Ritterkreuzträger with Schützenschnur (Marksmanship Lanyard)

The Schützenschnur, or Marksmanship Lanyard, was a proficiency award introduced on 29 June 1936 by the Oberkommando des Heeres for the Heer to recognize outstanding shooting skills among enlisted personnel. Initially established in four grades, or Stufe 1 to 4, it applied to Infantrymen serving in Infantry, Mountain troops, Motorized Infantry, Parachutists and similar units as well as to Artillerymen, replacing earlier Reichswehr sleeve stripes. On 17 October 1938 a revised version expanded the system to twelve successive grades and extended eligibility to Armored troopers of the Panzertruppe. The lanyard acknowledged demonstrated ability with the rifle, light machine gun, heavy machine gun, anti-tank weapon, 2 cm anti-aircraft gun, and the firing of infantry, artillery and tank guns. Constructed of wound aluminium wire, it featured a metal plaque at the upper end whose design varied by branch: early grades displayed a silver shield with the Wehrmacht eagle, higher grades added crossed swords and an oak-leaf wreath, while the uppermost levels used gilt fittings; successive acorns or similar devices indicated the achieved Stufe. Awarded exclusively to Mannschaften and Unteroffiziere, the Schützenschnur could neither be applied for nor worn by Offiziere. It was suspended from beneath the right shoulder strap and fastened to the second upper front button of the uniform, permitted on all orders of dress except the battle dress. Accompanying certificates formalized each award. Issuance ceased on 14 February 1941 with the intention of resuming it after a successful conclusion of the war, yet the decoration remains a distinctive emblem of Wehrmacht marksmanship tradition drawn from long-standing Prussian military practice.

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HEER


Feldwebel Herbert Barz (1916-2002) was born on 16 March 1916 in Hagen and entered military service in the Heer, advancing steadily through the ranks as Gefreiter from 1 October 1938, Obergefreiter from 21 April 1940 and Stabsgefreiter from 1 October 1942. Assigned as Richtschütze in the 3./schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 519, a Heerestruppe equipped primarily with the heavily gunned but lightly armored Nashorn (initially designated Hornisse) self-propelled tank destroyers armed with the potent 8,8 cm Pak 43, he served on the Eastern Front under Heeresgruppe Mitte. The Abteilung first saw combat near Witebsk from late December 1943, where it achieved remarkable success in defensive engagements against Soviet armor, claiming some 290 enemy vehicles destroyed by February 1944 at the cost of only six total losses. As the skilled gunner responsible for accurate long-range fire from the open fighting compartment, Barz contributed decisively to these results through precise targeting that exploited the Nashorn’s superior gun performance at distances often exceeding 2000 meters. During the catastrophic Soviet summer offensive of Operation Bagration in 1944 the unit suffered the complete loss of its remaining Jagdpanzer, yet Barz’s outstanding personal achievements as Richtschütze in the preceding intense anti-tank battles earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 July 1944 while still holding the rank of Unteroffizier; he was promoted to Feldwebel on 5 January 1945. Recognized as a tank ace for his cumulative destructions of enemy armored vehicles, Barz survived the remainder of the war and the subsequent years of reconstruction, living until 5 May 2002 in Murrhardt. His career exemplifies the critical role of highly trained enlisted gunners in the specialized heavy tank-destroyer formations that sought to offset numerical inferiority through technological and tactical proficiency on the Eastern Front.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Armed_Forces_Badge_of_Marksmanship