Tank Destruction Badge
| Tank Destruction Badge short: Panzervernichtungsabzeichen | |
|---|---|
|
Tank Destruction Badge in Gold and Silver | |
| Awarded by Nazi Germany | |
| Type | Badge |
| Eligibility | Military personnel |
| Awarded for | destroying an enemy tank with a hand-held weapon |
| Campaign | World War II |
| Status | Obsolete |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 9 March, 1942 |
| Distinct recipients |
Approx. 18,500 Silver Approx. 400 Gold |
 German Soldier wearing the Gold and Silver Award National Museum of Military History (Luxembourg) | |
The Tank Destruction Badge (German: Sonderabzeichen für das Niederkämpfen von Panzerkampfwagen durch Einzelkämpfer) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to individuals of the Wehrmacht who had single-handedly destroyed an enemy tank using a hand-held weapon. Anti-tank units were ineligible for this award. It was established by Adolf Hitler on 9 March 1942, but could be awarded for actions dating back to 22 June 1941 (the start of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union).
On 18 December 1943, a gold class was introduced that recognised the single-handed destruction of five tanks. A soldier could therefore have four silver badges which would all be replaced by a gold version upon the destruction of a fifth tank (to which separate silver could be added thereafter).
Variations
The tank destruction badge featured a blackened 42 mm by 18 mm Panzer IV tank attached to a 88 mm by 33 mm silver ribbon. 2 mm from the top and bottom edges ran a 4 mm black stripe. The tank was attached through the ribbon via three prongs which were then bent over a metal plate, and covered backing cloth or cotton.
The gold award was similar except for a gold bullion wire background with black horizontal stripes. Early awards featured a silver wash to the tank, but later versions show the similar blackened tank of the silver class.
- Silver - presented for each kill.
- Gold - for five kills.[1]
Notable recipients
| Name | Tank Kills | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Günther Viezenz | 21 | |
| Heinz Heuer | 13 | He destroyed 13 Soviet tanks during the Battle of Berlin |
| Adolf Peichl | 11 | |
| Eugène Vaulot | 10 | He destroyed 2 enemy tanks in Elsenau Pomerania in February 1945, 8 more in the Battle of Berlin |
| Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid | 7 | |
| Friedrich Anding | 6 | He destroyed 6 enemy tanks and 5 armored vehicles in Stadensen, 14 and 15 April 1945 |
| Hermann Dropmann | 5 | |
| Peter Kiesgen | 5 | |
| Michael Pössinger | 5 | |
| Johannes Lutz | 5 | He destroyed 5 US Tanks within one day during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest and received the Tank Destruction Badge in gold for that action |
| Bodo Spranz | 4 | |
| Oskar Wolkerstorfer | 4 | |
| Josef Beckmann | 4 | |
| Hinrich Ahrens | 4 | |
| Hans-Georg Borck | 4 | |
| Walter Kuhn | 4 | He destroyed 4 Russian tanks within 20 minutes and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for that action |
| Franz Bäke | 3 | |
| Ekkehard Kylling-Schmidt | 3 | |
| Urbano Gómez García | 2 | |
| Ewald Ehm | 2 | |
| Hans Dorr | 2 | |
| Sylvester Stadler | 2 | |
| Max Reck | 2 | Both awarded on the 18th of March 1945, just four days after the Battle for Ahlhorn. He was with the Division z.B.V. 471. |
| Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny | 2 | |
| Karl Auer | 1 | |
| Ernst-Günther Baade | 1 | |
| Rudolf Demme | 1 | |
| Heinz-Georg Lemm | 1 | |
| Werner Mummert | 1 | |
| Joachim Peiper | 1 | |
| Theodor Tolsdorff | 1 |
References
External links
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