Type Badge Status Obsolete | Campaign(s) World War II Description cloth | |
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Eligibility Military and Waffen-SS personnel Awarded for successes achieved with a rifle as a sniper | ||
The Sniper's Badge (German: Scharfschützenabzeichen) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to snipers. It was instituted on 20 August 1944. Initially, it was only eligible to personnel serving in the German Army. Later, by order of the High Command, it was also made available to snipers of the other armed services, including the Waffen-SS.
Contents
The sniper's badge had three grades:
The enemy kills were counted from 1 September 1944. Close quarter kills made were not to be taken into account. Every enemy kill had to be confirmed by witnesses and reported to the unit.
Description
The sniper's badge was made of greenish-gray cloth, embroidered and oval shaped. It depicts a black eagle's head turned to the right with white plumage, ochre yellow-colored eyes and closed beak. The eagle's body is covered by three oak leaves and a left mounted acorn. The edges of the ribbon are sewn and the three stages are distinguished by a circumferentially sewn cord in silver (2nd class) or gold (1st class). The badge was worn on the right sleeve of the uniform.