Assault troop badge

A wide variety of assault badges were produced by badge makers during the Great War. I included in an earlier post one of the general attack badges, a work of the Gurschner company. I believe this may have been the most commonly used version. But every major badge maker company producet assault badges. In this post, I will present another relatively more common badge. Based on the material and design, it might have been manufactured by the Brüder Schneider company, but there is no manufacturer’s mark on it. While the “sponge cake” shaped badge was similar in design and size to performance badges and was worn on the tunic pocket, the badge presented here is smaller and more suitable for wearing on a cap. But in wearing photos, we can also see it pinned above the tunic pocket.

Attached to the badge is a hand-drawn field post card, presumably a self-portrait. It depicts a storm trooper with equipment and a stylized storm insignia on his pocket. This drawing is quite rough. Based on the skull and the inscription, we can see assume that it is meant to be an image of a badge. Soldiers with a penchant for drawing often sent their works to their loved ones. They usually depicted a landscape or festive decorations, flowers and leaves. Portraits are rare. The relatively early dating of the picture is also interesting. In 1916, the organization of assault troops was still in its initial phase.