Infantry Assault Badge

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pzrwest
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by pzrwest »

If only one badge say the inf assault badge it would go centered on the left breast pocket. If 2 badges then the senior would be the centered badge and the other would be below it on either side of the pocket.
Badge loops were not applied at the factory as they would have no idea how many awards the wearer may earn. But as for the badge loops them selves I feel it was a matter of personal preference because you see them both ways with and with out
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Casbah Rock
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Casbah Rock »

Thankyou for that - I shall go and pin & sitch my first badge now ;)
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Franz repper »

Harold you are right in what you say NO loops were on the jacket from the factory they could be added by the unit tailor ,Take a look at this photo of a award giving the unit is SS nord by the way
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this guy has had a shit load of sewing
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leicanthrope
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by leicanthrope »

John Wilson wrote:What I'm thinking of right now is how many tunics left the factory with these loops later on in the war?
What about the awards that were awarded in battle, so the recipient could wear them at a parade? (wound badges etc?)
Surely the logical outcome would be if you got an award that there wasn't loops for, you would stitch them yourself?
(I'm just thinking about where the repro tunics have only got provisions for 1 medal in the centre of the breast pocket.)
Just from looking at the sheer variety of the configurations of loops that are on surviving tunics, I'd imagine that few (if any) left the factory with them. If it was a "one size fits all" operation, you'd expect to see loops for every position where a medal might possibly be worn, versus the rather specific look that actually exists.

It's one of those things where anyone with the slightest bit of coordination could manage their own loops. If you can sew on a button or a patch, it's insanely easy. It doesn't logically follow in my mind to assume that it was only done on dress tunics, simply because soldiers wouldn't have had time to do it in the midst of a firefight. Most soldiers managed to find time to brush their teeth and shave whilst in the field - they just waited for a quiet moment. There was plenty of boredom punctuating the bursts of hell.

http://www.reenactor.net/ww1/morsels/fisher/tunic-1.htm
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Jugendkrieger »

alles,

Again look at originals, German tunics never left the factory with badge loops, that is detail put on Sturm tunics, it is not about resources, it is a definite thing that you can prove or disprove. if anyone i can find me a picture of an original tunic with Factory applied badge loops I will eat my hat. again the majority of awarded combat tunics have seen have badge loops. Its the easiest thing to stitch ever, why not do it?


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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Franz repper »

Jugendkrieger wrote:alles,

Again look at originals, German tunics never left the factory with badge loops, that is detail put on Sturm tunics, it is not about resources, it is a definite thing that you can prove or disprove. if anyone i can find me a picture of an original tunic with Factory applied badge loops I will eat my hat. again the majority of awarded combat tunics have seen have badge loops. Its the easiest thing to stitch ever, why not do it?


Marc
Did I just not say the same thing some 2 posts before this one and Harold said the same and the good leicanthrope said the same so my dear Jugendkrieger calm down
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by pzrwest »

I found a posting on WAF forum of a panzer wrapper with the panzer badge that the man sewed either side of the wreath to the wrapper here's the link just scroll down to the picture of the close-up of the badges
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=287594
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Chris Pittman
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Chris Pittman »

The wrapper in the link above has the awards correctly attached with sewn thread loops. You can just see a thread loop at the top of the wound badge. The PAB is likely pinned through thread loops and then sewn on around the wreath to prevent snags. This is very unusual to see on an original tunic. It is extremely unusual to find original tunics with pin holes in the pockets where medals were poked through, the overwhelming vast majority of issued and worn original tunics I have seen (many with good provenance to prove they have remained in an original untouched state since the war) had thread loops for awards. I'm glad we have cleared up the absurd notion that loops were added at the factory. The loops on Sturm tunics are not sewn the way original loops were sewn, either! There was a certain method for sewing original loops, some were sloppily done but most were neatly made using the same method. The positioning of the awards could vary- a soldier with two pin-on awards could posiotion the second badge directly below the first; this is the most common configuration I see on tunics that are set up for two badges. The notion that badge loops were only used on officer or walking-out tunics is completely false. I have seen combat photos taken in the field that show empty loops where decorations fell off or were removed. I have also seen plenty of heavily worn untouched EM issue tunics with loops. I have seen tunics with pairs of holes in the pockets where badges were roughly torn off along with the loops, probably upon surrender. The book "Obergefreiter - Jager Battalion Light Infantry Division Pictorial Guide: Clothing, Arms, Gear, Personal Items (volume 3 of Last 100 Days E.T.O. series) by Bill Costley shows a badge that was bulled from a German uniform by Costley himself. The pin is bent; Costley says this damage shows the strength of the thread loops used to attach the badge to the pocket. I could go on and on. With more than 18 million men in the Wehrmacht, I am sure there were some that did not sew the loops. However, I am certain that most soldiers did.
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Franz repper »

Chris I think the idea of the loops coming from the factory is from jackets that are reissued after they have been repaired.I did have a photo of a reissed jacket with loops on it
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by John Wilson »

Maybe officers having tailor made garments are to blame?
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Sturmgeist »

Franz repper wrote:Chris I think the idea of the loops coming from the factory is from jackets that are reissued after they have been repaired.I did have a photo of a reissed jacket with loops on it
I'm pretty sure Sturm just did that so it'd be easier for SOME reenactors to pin their "self awarded" EKI on...
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Hans Gowert »

Sturmgeist wrote:
Franz repper wrote:Chris I think the idea of the loops coming from the factory is from jackets that are reissued after they have been repaired.I did have a photo of a reissed jacket with loops on it
I'm pretty sure Sturm just did that so it'd be easier for SOME reenactors to pin their "self awarded" EKI on...
heh, nicely put :)
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by FRAUNSWARM »

it is more than lightly when presented (if he didint have prior knowlege) by poking the award through the pocket. the recipatent would then in his much time of admin/ bordom stitch loops and sew it down more securly with thread in a few decreat places. never seen factory issued tunics other than repro come with loops pre done. an officers tunic may if he has asked for them by a private tailor. the highest award always took peferance on the pocket front ie if you had the wound badge only it would sit in the middle, if you was then awarded the sturmabzeichen the later being the highest it would take up the central position and the wound badge would move lower anti clockwise or 7 oclock as you look at the tunic.
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Peter Bauer
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by Peter Bauer »

Sometimes you see badges under the other, rather than on the side. Why?
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Re: Infantry Assault Badge

Post by FRAUNSWARM »

Yes you are right the awards can be worn one above the other but generally they would rotate anti clockwise so the lesser merited award ends up on the bottom right of the pocket (looking at it)
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