Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe

Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe
5th grade of the Ground Assault Badge
Type	Badge
Eligibility	Military personnel of the Luftwaffe
Campaign(s)	World War II
Status	Obsolete
Established	31 March 1942

The Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe (German: Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to Luftwaffe personnel for achievement in ground combat. It was instituted on 31 March 1942 by the commander-in-chief (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe) Hermann Göring.

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 lightning bolt strikes rough 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 medals or orders of the Heer such as Assault Badge or the Infantry Assault Badge, 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 four numbered grades were introduced on 10 November 1944 based on the number of combat operations.

• 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

References

• Doehle, Heinrich (2000). Die Auszeichnungen des Grossdeutschen Reichs. Orden, Ehrenzeichen, Abzeichen. (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-43-3.
• Klietmann, Kurt-Gerhard (1981). Auszeichnungen des Deutschen Reiches. 1936–1945. (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch ISBN 3-87943-689-4.