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In order to recognize the achievements of Panzer personnel who took part in armored assaults, the Wehrmacht Tank Battle badge was introduced on December 20, 1939. Designed by Ernst Peekhaus of Berlin, and was instituted by order of Generaloberst von Brauchitsh.
On June 6th, 1940, a separate class of the badge, in Bronze, was added in order to recognize the crews of armored vehicles other than tanks (half tracks, assault guns, etc).
The award criteria was as follows,
To have taken part in three armored assaults in three different days.
To have been wounded in the course of an assault.
To have earned a bravery decoration in the course of an assault.
As mentioned above, the Silver class was presented to tank commanders, gunners or radio operators while the bronze class was presented to the Panzer-Grenadier regiments, tank assault crew, armored recon units, and medical personnel who went into battle in armored vehicles. The award was authorized through the Panzer Division commander.
This is a one piece resin casting which shows excellent details. It arrived in a © Ziploc bag with a self adhesive label identifying the contents and vendor. I rubbed the backing on sandpaper cemented to a sheet of heavy glass to give it a rough surface and also thin the little bit of flash that was present.
After washing away the sanding dust and release agent, I spray painted the badge flat black and waited several hours. After that, I used Rub n Buff Silver Plate to bring on a silver plated finish.
The Wehrmacht Tank Assault Badge compares very well with the photos present on the reference page.
My thanks go to Track Base for the sample. A painted badge is also available for $11.95 plus shipping and handling charges.
References:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_badges/heer/panzer_badge.htm
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