Help With Paratrooper Awards

[Ron Weinand]

One of my neighbors is a German veteran paratrooper (6th regt.) who was wounded three times in France and Normandy. I was lucky enough to get his award documents (black wound badge, silver wound badge and Infantry Assault Badge). All dated in 1944 and signed. My question is: Why would a Luftwaffe Paratrooper receive an Infantry Assault Badge instead of the Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge? Since he is alive and I got the named documents directly from his hand, I know this was the award presented. Can any of you or any German collector answer this question?
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

[JohnC]

Interesting

Hi Ron,
What is the date he was awarded the Infantry Assualt Badge and what unit was it from? Pictures would be great too. I don't think its outrageous to say he could have been in a Heer or SS kampfgruppe and they awarded him the badge(?). It will be neat to see the documents if you can post them.

John

[Willi Z.]

Hi Ron,

FJs were also awarded the General Assault badge, with documents to match. I think I have seen Infantry Assault documents to FJs before, am just trying to jog my memory. Eric or Chris may be able to assist when they read this thread. Can you get a photo for us?

Willi

[Darrell]

Willi,

The Ground Assault Badge was instituted on 31 March 1942.

Any Luftwaffe member previously awarded either the Infrantry Assault, General Assault or Armoured Assault Badges was required to exchange the badge for the Luftwaffe Ground assault Badge.

P.209 For Fuhrer and Fatherland - John Angolia

Why (if awarded in 1944) would he get the IAB is a good question.

[Chris]

I think the application of this rule was sporadic. On page 2 of the Soldat Volume VIII book, for example, there's a photo of paratrooper named Herbert Reinersmann taken in late 1944 wearing the GAB.

[Willi Z.]

I agree. If you look at the portrait photos of FJs included in the book by Gerhard Martin, Fallschirm Pioniere in der Ardennenschlacht, you will see quite a few FJs wearing not only the GAB, but the Close Combat bar, while also wearing the Erdkampf badge. These photos are very late war, after Normandy.

I am still looking for something on the IAB.

[JohnC]

FJ wearing an IAB

I know this is a little late for this thread, but there is a photo of a FJ wearing an IAB on pg. 24 of the Kurtz book. This has been bothering me all week as I knew I'd seen it somewhere but couldn't remember. There is also one wearing a PAB in the FJR3 book. Does any one have pictures like this to post? They're pretty neat,

John

[Ardennes]

I was recently reading Martin Poppel's book "From Heaven to Hell: War Diary of a German Paratrooper" and he mentions his newer unit members being awarded the IAB. This was in '44 when he was a part of FJR6 and serving in France. I'll try and get the date and maybe a quote up later on.

[Chris]

Some time back, Eric posted this photo of Friedrich Lange (which belongs to me now) which seems apropos to this thread, so I'm re-posting it here.

[Willi Z.]

Chris, looks like he was the true founder of the Wehrmacht Awards Forum!

Very interesting shot, covers all of what we were discussing.

[Darrell]

What's the badge to the far bottom right?

[JohnC]

Badge Hound

Great photo Chris; thanks for sharing it. Obviously the question has been answered; an IAB document to a FJ (or a variety of other HEER awards) is indeed plausible.

John

[Ardennes]

Darrell -


I believe the consensus on that badge was that it's the Kreissieger, an HJ award

[Darrell]

Darrell -


I believe the consensus on that badge was that it's the Kreissieger, an HJ award

Ardennes,

Ok ... didnt recognize it .. thanks.

[Tony K]

There is always the possibility he "changed" jobs.