WWII NAZI GERMAN BADGE GROUND ASSAULT & DEMJANSK

WWII Nazi German Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht Badge lot to include 1) GROUND COMBAT BADGE. Late war, single piece, injection molded alloy construction, solid backed badge is in the form of a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath with a Luftwaffe style eagle, clutching a canted swastika in one talon, superimposed to the top center, encompassing a cut-out, dark, burnished matte grey washed cloud and downward striking, blitz style, lightning bolt. The solid reverse has an integral, molded hinge, a thin round vertical pin and an integral, molded, heavy catch all intact. The badge has no visible manufacturer’s markings, however this example is attributed to Anro Walpach. In late 1941 the first Luftwaffe ground combat units were hastily formed to help replace the massive loss of men on the Eastern front, followed by the formation of the Brigade Meindl consisting of five Luftwaffe Field Battalions in February 1942. As a result of the formation of these new ground combat units Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring established the Luftwaffe Ground Combat Badge on March 31ST 1942, for award to all Luftwaffe personnel who had distinguished themselves in ground combat. Certain criteria had to be met for award of the badge with the main criteria being three separate ground combat actions. Of Note: Since the Luftwaffe had excess personnel on September 17TH 1942 Göring announced the formation of new Luftwaffe field divisions also to replace the massive loss of men on the Eastern front. Due to the lack of training and poor performance in the field, of the twenty-two divisions formed, seventeen were either destroyed or disbanded before the end of the war. Also Of Note: On introduction of the Ground Combat Badge, Luftwaffe personnel who had been awarded the Infantry, Panzer or General Assault badges previously, were required to exchange them for this badge. Prior to the introduction of this Ground Combat Badge, Flak personnel who had utilized their Flak guns against land or sea based targets three times were awarded the Flak War Badge. These personnel also exchanged their Flak War Badge for the Ground Combat Badge. 2) DEMJANSK CAMPAIGN SHIELD. Die stamped magnetic sheet metal construction, scalloped sided, shield with a silver wash. The shield features an embossed, stylized national eagle with down-swept wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons to the top center, positioned above an embossed, defensive bulwark with the embossed script, "Demjansk" which in turn is situated above a face-on, likeness of an aircraft, flanked by crossed swords with the embossed date "1942" to the bottom. Reverse pins all present. The Demjansk Campaign shield was instituted by Adolf Hitler on April 25TH 1943 as the fourth, officially sanctioned, campaign shield and was intended for award to personnel who participated in the defence and the eventual break out of the besieged Russian village of Demjansk between February 8TH 1941 and April 21ST 1942. The shield was awarded to roughly 100,00 personnel of the 2ND Army Corps, Organization Todt, Russian volunteers, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe personnel who served in the area for sixty or more days, were wounded, or flew fifty flights over the area during the engagement. The shields were bestowed to eligible personnel by the Commander of Army Group North, General of Infantry Graf Brockdorf-Ahlefeldt and were to be worn on the upper left sleeve of the uniform with the color of the backing material to match that of the uniform it was to be worn on.