you will find everything you need to know here:
[link]http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_badges/heer/infantry_assault.htm[/link]
Infantry Assault Badge
Award Criteria
The silver Infantry Assault Badge was awarded to enlisted men, officers, NCO's of rifle companies (not in Motorized Infantry Divisions) and Mountain Troop companies. As mentioned above on June 1, 1940, the Bronze Infantry Assault Badge was instituted for Motorized Infantry regiments. To view the story of a recipient, please see the Rudolph HillebrandAward criteria was as follows:SILVER AWARD:
To have taken part in three or more infantry assaults.
To have taken part in three or more infantry counter-attacks.
To have taken part in three or more armed reconnaissance operations.
To have engaged in hand to hand combat in an assault position.
To have participated on three separate days in the restitution of combat positions.BRONZE AWARD:
To have taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults.
To have taken part in three or more motorized infantry counter-attacks.
To have taken part in three or more motorized armed reconnaissance operations.
To have been engaged in hand to hand combat in motorized assault positions.
To have participated on three separate days, in the restitution of a motorized combat position.The attacks had to take place on different days, in the event that they took place on one day only one "credit" was earned.
Close Combat Bar:
Award Criteria
The badge was presented based on the number of combat days as follows,
Bronze class for 15 combat days
Silver class for 30 combat days
Gold class for 50 combat days
Criteria for a combat day was as follows,All combat days in which the soldier had the opportunity to be close enough to "see the white of the enemy's eyes", use close combat weapons to assault the enemy man-to-man and be victorious.
Days in which the soldier was part of a mayor attack or assault, reconnaissance attack, defense of a position, or single messenger run.
These actions could take place in the front line or in the rear (against Partisans).
The initial combat days were established taking in count the uninterrupted time of engagement on the Eastern front since June 22 of 1941, or in Africa since March 26 of 1943 :
15 months = 15 combat days
12 months = 10 combat days
8 months = 5 combat days
This decoration was also awarded posthumously, in which case both decoration and certificate were sent to the next of kin. The Division commander was also able authorize the award to a wounded soldier who, because of permanent injury, would no longer have the opportunity to complete the minimum days, provided he completed the following,
Bronze Class - 10 days minimum
Silver Class - 20 days minimum
Gold Class - 40 days minimum
The Close Combat Bar was also awarded to members of the Luftwaffe, though it would later replaced by the Luftwaffe Close Combat Bar (Few is known about this badge, and no picture exist of its wear).
“I wanted to come to the Volga at a specific location at a specific city. By chance it carries the name of Stalin himself. So don’t think I marched there for this reason – it could carry another name – but because there is a very important goal... this goal I wanted to take – and you know – we are very modest, we have it already."
Adolf Hitler, November 1942
"Comrades, Red Army men, commanders and political workers, men and women guerrillas! It is on your perseverance, staunchness, fighting skill and readiness to discharge your duty to the country that the defeat of the German-fascist army and the liberation of the Soviet land from the Hitlerite invaders depend! We can and must clear the Soviet land of Hitlerite vermin."
Joseph Stalin, November 1942
If you want a realistic impression, try to avoid slapping dozens of awards on your tunic. They certainly shouldn't be used to fill up spare space.
http://www.ww2airsoft.org.uk/medals-and-awards/
Your awards should reflect your chosen impression. If you're an SS Mann then you'd probably have an Infantry Assault badge in silver, an Ostfront ribbon if you'd been to Russia and not much more. Contrary to what some people think, iron crosses and close combat clasps were not given away with every 5 gallons of Esso 
If you want a realistic impression, try to avoid slapping dozens of awards on your tunic.
Very true a spartan look is better, I think some basic impressions are very good because they look more "classic". However some of us cant resist the bling 
My way of doing it was to award myself awards for achievments at events, so my first game - no bling, my 2nd a ostfront ribbon for surviving the horrors of the battle of Minsk, Krim sheild for the Sevastopal game etc. Only 1 problem with this approach, Im soon going to look like the geezer in the picture in your article 
My fave is the Gold wound badge.
More than one source has said the most common reasons for the award for that badge was for brain damage, blindness or the loss of the family jewels.
How many do you see at re-enactments? More than you see blind or brain damaged reenactors, it can mean only one thing..... 
I know airsofters have suspected this condition in re-enactors for some time. 
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
Aye, I was only really asking for a clarification on the 'action' part of it, whether I should be getting a silver version of a badge or going for the versions with 25/50 on it, as it's rather late war and I'll be doing an impression of a unit that was in the thick of the fighting all the way through the war
Units who were constantly in action had pretty high casualty rates, so surviving 25 or 50 actions would make your middle name "lucky" 
