A Bronze Grade Tank Badge Award Document to Battle of Dunkirk Recipient of the 4th Panzer Division

An award document for a second war German bronze grade “Panzerkampfabzeichen”; awarded to the “Gefreiten” (Private) Walter Koch of the “Stabskompanie/Schützen-Regiment 12” (as part of the 4th Panzer Regiment). It was issued in the field on August 17, 1940 (one month following the Battle of Dunkirk, during which the Division served in France as occupational forces), and is signed by the General Major and Division Commander Johann Joachim Stever in pencil. The document is also stamped with a clearly legible seal of the “4. Panzer Division”; measuring 277 mm x 210mm; with creases from folding and very faint wrinkles, but overall extremely fine condition. (C: 163)

Footnote: The Schützen Regiment 12 was established on April 1, 1938 and was integrated into the 4th Panzer Division in November of the same year. At the beginning of the Invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, it was one of the first divisions to cross the border into Poland as part of Army Group South, equipped with 340 tanks, including 183 Panzer I, 130 Panzer II, 12 Panzer IV, and 16 support vehicles. It broke through Polish lines in Klobuck and reached Warsaw on September 8th in an attempt to overthrow the city by surprise. The attack failed, resulting in heavy casualties. The 4th Panzer Division was reinforced by the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte A.H., and a renewed attack was launched. Again, the Germans were forced to retreat. The 4th Panzer Division was relocated to the Battle of France, where it fought against the British Expeditionary Force at the Battle of Dunkirk under the command of General Major and Division Commander (June 8, 1940 - July 24, 1940) Johann Joachim Stever, the signator of this Panzer Badge document. Following the cease fire at Dunkirk, the 4th Division served for several months in France as an occupational force until it was ordered to withdraw to resupply. On June 22, 1941, the 4th Panzer Division took part in the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa where it spearheaded one of the pincer movements to the destroy a large Soviet force at the Battle of Minsk, where it took approximately 300,000 prisoners. In September 1941, it was attached to Army Group Center where it attacked Moscow on September 39, 194, where the out-gunned Panzer IV were forced to fight at the cost of heavy losses against the Russian T-34. Reduced to only 50 tanks, the Division reached Tula, where it sought refuge from the increasing seasonal rains. Although not equipped for winter warfare, it was ordered to defend a stretch of front near Moscow, where it was reduced to only 25 operational tanks. With its remaining forces, it fought in the Battle of Orel and at the failed Battle of Kursk, later retreating to Bobrysk. It was later cut off by Soviet troops and destroyed by Soviet offensives between April-May 1945.