Ritterkreuzträger with Panzervernichtungsabzeichen (Tank Destruction Badge)

The Panzervernichtungsabzeichen, officially designated the "Sonderabzeichen für das Niederkämpfen von Panzerkampfwagen durch Einzelkämpfer", was a highly prestigious World War II German military decoration instituted by Adolf Hitler on 9 March 1942 to honor individual soldiers of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who had single-handedly destroyed or disabled an enemy tank or armored fighting vehicle in close combat using hand-held weapons. The award applied retroactively to actions from the opening of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941 and was strictly limited to personal feats of bravery by infantrymen or close-combat troops employing infantry anti-tank weapons such as the Panzerfaust, Panzerschreck, Hafthohlladung magnetic mines, satchel charges, bundled hand grenades, rifle grenades, or Molotov cocktails; dedicated anti-tank gun crews were explicitly ineligible, as the badge emphasized individual initiative against superior armored threats rather than crew-served equipment. Initially issued only in a silver version for each confirmed destruction and worn pinned then sewn onto the upper right sleeve of the tunic, the badge consisted of a rectangular embroidered field approximately 88 mm by 33 mm featuring a blackened 42 mm by 18 mm silhouette of a Panzer IV tank on a silver background bordered by thin black stripes; on 18 December 1943 a gold class was introduced for the single-handed destruction of five tanks, after which the recipient retained the four prior silver badges while wearing the gold one, with additional silver badges added below subsequent gold ones for every further set of five destructions. Approximately 18,500 silver and around 400 gold examples were awarded throughout the war, with the most prolific recipient being Oberstleutnant Günther Viezenz, who earned an extraordinary twenty-one badges, often through repeated acts of extreme courage on the Eastern Front where Soviet armor posed a constant threat. The Panzervernichtungsabzeichen symbolized the desperate heroism required of individual German soldiers in the later stages of the conflict and remained one of the most respected close-combat awards in the Wehrmacht, distinct from the earlier General Assault Badge that had sometimes recognized similar feats before its creation.

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1 PANZERVERNICHTUNGSABZEICHEN

Leutnant Josef Glatz (1920-1991), known as "Sepp", was born on 3 November 1920 and died on 14 January 1991. During the Second World War he served in the Heer as a member of Panzerjäger-Abteilung 46, which formed part of the (44.) Reichsgrenadier-Division Hoch- und Deutschmeister. He earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, the Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen in der I. Stufe, the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, the Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber and the Panzervernichtungsabzeichen in Silber before receiving the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 7 August 1944 while serving as Leutnant in the I. Abteilung of Panzerjäger-Abteilung 46. On 12 January 1945, still holding the rank of Leutnant, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as Führer der 1./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 46 for his outstanding leadership and combat achievements in that role during the final stages of the war. His last rank remained Leutnant.

Source :
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonderabzeichen_f%C3%BCr_das_Niederk%C3%A4mpfen_von_Panzerkampfwagen_durch_Einzelk%C3%A4mpfer
https://www.tracesofwar.com/awards/98/Panzervernichtungsabzeichen.htm