History

The Anti-Partisan Badge was instituted by Adolf Hitler on January 30, 1944, and conferred upon individuals who displayed courage while combating partisan forces behind German Lines. The combating of such forces was originally handled by the Army, but following the appointment of General von dem Bach-Zelewski as the Chief of Anti-Partisan Warfare, the task was taken over by the SS. The Badge could be conferred upon all members of anti-partisan units, not just members of the SS.

The Badge was conferred in three grades, bronze for 20 days of active service, silver for 50 days of active service, and gold for 100 days of active service. The definition of active service varied between the branches of the armed forces. For members of the infantry, active service was defined as every day that a partisan was encountered and engaged with in close combat. For anti-aircraft units, active service was defined as every day that the unit was involved in combat with a partisan/partisan group. For the Luftwaffe, the Badge grades were awarded for 30, 75, and 150 operational sorties. If an enemy aircraft was shot down, this counted for 3 sorties.

In October of 1944, naval personnel were added to the list possible recipients for the Badge.

The most prolific maker was C. E. Juncker. Badges made by this maker are easily recognisable as they have a semi-hollow reverse.

Badges attributed to Steinhauer & Lück have a flat back. To this day, attributing this type of badge to Steinhauer & Lück is unproven and solely based on circumstantial evidence.

Badges attributed to Rudolf Souval come in two types, a flat back type and a semi-flat back type. To this day, attributing this type of badge to Rudolf Souval is unproven and solely based on circumstantial evidence.

So far, only one badge marked “RK” has surfaced, however it is believed that more may surface in the future. This is the only maker marked type of the Anti-Partisan Badge. It is believed that “RK” stands for Rudolf A. Karneth, but it may instead refer to Robert Kreisel (both of Gablonz).