Exceptional WWII German Medals and Documents Group with a Numbered “25” Panzer Assault Badge

The group is comprised of the medals and award documents of Army Obergefreiter Eduard Hitzl of a Tank Destroyer (Panzerjaeger) unit. The group includes a numbered “25” Panzer assault badge with award document. The heavy solid badge is multi piece riveted construction. The badge exhibits a toned finish. The badge is an unmarked example, but it shows the typical characteristics of production by Josef Feix & Söhne (“JFS”).The corresponding award document is named to Obergefreiter Hitzl of the 1st Company of Tank Destroyer Battalion 152. The document is dated April 3, 1945 and it is signed in ink by the Battalion Commander. The document has old horizontal and vertical tape repairs on the reverse. The group further includes a 1939 Iron Cross Second Class, with a suspension ring bearing the LDO code of “13”, indicating production by the firm of Gustav Brehmer. The award document is named to  Hitzl as an Obergefreiter of the 1st Battery of Sturmgeschütz (Assault Gun) Battalion 270. The document is dated September 18, 1943 and it was signed by the Commander of Infantry Division 131, Lieutenant General Heinrich Meyer-Bürdorf, who was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross. The document is on a heavy stock paper and it has a horizontal fold line. Also included in the group is a 1939 Iron Cross First Class, which is unmarked but which exhibits the characteristics of production by the firm of Rudolf Wächtler & Lange. The black paint on the iron core shows age and a tiny bit if surface rust, with the silver frame have a dark and uncleaned patina. Overall the Iron Cross is in very good condition. The award document for the Iron Cross shows fold lines and old cellophane tape horizontally across the rear. The award document is named to  Hitzl as a member of the the 1st Company of Anti Tank Battalion 152.  The document was signed in ink by the Commander of the 1st Ski-Jager Division, Lieutenant General Gustav Hundt, who was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross. Also with the group is a stick pin reflecting the award of both the 1939 Iron Cross, First Class and Second Class. Also present in the group is Hitzl’s General Assault badge with award document. The badge is heavy, sold construction and it retains much of its silver finish. The award document is named to Hitzl as an Obergefreiter of the 1st Battery of Sturmgeschütz Battalion 270. It is dated September 18, 1943, and it is signed in pencil by the Battalion Commander, Major Karl Bergholz, a recipient of the German Cross in Gold. The document shows horizontal and vertical fold lines. The group further includes the Army Driver Badge in bronze, with the award document. The badge is in very good condition, with intact paper backing. The award document is dated September 29, 1944, and it reflects the award to Hitzl as a member of Panzerjager-Abteilung 152. The document was signed in ink by the Battalion Commander, Hauptmann Georg Vaerst, a recipient of the German Cross in Gold. Additionally, the group includes Hitzl’s military driver’s license, issued in 1941. Interestingly, the photograph in the document shows Hitzl in Kriegsmarine uniform. The group further includes a black 1939 Wound Badge, showing wear to the paint, primarily on the swastika. The reverse bears LDO code “L54”, indicating production by the firm of Schauerte & Hohfeld. Also with the group is Hitzl’s identification disk, an Army Obergefreiter chevron in excellent condition, as well as a post-war copy of a wartime portrait photograph of Hitzl, who wears the gray wraparound assault gunner’s uniform with M43 cap. On the back of the photograph are written Hitzl’s name and his birth and death dates, indicating that Hitzl was born in 1921 and died in 1998. The documents in the group show age, but overall the group is an exceptional record of combat service and in very good condition.