WWII Panzer Assault Badge - 75 Engagements

Reddick Militaria's WWII German Panzer Assault Badge for 75 Engagements (Tank Assault Badge) is die-struck in high quality, featuring superb details and heavy, multi-piece construction. This badge has the correct type hinge and catch with a wide, flat "coke bottle" style pin, and the "JFS" maker mark of the Josef Feix u. Sohne, Gablonz firm. The finish is the proper gold plated wreath with a silvered tank, or "panzer" emerging from it.

The basic Panzer Assault Badge was introduced in 1939 and consists of an oval, oak leaf wreath. Affixed at the top of the wreath was a closed-wing, Wehrmacht eagle, with a tank, the Panzerkampfwagen IV, emerging from the center of the badge. These were awarded in both silver and bronze classes.

As the war progressed, it became apparent that the standard Panzer Badge was inadequate for recognizing the growing number of veterans with years of experience, so four new classes of the award were created in June of 1943: 25, 50, 75 and 100 engagements versions. Similar to the standard Panzer Badge, these new awards were generally made in two-piece construction and featured the addition of a box with an Arabic numeral of the class inside.

The 25 and 50 type badge was slightly larger and the 75 and 100 versions being still larger. The wreath on the 25 and 50 models was silver color, while in the 75 and 100 class it was gilt. The tank was a separate strike and chemically darkened in the case of the 25 and 50 class, while in the 75 and 100 class the tank was silvered. Several variations are found on the reverse sides, along with both wide and narrow pins. The 75 and 100 engagement badges were produced in a lightweight, zinc alloy so this larger badge would not pull on the tunic when in wear.