Commemorative pin

Held by

Montreal Holocaust Museum via Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (incl. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives)

Dates

1940 (indexed as 1940)

Level

item

Extent

Commemorative pin : cast, soldered : silver

Scope & content

Oval pin known as General Assault Badge. The center features a Wehrmacht eagle standing on a swastika, clutching it in its talons. Both surmount a bayonet crossing a stick grenade. The center is contoured by a oak leaves wreath, which begins at the bottom with two acorns. Each side has 5 oak leaves. The separation between the 1st and the 2nd oak leaves on the left is made by the handle of the stick grenade, while the one on the right is made by the handle of the bayonet. The separation between the 2nd and the 3rd oak leaves on the left is made by the end of the bayonet, while the one on the right is made by the end of the stick grenade. The other separations are made by acorns. The spaces between the center and the contour are empty. Narrative: This badge was awarded to soldiers of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS (army) who were not in infantry or tank units during World War II. It was originally intended for engineers (pioneer), but was also awarded to troops who supported the artillery and armor units in combat. It also included anti-tank and anti-aircrafts units who served along with the infantry in an assault. Medical personnel who treated battlefield wounded were also eligible. It was instituted on June 1st, 1940 by the Generaloberst Walther von Brauchitsch (Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres). This badge was awarded to circa 460 000 soldiers. One of the following requirements had to be fulfilled, as well as not being eligible for the Infantry Assault Badge, in order to be awarded this badge : 1. Participation in three infantry or armored assaults; 2. Participation in three infantry or armored indirect assaults; 3. Having been wounded during these assaults; 4. Having earned an award during these assaults.

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In the picture

EmblemFlagMedalMilitaryMilitary UniformSculptureSwordWreathTagged automatically by a vision model; may contain mistakes.

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cjhn.caRead automatically; may contain mistakes.

Harvested

2026-10-19T03:21:16Z · source datestamp n/a · andornot

Digital objects at the source

• imageOpen original at source ↗2010-7-26.jpg