The Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe (german: Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe) was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

German military decoration awarded to

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

personnel for achievement in ground combat. It was instituted on 31 March 1942 by the commander-in-chief ()

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

. The badge, designed by the graphic and textile artist Sigmund von Weech (1888-1982), features an oak leaf wreath with at its apex a Luftwaffe eagle, grasping a swastika, flying above a storm cloud, from which a centered positioned lightning bolt strikes trough ground. The general criteria for its presentation was the participation in three separate combat operations on separate days. Luftwaffe soldiers who had already been awarded combat recognition badges of the ''Heer'' (German Army), such as the

General Assault Badge The General Assault Badge (german: Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen) was a military decoration awarded during World War II to personnel of the German Army, Waffen-SS and ''Ordnungspolizei'' (order police) who supported an infantry attack but were not pa ...

or the

Infantry Assault Badge The Infantry Assault Badge () was a German military decoration awarded to Waffen-SS and ''Wehrmacht Heer'' soldiers during the Second World War. This decoration was instituted on 20 December 1939 by the Commander-in-Chief (''Oberbefehlshaber'') ...

, were required to exchange their badges for the Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe. As the war progressed it became necessary to further distinguish those soldiers who had already exceeded the awarding criteria. To accomplish this distinction, Göring instituted four numbered grades on 10 November 1944 based on the number of combat operations. The new badge was changed at its base to incorporate the operations number marking each new grade. * 2nd grade (II. Stufe) for 25 eligible operations * 3rd grade (III. Stufe) for 50 eligible operations * 4th grade (IV. Stufe) for 75 eligible operations * 5th grade (V. Stufe) for 100 eligible operations

Versions

Luftwaffe Ground-Attack Badge.jpg, 5th grade Erdkampfabzeichen 57er Version zonder swastika.jpg, 1957 de-nazified version

Notes

References

* * Doehle, Heinrich (2000). ''Die Auszeichnungen des Grossdeutschen Reichs. Orden, Ehrenzeichen, Abzeichen.'' (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Patzwall. * Klietmann, Kurt-Gerhard (1981). ''Auszeichnungen des Deutschen Reiches. 1936–1945.'' (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Awards established in 1942 Military awards and decorations of Nazi Germany 1942 establishments in Germany Luftwaffe