The establishment of the General Assault Badge (Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen) was confirmed in June 1940 “for awarding those military credits, which did not come in question for the Infantry assault badge (Infantriesturmabzeichen)” like pioneers, tank hunters or members of assault artillery “Sturmartillerie” and antiaircraft “Luftschutz” units. The badge was awarded to soldiers, which attended from 1 December 1940 “three military assaults (charges) on the front line with weapons in their hands and penetrated in three different fighting days”. The awarding should be made by the commander of the division or him equal superiors. The recipient of the badge received with the badge also an award document. The General Assault Badge was made of a silvered zinc tinplate, attached on the left chest side with a vertical brooch. The badge was 4,3cm wide and 5,4cm high. The badge does not belong to the rare awards; it was awarded around 460.000 times.

General Assault BAdge, tombak, maker B. H. Mayer.

The General Assault badge was made of different materials. In the early period of war they used tombak, a very few times aluminum and in the late period they used alloys of zinc. From tombak and zinc we know only hollow and filled issues. Besides that that there were a lot of manufacturers which made the badges without their markings, most of the manufacturers are known in the collectors’ world, since the badges differ by design and construction and mainly by the needle systems. Actually the easiest way of knowing the manufacturer is by looking at the needle system.

General Assault BAdge, Zinc, maker Karl Wurster.

Zinc - maker Steinhauer & LÜck

Assmann- Zinc

CE Juncker Berlin SW - Cupal

Known makers of The General Assault Badge:

• Assmann
• B. H. Mayer
• Berg & Nolte Lüdenschied (B&NL)
• FO - Friedrich Orth
• Francke & Co.
• Frank & Reif Stuttgart
• Gebrüder Wegerhoff - GWL
• Hymmen
• CE Juncker Berlin SW
• Karl Wurster
• RK - Rudolf Karneth
• RS - Rudolf Souval
• Steinhauer & Lück
• Wilhelm Hobacher
• ÜÜ - E. Ferdinand Wiedmann

The General Assault Badge with number:

On 22 June 1943 the ordinance of the highest German headquarters, established a higher grade of the General Assault badge (Allgemeinesturmabzeichen). For the number of interventions in action, they awarded the following levels:

• 25 interventions: II. grade

• 50 interventions: III. grade

• 75 interventions: IV. grade

The fourth grade could be awarded after 100 interventions with a 100 sign.

Genral Assault badge II. grade for 25 interventions

maker:JFS

That they could praise and specially honor veterans and old front fighters after 22 June 1941, they established higher grades of Tank and General Assault Badges on 1 July 1942, with postscripts of days in action. Soldiers which possessed a Tank Assault or General Assault Badge got added up days of interventions by continuous interventions on the East or in Africa after 22 June 1941. The days got added up by the following system:

• for 15 months 25 days in intervention
• for 12 months 15 days in intervention  
• for 8 months 10 days in intervention

Genral Assault badge IV. grade for 75 interventions

maker:JFS

Command, injury (including frostbite) or vacation up to a quarter of the estimated date, does not count as an interruption of an intervention. The commander of the division could award a higher grade Tank or General Assault Badge to soldiers, which in future could not make interventions due to heavy injuries, if the soldier, which got an award for second grade, had at least 18 days of intervention, for third grade at least 35 days and for fourth grade at least 60 days of intervention.

All badges with markings of interventions were made out of alloys of zinc.

Genral Assault badge IV. grade for 100 interventions

maker:Juncker

Hauptmann der Reserve Rolf Düe 1./PzJägAbt 19

Prices of the General Assault Badge

RS

Sources:
Dr. Heinrich Doehle - Die Auszeichnunegen des Grossdeutschen Reichs
John R. Angoli - For Führer and fatherland : military awards of the Third Reich
Christopher Ailsby - World War 2 German Medals and Political Awards

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