The Anti-Partisan badge (or Bandenkampfabzeichen, in German) was a wartime service badge of the World War II Wehrmacht that brought about a bit of intrigue and respect. The badge was for soldiers who fought against Anti-Nazi partisans.
The anti-nazi partisans opposed Nazi ideology and used guerrilla warfare to achieve their ends. They were usually citizens who would go about sabatoging Wehrmacht supply lines, troop movements, or destructing anything of relative value to the war effort. Therefore, the Wehrmacht committed soldiers in an effort to stop this resistance movement. Soldier's engaged in quelling the anti-nazi partisans could become eligible for this badge.
The badge was based on a point system as were most all service and war badges of the time. The points were how many days a particular "soldat" spent doing anti-partisan work, or how many flights a Luftwaffen pilot did in relation to anti-partisan work.
Three classes of the Anti-Partisan badge were awarded: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. A fourth class, Gold with Diamonds, has been rumored throughout many sources to have been created at the order and discretion of Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer der SS (head of the Waffen-SS) - but was never awarded nor documented.
The basic qualifications for each level of the badge is outlined below:
Bronze:
- Participation in 20 days of anti-partisan fighting, or
- Flying 30 operational sorties in anti-partisan actions
Silver:
- Participation in 50 days of anti-partisan fighting, or
- Flying 150 operational sorties in anti-partisan actions
Gold:
- Participation in 75 days of anti-partisan fighting, or
- Flying 150 operational sorties in anti-partisan actions
Even though anti-partisan warfare and the Wehrmacht's attempt to quell it date back to the early 40's in World War II, the badge itself was not instituted until January 30, 1944, at the order of the Führer himself, Adolf Hitler. It was, however, made retroactive so those who had previously met the requirements could be awarded the badge accordingly.
The badge itself was a skull at the base of the oval shaped wreath of oak leaves, all in the color of the award's level (bronze, silver, or gold). A vertical sword with a swastika on its hilt decended through the center of the badge (blade into the skull). The sword was enwrapped in a depiction of the Hydra, a Greek mythological creature. The hydra was symbolic of the partisans in this case, as it had five heads, and according to Greek legend, whenever a head was cut off, another would regenerate in its place. The anti-nazi partisans would often be beaten back, blend back into civilian populations, only to pop up again in another location.