THE GERMAN TANK COMBAT BADGE OR "PANZERKAMPFABZEICHEN" WAS ESTABLISHED ON DECEMBER 20 1939 BY THE ARMY COMMANDER IN CHIEF. THE DESIGN OF THE BADGE WAS DONE BY FAMED BADGE DESIGNER ERNST PEEKHAUS (BERLIN). THE BADGE WAS AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR BY OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN WHO WERE ATTACHED TO ARMORED UNITS FROM 1 JANUARY 1940 AND SERVED IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS : TANK COMMANDER,TANK DRIVER,TANK GUNNER, OR TANK RADIOMAN.
THE "CREWMEMBERS" HAD TO SERVE IN THESE POSITIONS FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE (3) TANK ENGAGEMENTS ON THREE (3) DIFFERENT DAYS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS AWARD. THE PANZER DIVISION COMMANDER WAS THE AUTHORIZING AUTHORITY FOR THIS AWARD. THE BADGE WAS TO BE ISSUED WITH AN AWARD DOCUMENT.
THIS AWARD WAS INITIALLY ONLY GIVEN IN THE SILVER VARIATION,HOWEVER ON 1 JUNE 1940 THE BRONZE VERSION WAS AUTHORIZED FOR QUALIFYING MEMBERS OF PANZER-GRENADIER REGIMENTS; AS WELL AS MEDICAL PERSONNEL WHO RODE INTO COMBAT ON AN ARMORED VEHICLE TO ATTEND TO WOUNDED SOLDIERS. PERSONNEL WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO ARMORED CARS WERE ALSO AUTHORIZED TO WEAR THE BRONZE AWARD AT THIS TIME. THE "PANZERKAMPFABZEICHEN" WAS WORN ON THE LEFT BREAST OF THE RECIPIENTS UNIFORM.
IN JUNE OF 1943 IT WAS REALIZED THAT HIGHER VARIANTS OF THIS AWARD WERE NECESSARY TO REPRESENT THE LONG AND CONTINUOUS SERVICE OF THE GERMAN TANKERS. CONSEQUENTLY NUMBERED VERSIONS OF THE TANK COMBAT BADGE WERE AUTHORIZED IN "25","50","75" AND "100" VARIANTS. THE DESIGN WAS BASICALLY THE SAME WITH SMALL NUMBERED PLAQUES ATTACHED INDICATING THE LEVEL OF THE AWARD.
THIS WEB PAGE IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH ILLUSTRATING THE MAKERS OF THE BASIC AWARD, THEIR VARIANTS, AND FAKES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET AND TO HELP THE COLLECTOR REALIZE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE. IT IS MY HOPE, THAT ALL VARIANTS OF ORIGINAL EXAMPLES WILL BE IDENTIFIED ON THIS PAGE THROUGH VERBAGE AS WELL AS PICTURES. I WELCOME THE SUPPORT OF THE COLLECTING COMMUNITY AT LARGE IN SENDING ME PICTURES/DESCRIPTIONS OF ORIGINAL EXAMPLES THAT ARE NOT DISCUSSED ON THIS PAGE.
AS OF RIGHT NOW THERE ARE NINETEEN (19) ACCEPTED MANUFACTURERS OF THIS AWARD. THESE MAKERS MADE BOTH UNMARKED AND MARKED EXAMPLES OF THE BADGE. IT IS HOPED THAT BY IDENTIFYING ALL KNOWN MAKERS THAT COLLECTORS WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEIR UNMARKED EXAMPLES IN THEIR COLLECTIONS TO SPECIFIC MAUNFACTURERS.
THE MAKERS OF THIS AWARD UTILIZED VARIOUS TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE PAB. THE MOST COMMON METHOD OF PRODUCTION THAT COLLECTORS WILL FIND EXAMPLES OF IS THE DIE FORGED AND DIE CAST PROCESS. IN DIE FORGING THE METAL IS HEATED TO AN ELASTIC STATE AND TREMENDOUS PRESSURE IS APPLIED. THIS CAUSES THE VERY IDENTIFIABLE "DISHED" OR "SCOOPED" BACK BADGES WITH SHARP EDGES ON THE REVERSE OF THE BADGE. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS CURVED SHAPES TO BE MADE THAT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT IN USING OTHER TECHNIQUES. THIS PROCESS ALSO PERMITS MUCH LESS WEAR TO BE ACCRUED TO THE DIES INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.
DIE CASTING USES MOLTEN METAL FORCED INTO A MOLD UNDER PRESSURE. IT WAS MORE ECONOMICAL TO USE THIS TECHNIQUE IN THE LATTER STAGES OF THE WAR. DIE CAST PIECES HAVE SHARPLY DEFINED FEATURES AND SMOOTH BACK-SIDE SURFACES( AS COMPARED TO THE DIE FORGED PIECES).
WHEN DONE PROPERLY, THERE IS VERY LITTLE FINISHING WORK NEEDED ON THESE ONCE "EJECTED" FROM THE MOLD.
THE THIRD METHOD OF MAKING THESE BADGES WAS DONE EARLY IN THE WAR AND INVOLVED "DIE STAMPING" TECHNIQUES. IN THIS PROCESS A THIN SHEET OF METAL (BRASS IN THE CASE OF THE PAB) WAS PLACED BETWEEN A MALE AND FEMALE DIE AND THE BADGE WAS LITERALLY PUNCHED OUT OF THE METAL. THIS VARIANT WAS THE MOST TIME CONSUMING OF THE THREE (3) TECHNIQUES AND WAS PHASED OUT AS THE WAR PROGRESSED IN FAVOR OF MORE ECONOMICAL METHODS OF PRODUCTION.
1) F.W. ASSMANN & SOHNE OF LUEDENSCHEID.....THE ASSMANN FIRM, A PROLIFIC MAKER OF BADGES FOR THE THIRD REICH, IS KNOWN FOR THEIR DIE STAMPED VERSION OF THE PAB. MADE OUT OF BRASS SHEET AND HALLMARKED WITH THEIR COMPANY LOGO ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE BADGE.
2) HERMANN AURICH OF DRESDEN..THIS FIRM WAS NOTABLE FOR THEIR UNIQUE HINGE DESIGN. THEY MADE DIE CAST (SCOOP BACK) TYPE PABS. THE HALL MARK WAS ON THE REVERSE OF THE BADGE ABOVE THE CATCH.
3) GUSTAV BREHMER OF MAKNEUKIRCHEN... THIS FIRM MADE THE NUMBERED PANZER BADGES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS FIRM PRODUCED ANY OF THE "STANDARD" (UNNUMBERED) PIECES.
4) E.W.E. ...THIS FIRM IS CURRENTLY UNIDENTIFIED AS TO WHO THEY ARE. THE BADGES PRODUCED BY THEM ARE THE DIE CAST SCOOP BACK VARIETY. THEIR HALL MARK OF E.W.E. IS LOCATED ON THE REVERSE UNDER THE HINGE.
5) JOSEF FEIX & SOHNE OF GABLONZ... THIS FIRM ALSO MADE THE NUMBERED BADGES.
THEY DID NOT MAKE ANY OF THE STANDARD(UNNUMBERED) PIECES.
6) FRANKE & CO OF LUDENSCHEID...RECENTLY UNCOVERED MAKER. DIE CAST ZINC MAKER MARKED BADGES HAVE BEEN FOUND AND STAMPED UNMARKED HOLLOW BACKS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
7) FRANK & REIF OF STUTTGART...THIS FIRM MADE THE DIE CAST BADGES. THEIR LOGO WAS IN RAISED RELIEF ON THE REAR OF THE BADGE ABOVE THE CATCH.
8) FRIEDRICH LINDEN OF LUDENSCHEID...THESE BADGES WERE THE DIE CAST VARIETY.
THEY WERE FLAT BACK BADGES WITH THE LOGO ON THE REAR OF THE BADGE IN RELIEF
MIDWAY BETWEEN THE CATCH AND HINGE. MOST COMMONLY FOUND WITH THE '43 DATE.
9) C.E. JUNCKER OF BERLIN...THIS FIRM DID NOT PUT THEIR LOGO ON THE PANZER BADGES THEY PRODUCED. THEY ARE IDENTIFIABLE AS DIE CAST PIECES WITH THE TYPICAL "JUNCKER" HINGE AND CATCH.
10) RUDOLF KARNETH & SOHNE OF GABLONZ..PRODUCED THE DIE FORGED SCOOP BACK VARITIES. THEIR LOGO WAS FOUND UNDER THE HINGE ON THE REVERSE OF THE BADGE.
11) FRIEDRICH ORTH OF VIENNA..PRODUCED HIGHLY DETAILED DIE CAST EXAMPLES. THEIR LOGO WAS FOUND ON THE REVERSE OF THE BADGE UNDER THE HINGE.
12) A.D. SCHWERDT OF STUTTGART...OR ADOLF SCHOLZE OF GRUNWALD...PRODUCED THE DIE FORGED SCOOP BACK VARIETY AND THEIR LOGO WAS ON THE REVERSE UNDER THE HINGE, THERE IS CONTINUING DEBATE AS TO WHO IS THE MAKER OF THE FAMOUS "AS" MARK!
13) RUDOLF SOUVAL OF VIENNA .. A PROLIFIC MAKER OF POSTWAR COPIES ALSO MADE ORIGINAL PANZER BADGES. THESE WERE DIE CAST WITH VERY SLIGHT DEPRESSION IN THE REAR OF THE BADGE. THEIR LOGO WAS ON THE REVERSE IN THE CENTER OF THE PIECE.
14) RUDOLF RICHTER OF SCHLAG...PRODUCED THE DIE FORGED SCOOP BACK VARITIES WITH THEIR LOGO ON THE REVERSE,POSITIONED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PIECE.
15) ARNO WALLPACH OF SALZBURG..ALSO A DIE FORGED PRODUCER. THEIR LOGO WAS ON THE REVERSE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BADGE, MOST COMMONLY FOUND WITH THE 1942 DATE IN RAISED RELIEF.
16) E. FERD. WIEDMANN....OF FRANKFURT ALSO A MAKER OF THE SCOOP BACK DIE FORGED PIECES. THEIR LOGO ON THE REVERSE OF THE BADGE WAS LOCATED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PIECE. THIS MARK HAD FOR YEARS BEEN FALSELY ATTRIBUTED TO H. WERNSTEIN OF VIENNA
17) KARL WURSTER OF MARKNEUKIRCHEN...DIE CAST, WITH THE LOGO ON THE REVERSE UNDER THE HINGE.
18) HYMMEN & CO OF LUDENSCHEID...THE L/53 MARK IS ATTRIBUTED TO THIS COMPANY.
THEY MADE THE DIE CAST BADGES WITH THEIR LOGO ON THE REVERSE IN THE CENTER OF THE BADGE.
19) FRITZ ZIMMERMANN OF STUTTGART...UNMARKED, VERY SIMILIAR TO THE JUNCKER BADGES, GREAT QUALITY...CHECK OUT ARTICLE LINK BELOW!
