY / RESERVE THIS ITEMDescription: (Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen mit Einsatzzahl 50) Heer Numbered General Assault Badge for 50 Engagements; issued from 1943 through 1945; Large, two piece convex, die-struck zinc alloy construction as it only was; The eagle is attached to the wreath by four small domed aluminum rivets; Correct wide steel pin with crimped hinge block; shear-marked curved steel pin hook crimped in raised boss; The obverse bottom center of the wreath has a small rectangular box-panel with the separately inset embossed numeral, “50” for the 2nd grade. The reverse of the wreath is well marked with the stylized, overlapping, embossed manufacturers initials “RK” within a circular border indicating manufacture by Rudolf A. Karneth & Söhne Gablonz; text book characteristics of this maker 48 x 58mm weighing 36 grams; fine condition; Scarce.
Background: The General Assault badge was Introduced mid 1940, Criteria for award of the badge was basically the same as the criteria for award of the Infantry and Panzer Assault badges with the main qualification being participation in three separate assaults in a supporting role. On its introduction the badge was only intended for award to combat engineers and was designated, Pionier-Sturmabzeichen; Shortly after its introduction bestowal of the badge was extended to other support personnel including artillery and assault gun personnel, anti-tank, anti-aircraft personnel and medical personnel. (Before the introduction of the Tank Destruction Strip in 1942, personnel who had single handedly destroyed an enemy tank with Infantry weapons were awarded the General Assault badge). By 1943 it was realized that the General Assault Badge didn’t sufficiently recognize the number of assaults that the support personnel participated in which resulted in the introduction of four numbered Special Grades of the General Assault badges in mid 1943. The Special Grade badges followed the basic design of their predecessor but were larger, two piece construction awards, with the addition of a rectangular numbered plate to the bottom center of the wreath. The Special Grade badges were issued with the numerals 25, 50, 75 and 100 to represent the ever growing number of assaults participated in.
