By staff
Title: Nazi-German Artifacts and Memorabilia, 1933-1945
Predominant Dates:1939 -- 1945
ID: RG-36/RG-36
Primary Creator: NSDAP, National Socialist German Workers' Party (1933 -- 1945)
Other Creators: Goverment of Nazi Germany (193 -- 1945), Nazi Party, agencies (1933 -- 1945)
Extent: 0.0
Arrangement: Materials are arranged by subject/creator, then by identifier, as assigned by the processor.
Subjects: National Socialist Ideology, National Socialist Symbols, Nazi-German banners, Nazi-German decorations, medals and awards, Nazi-German insignias
This Record Group is comprised of various Nazi-German awards, medals, decorations, insignias and like worn by the servicemen and civilians during the Nazi era. This Collection also includes a number of sub-collection relate to the attributes of the parade German uniform, namely knifes, daggers, saber, epaulettes, and like. There is also the sub-collection of various state and army Nazi flags.
RG-36.01, German decorations, awards, medals, and insignias
RG-36.01.01, 1918 Black Wound Badge. The lowest version of the Wound Badge, it was awarded to soldiers who were once or twice wounded in the line of duty and those who suffered from frostbite on the field
RG-36.01.02, A ribbon, Squadron Boelcke. Black with gold text in Fraktur font. This ribbon likely belonged to a pilot serving under Oswald Boelcke (1891-1916), a German fighter ace during the First World War
RG-36.01.03, Badges and pin with swastika. Black, red, white. The larger of the two bears the inscription “National-Sozialistische D.A.P.” (D.A.P. is an acronym for the “Deutsche Arbeiterpartei” or German Worker’s Party)
RG-36.01.04, Close Combat Clasp in gold. This award was instituted in 1942 to commemorate soldiers who had fought in hand-to-hand combat in close quarters
RG-36.01.05, Crimean or Krim campaign shield. “Krimschild” Bronze. This medal was issued to wounded soldiers who had served in the German army’s operations in the Crimean peninsula from September 1941 to July 1942
RG-36.01.06, Driver proficiency award in silver. Medal issued to capable drivers in the German military in bronze, silver, and gold versions
RG-36.01.07, Early SA (Storm Troops) belt buckle. Pre-War. Worn by SA members, the curved swastika is indicative of manufacture before the mid-1930s
RG-36.01.08, German African Corps buckle (DAK – Deutsches Afrika Korp). Worn by German soldiers in northern Africa, this buckle displays the inscription “Gott Mit Uns” or “God is with us”
RG-36.01.09, German Field Gendarmerie Gorget. Decorated with a swastika and bearing the inscription “Arbeit adelt” – “Work ennobles”
RG-36.01.10, German Military Epaulette, Wehrmacht. A tag attached to one of the items includes the name of SS Obersturmfuehrer Josten of the concentration camp Auschwitz
RG-36.01.11, Helmet, A page from old catalogue
RG-36.01.12, Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend) buckle. An eagle with a swastika is accompanied by the inscription “Blut und Ehre” (Blood and Honor)
RG-36.01.13, Insignia for a German military hat. Eagle with outstretched wings clutching a swastika
RG-36.01.14, Iron Cross, Second Class, with ribbon. Dated 1939. An Iron Cross on a red, white, and black ribbon bearing the year 1939
RG-36.01.15, War merit cross, First Class with swords (Kriegsverdientskreuz). Awarded to soldiers during the war, these medals signified wartime bravery and service which, though above the call of duty, did not merit an Iron Cross
RG-36.01.16, Iron Cross, First Class, pin back. Dated 1939. This Iron Cross was awarded for service during the Polish campaign of 1939 and was pinned onto a uniform rather than hung around the neck
RG-36.01.17, Iron Cross, Second Class, with ribbon. Dated 1939. The Iron Cross medal was a progressive award, meaning the Second Class medal was a prerequisite to obtaining the first
RG-36.01.18, Iron Cross, Second Class, 1939 Campaign. Dated 1813. The Iron Cross medal was established by King Wilhelm I of Prussia following the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon.
RG-36.01.19, Nazi eagles sewn to uniform. Several designs of eagles clutching swastikas
RG-36.01.20, Nazi flagpole topper. Metal (likely steel). A shovel embossed with a swastika flanked by two stalks of wheat
RG-36.01.21, Non-commissioned officer's steel buckle. An eagle clutching a swastika is accompanied by the inscription “Gott Mit Uns” (God is with us)
RG-36.01.22, Painted NSDAP (Nazi Party) Pin. Red, white, and black. The Party name surrounds a black swastika on a white background
RG-36.01.23, Police officer's dress buckle. A swastika is present along with the inscription “Gott Mit Uns” (God is with us)
RG-36.01.24, Russian campaign medal with ribbon. On the front, an eagle clutching a swastika. On the reverse, there is the inscription “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42” (Winter Campaign in the East 1941/1942)
RG-36.01.25, Russian campaign medal, front and rear view, 1941-1942. On the front, an eagle clutching a swastika. On the reverse, there is the inscription “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42” (Winter Campaign in the East 1941/1942)
RG-36.01.26, S.A. badge. A single sword is placed on top of a swastika, entirely surrounded by a laurel
*RG-36.27, SA badge with the inscription, Eigentum der Obersten S.A. Fuehrung, for the highest S.A. officials
RG-36.01.27, Second Class Iron Cross, with ribbon. Dated 1939
RG-36.01.28, SS badge for the SS Gruppe West of Frankfurt am Main, inscription Deployment on Section XI. Accompanied by a skull, crossbones, and an eagle with a swastika
RG-36.01.29, Tank Assault Badge. A tank beneath an eagle clutching a swastika
RG-36.01.30, Two Wound Badges, black and gold. The lowest version of the Wound Badge, the black version was awarded to soldiers who were once or twice wounded in the line of duty and those who suffered from frostbite on the field. The gold was the highest version available and was awarded to soldiers who had suffered extensive injuries during their duties (such as loss of limbs, sensory functions, and brain damage)
*RG-36.32, War Merit Cross First Class with Swords
Awarded to soldiers during the war, these medals signified wartime bravery and service which, though above the call of duty, did not merit an Iron Cross.
RG-36.01.31, War Merit Cross, rear side, 1939. Awarded to soldiers during the war, these medals signified wartime bravery and service which, though above the call of duty, did not merit an Iron Cross
RG-36.01.32, Wound Badge in silver. The intermediate version of the wound badge was awarded to soldiers who had received fairly substantial wounds in battle
RG-36.01.33, Wound Badge in black. The lowest version of the Wound Badge, the black version was awarded to soldiers who were once or twice wounded in the line of duty and those who suffered from frostbite on the field
RG-36.01.34, NSFK insignia (National Sozialistische Fliegerkorp or National Socialist Flying Corps). A winged man stands behind a swastika. The National Socialist Flying Corps was a paramilitary organization which existed before the outbreak of World War II and was technically forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
RG-36.01.35, Nazi Pin. A black swastika is flanked by stylized wings and surrounded by a semi-reflective red circle
RG-36.01.36, Ich Hatt Einen Kameraden Medallion (I had a comrade). Iron. On the front side, there is a depiction of a German soldier with a cut branch. On the opposite side, the inscription “Am Schmuck der Ruhe Staetten Unserer Tapfern Half Wer Dieses Eisenzeichen Nahm”, meaning “Those people who have this medallion have helped those belonging to our soldiers”
RG-36.01.37, Nazi-era Medallion. Dated 1937. A child is standing on top of a swastika-bearing eagle. Wear has made it impossible to discern any other salient details
RG-36.01.38, Red Nazi armband with black stripes
RG-36.01.39, Triangular badge
RG-36.01.40, Red and white Nazi armband
RG-36.01.41, White cloth with eagle and swastika patch
RG-36.01.42, Black armband
RG-36.01.43, Red Nazi armband with sticker
RG-36.01.44, Red Nazi armband with pin
RG-36.01.45, Yellow Deutsche Wehrmacht armband
RG-36.01.46, Red and white diamond Nazi patch
RG-36.01.47, Yellow skull and crossbones handkerchief
RG-36.01.48, Blue National Socialist Party pin
RG-36.01.49, Personal black ammo pouch with state emblem
RG-36.01.50, Skull and bones pin
RG-36.01.51, Metal swastika with two irregular segments
RG-36.01.52, Cross inset with diamond (or ersatz gemstone)
RG-36.01.53, Nazi eagle brooch. An eagle with a swastika, likely placed on the front of an officer’s hat
RG-36.01.54, Belt buckle featuring an eagle clutching a swastika
RG-36.01.55, Einsatzsturm der NSDAP
RG 36.01.56, Red Nazi armband. Nazi armband with red cloth, white band all around middle of armband with black swastika on white diamond background. Dimensionns- 15 3/4” x 3 7/8”
RG-36.01.57, German Military Uniform Epaulet with one Eagle and four Buttons
A red epaulet with one gold, swastika-clutching eagle and four small silver-colored buttons, each depicting an eagle gripping a swastika
RG-36.01.58, Nazi Clasp
An ornate golden clasp featuring a swastika prominently displayed in the center.
RG-36.01.59, Ribbon
(From center) Black, White, Red
RG-36.01.60, Ring of Fabric (Possibly Armband)
A strip of white cloth with the letters “Ung. h.” and the number 46025.
RG-36.01.61, Small, black, leather-covered box
A sticker on the back has the words “Hauptmuenzamt Wien” (Official Mint of Vienna)
RG-36.01.62, Nazi Officer Hat
Unknown rank, though likely Wehrmacht
RG-36.01.63, Metal Nazi Medallion
A swastika is flanked by two stalks of wheat with possible relation to RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst) (German Labor Corps.)
RG-36.02, Daggers, sabers, and parade arms
RG-36.02.01, Third Reich Paratrooper Knife. Eickhorn stamped "Butterfly" knife. This type of knife was invented pre-WWII and there are early examples of this type available. However, these were not issued to German troops during the war. RZM marked with M7/66/34/SS and SS-Streifendienst
RG-36.02.02, HJ Hike/Camp Knife (Fahrtenmesser)
RG-36.02.03, Dagger produced by Eickhorn
RG-36.02.04, Similar to combat bayonet (Seitengewehr). The bayonet was first introduced by the Imperial German Army
RG-36.02.05, Schutzstaffel Unslotted Stag Grip, Dress Bayonet (Seitengewehr) 3
RG-36.02.06, Schutzstaffel Unslotted Stag Grip, Dress Bayonet (Seitengewehr) 1
RG-36.02.07, Schutzstaffel Unslotted Stag Grip, Dress Bayonet (Seitengewehr) 2
RG-36.02.08, Most likely pre-WWII made dagger
RG-36.02.09, Nazi Solingen Dagger
RG-36.02.10, SS dagger donated by Rosenthal. Marked with “SS,” state emblem, and motto, “Meine Ehre heiβt Treue”
RG-36.03, Nazi-German flags
RG-36.03.01, Small Nazi banner. Red Nazi banner with white circle in middle with a black swastika on circle. Dimensions: 13 1/2” x 9 1/2”
RG-36.03.02, Nazi triangle flag
RG-36.03.03, Large Nazi flag. Large red cloth flag with swastika on white circular background
RG-36.03.04, Red Nazi podium hanging banner 1. Red cloth with swastika on white circular background, bottom lined with white fringe
RG-36.03.05, Red Nazi podium hanging banner 2. Red cloth with swastika on white circular background, bottom lined with white fringe
RG-36.03.06, Nazi triangular flag, paper
RG 36.74, Hanging red triangle Nazi flag. Red triangle flag with white circle ad swastika in center of flag on both sides, hanging on a wood pole held by orange rope
Accession number- 85.62
Dimensions- flag- 11 1/8” x 22 1/4”, wood pole- 12 3/4 “long, rope- 26”
RG-36.80, Red Nazi Armband (possibly party member arm band)
RG-36.87, Luftwaffe belt buckle
RG-36.89, Nazi Flag
Donated by Mr. Paul Ceidow in June 2012. Ceidow came to the United States from China at age sixteen. He served in World War II as sergeant stationed near Karlsruhe, Germany after having landed at Normandy. He does not recall the exact location where the flag was found.
RG-36.04, Nazi-German coins
RG-36.04.01, Reichspfennig Coin, dated 1932 (1)
RG-36.04.02, Reichspfennig Coin, dated 1932 (2)
RG-36.04.03, Two Reichspfennig Coins, Nazi Germany, dated 1937 and 1939
RG-36.04.04, Two Reichspfennig Coins. Nazi Germany. Dated 1939. Bronze-colored.
1.7 cm diameter
RG-36.05, Nazi-German paraphernalia
RG-36.05.01, Nazi paraphernalia, consolidated
RG-36.06, Lyle S. Bettger Collection
Provenance, Lyle R. Bettger, Atascadero, CA. June 26, 2012
Historic/Content Notes, The poster in this collection was torn from a storefront window in Munich, Germany on August 19, 1934 by Lyle S. Bettger. The date of the incident is handwritten on the reverse side, “Torn off store window in Munich, Germany on August 19, 1934.” Bettger and his band mates stopped off in Germany while providing entertainment on an Atlantic cruise from the U.S. to Europe. After a run in with German police, Bettger tore down the poster “due to anger toward the police and general contempt for the regime.” He then smuggled it from Germany. In the 1950s Bettger returned to Munich while shooting the 1954 film, Carnival Story. He returned to the same police station where his band mates had spent a night in jail during their 1934 trip. The station still stood, although completely destroyed, rat infested, and abandoned. Lyle noted the scene in the early 1950s stood in stark contrast to the intimidating environment of the 1930s.
Scope/Content Notes, This collection is comprised of a 22 x 31 inch poster of Adolf Hitler, as well as two photographs of Lyle Stathem Bettger and his son.
Organization, Photographs
RG-36.06.01, Adolf Hitler Poster (1). Torn from a store window in Munich, Germany by Lyle Stathem Bettger on August 19, 1934
RG-36.06.02, Adolf Hitler Poster (2). Torn from a store window in Munich, Germany by Lyle Stathem Bettger on August 19, 1934
RG-36.06.03, Photograph of Lyle S. Bettger, c. 1950
RG-36.06.04, Lyle S. Bettger and his son Lyle R. Bettger, c. 1995
RG-36.07, Oak Chest Poker Chips
RG-36.07.01, Photograph, Oak Chest of Poker Chips
RG-36.07.02, Photograph, Oak Chest of Poker Chips, Chips. Manufactured in Vichy France between 1940 and 1942. The poker chips are red, white, and blue and with swastikas and the French fleur-de-lys
RG-36.07.03, Photograph, Oak Chest of Poker Chips, Open
RG-36.08, Nazi-German rubber stamps
RG-36.92.01, General Government –
Two years anniversary of German power – Lublin – 26.10.1941. General Government was part of the territories of Second republic of Poland under Nazi Occupation. Lublin is the capital of the correspondent voivodship in East Poland, in the Garman administrative division it was named District Lublin
RG-36.92.02, SS-Totenkopfstandarte –
Dead Head Unit was responsible for the three major camps Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald. After the “Anschluss” a fourth Standarte (regiment) was established at the Mauthausen camp, which was called “Ostmark”
RG-36.92.03, Waffen SS –
SS combat army formation, generally in the form of a division
Waffen SS means military SS
RG-36.92.04, Administration of mail censorship - Gross-Rosen – R.L.
Gross-Rosen was a concentration camp in Lower Silesia, Germany. It became a province of Poland after 1945
RG-36.92.05, Police chairmanship in Danzig.
Danzig in pre-Second World War time was a Free City under the auspices of the League of Nations
RG-36.92.06, SA (Storm Detachments) of the N.S.D.A.P – 41 – location – Berlin. NSDAP is an abbreviation for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers’ Party)
RG-36.92.07, Criminal court – Breslau (Wroclaw after 1945) – 183/4
RG-36.92.08, SS Dirlewanger Brigade
SS Dirlewanger Brigade also known as SS Sturmbrigade “Dirlewanger” was an infamous military unit of the “Waffen SS”. This unit committed many war crimes. It consisted mainly of convicted poachers
RG-36.92.09, Waffen SS – Berlin
RG-36.92.10, Gren. Rat. 517
RG-36.09, Personal and official documents
RG-36.09.01, Soldbuch zugleich Personalausweis (SS ID booklet). Issued to Karl Meyer
RG-36.09.02, Urkunde booklet. Sports society membership booklet
RG-36.09.03, NSDAP membership booklet, Ludwig Hadler
RG-36.09.04, Certificate of Retention and Customs Declaration. Issued to John P. Jennings. Dated 5 November 1945.
RG-36.09.05, Addition to NSDAP membership booklet. Blank
RG-36.09.06, NSDAP membership booklet Karl Fritzsch
RG-36.10, Miscellaneous artifacts
RG-36.10.01, Red Star with hammer and sickle pin. A Red Star likely worn by a Russian soldier is embossed with a bronze hammer and sickle
RG-36.10. 02, Decorative belt buckle with the inscription “PALESTINE”
RG-36.11 Nazi-German Cutlery
RG-36.11.01, Fork and Knife Stamped with Nazi Insignia (Eagle and Swastika)
National Socialist Ideology
National Socialist Symbols
Nazi-German banners
Nazi-German decorations, medals and awards
Nazi-German insignias
Repository: Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Access Restrictions:
No restrictions
Copyrighted materials, credits to and references to the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust are required
Digital copies might be available upon request
Use Restrictions: Copyrighted materials
This ribbon signified affiliation with the Boelke air force squadron in the German Imperial Army.
Oswald Boelcke (19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to formalize rules of air fighting, which he presented as the Dicta Boelcke. While he promulgated rules for the individual pilot, his main concern was the use of formation fighting rather than single effort.
Boelcke was appointed commander of his hand-picked group of pilots on 30 August 1916.
A badge and pin with a swastika.
1.) The round badge reads "National Socialist German Worker's Party," and is a party badge.
2.) The diamond-shaped pin is related to the membership Hitler Jugend organization.
The Close Combat Clasp (German: Nahkampfspange) is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket. The clasp was die-cast and made of either tombac or later zinc, with a slightly curved and hand centerpiece consisting of the national emblem surmounting a crossed bayonet and hand grenade.
(Wikipedia)
Crimean or "Krim" campaign shield, Krimschild.
The Crimea Shield (known as "Krim" Shield to collectors) was awarded to German soldiers under the command of Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein who fought and captured Crimea (Krim in German) in between September 1941 and July 1942. The Crimea Shield was instituted on 25 July 1942 and was the most widely distributed of the shields with approximately 250,000 being handed out.
From 21 September 1941 until 4 July 1942 German soldiers faced severe opposition from the Russian army while attempting to capture the important Black Sea ports around Sevastopol.
This particularly difficult campaign was recognized in the form of the Shield.
A series of three Drivers Proficiency Badges were distributed in bronze, silver and gold. First introduced on October 23, 1942, with qualifications for award of the badges being retroactive to December 1, 1940. The criteria for award of one of the badges varied with exceptional driving ability and vehicle maintenance being the main considerations. The badges were awarded to both Wehrmacht and civilian personnel who fulfilled the required criteria. When awarded the badge was worn on the lower left sleeve of the field blouse and service tunic. This example, in silver, is the second of the three grades.
Stamped alloy construction. The badge is in the form of an embossed, circular laurel leaf wreath encompassing an embossed steering wheel on a pebbled background field. The reverse is a mirror image of the obverse and all four attachment prongs are intact. Unmarked.
Early SA, Sturm Abteilung (storm troops) buckle.
The Sturmabteilung (SA); Storm Detachment or Assault Division, or Brownshirts) functioned as the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Their main assignments were providing protection for Nazi rallies and assemblies, disrupting the meetings of the opposing parties, fighting against the paramilitary units of the opposing parties (esp. the Rotfrontkämpferbund) and intimidating Jewish citizens (e.g. the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses).
The SA was the first Nazi paramilitary group to develop pseudo-military titles for bestowal upon its members. The SA ranks were adopted by several other Nazi Party groups, chief amongst them the SS, itself originally a branch of the SA. SA men were often called "brownshirts" for the colour of their uniforms (similar to Benito Mussolini's blackshirts). Brown-coloured shirts were chosen as the SA uniform because a large batch of them were cheaply available after World War I, having originally been ordered during the war for colonial troops posted to Germany's former African colonies.
The SA became disempowered after Adolf Hitler ordered the "Blood purge" of 1934. This event became known as the Night of the Long Knives. The SA was effectively superseded by the SS, although it was not formally dissolved and banned until after the Third Reich's final capitulation to the Allied powers in 1945.
(Wikipedia)
German African Corps buckel (DAK, Deutches Afrika Korp) which reads "God with Us." Belt maker is Gustav Hermann Osang.
The Afrika Korps formed upon Adolf Hitler's personal orders on 11 January 1941. Hitler picked Erwin Rommel to be their commander on 12 February 1941 (Rommel himself landed on African soil in Libya on 14 February 1941 to begin leading his forces that would be brought into action). The German Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, OKW) and Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres, OKH) had decided to send a "blocking force" (Sperrverband) to Libya to support the Italian army. The Italian army group had been routed by the British Commonwealth Western Desert Force in Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941).
After the defeat at El Alamein and the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria Operation Torch, the OKW once more upgraded its presence in Africa by creating the XC Army Corps in Tunisia on 19 November 1942, and then creating a new 5th Panzer Army headquarters there as well on 8 December, under the command of Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim.
On 23 February 1943, Panzer Army Africa—now called the German-Italian Panzer Army—was redesignated as the Italian 1st Army and put under the command of Italian general Giovanni Messe, while Rommel was placed in command of a new Army Group Africa (Heeresgruppe Afrika), created to control both the Italian 1st Army and the 5th Panzer Army. The remnants of the Afrikakorps and other surviving units of the 1st Italian Army retreated into Tunisia. Command of the Army Group was turned over to von Arnim in March. On 13 May, remnants of the Afrikakorps surrendered, along with all other remaining Axis forces in North Africa.
(Wikipedia)
When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Feldgendarmerie were reintroduced into the Wehrmacht. The new units received full infantry training and were given extensive police powers. A military police school was set up at Potsdam, near Berlin to train Feldgendarmerie personnel. Subjects included Criminal code, general and special police powers, reporting duties, passport and identification law, weapons drill, self-defence techniques, criminal police methodology, and general administration.
All prospective candidates served at a Feldgendarmerie command after the first term of examinations. Courses lasted one year and failure rates were high: in 1935 only 89 soldiers graduated from an initial intake of 219 candidates. Feldgendarmerie were employed within army divisions and as self-contained units under the command of an army corps. They often worked in close cooperation with the Geheime Feldpolizei (English: Secret Field Police), district commanders and SS and Police Leaders.
(Wikipedia)
A gorget is a from the French gorge meaning throat, was originally a band of linen wrapped around a woman's neck and head in the medieval period, or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term subsequently described a steel or leather collar designed to protect the throat, a set of pieces of plate armour, or a single piece of plate armour hanging from the neck and covering the throat and chest. Later, particularly from the 18th century onwards, the gorget became primarily ornamental, serving only as a symbolic accessory on military uniforms, a use which has survived to the modern day in some armies.
(Wikipedia)
Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend) buckle.
Sign: Blut und Ehre- Blood and Honor.
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem.
The military decoration called the Iron Cross which existed in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire and Third Reich, was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on the 10th of March in 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars. The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War, World War I, and World War II. The Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who were awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class respectively for their actions as pilots during World War II.
The Iron Cross was used as the symbol of the German Army from 1871 to March/April 1918, when it was replaced by a simpler Greek cross. The Iron Cross was reintroduced as an award in the German Army in 1939 with a Swastika added in the center during the Third Reich in World War II. In 1956, the Iron Cross resumed its German military usage, as it became the symbol of the Bundeswehr, the modern German armed forces. The traditional design is black and this design is used on armored vehicles and aircraft. A newer design in blue and silver is used as the emblem in other contexts.
A Russian campaign medal with ribbon.
The Eastern Front Medal, (Winterschlacht Im Osten), more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front (World War II) during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942. It was commissioned to recognize the hardship endured by German and Axis Powers personnel, combatant or non-combatant, during the especially bitter Russian winter of '41/'42. It was wryly called the "Gefrierfleischorden" (Frozen Meat Medal) by Heer, Luftwaffe & Waffen-SS personnel to whom it was awarded.
(Wikipedia)
The SA Sports Badge was a decoration of Nazi Germany that was issued between the years 1933 and 1945. It was a political version of the much more generic German Sports Badge which was also issued in great numbers by the Nazis.
The SA Sports Badge was issued in three grades (bronze, silver, and gold) as well as a special version known as the "SA Sports Badge for War Wounded". The wounded version was implemented in 1940 for those military veterans of the Wehrmacht who had been wounded in combat and could no longer perform the physical feats required for the normal SA Sports Badge. The wounded version of the badge was designed with different criteria and only those rated with a disability could qualify for the badge.
Although originally designed as a physical fitness badge for Nazi stormtroopers, the SA Sports Badge was issued across every German military and paramilitary organization. Indeed, the SS held the SA Sports Badge in high regard, and many of its senior members, Heinrich Himmler, Karl Wolff, and Arthur Nebe among them, qualified for the decoration. The badge was also commonly issued to the Wehrmacht and was one of the few political decorations that the armed forces allowed to freely be displayed on a military uniform (other such decorations included the Blood Order and the Golden Party Badge).
By 1943, a similar sports badge had been created for non-Germans attached to the Germanic-SS. Known as the Germanic Proficiency Runes, this award was issued in two grades (bronze and silver) with similar physical tests as those required for the SA Sports Badge.
(Wikipedia)
SS badge: Gruppe West, Frankfurt am Main: Aufmarsch Abschnitt XI.
Inscription reads, "Deployment on Section XI."
The Schutzstaffel, translated to Protection Squadron or defence corps, abbreviated SS, was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP). It began at the end of 1920 as a small, permanent guard unit known as the "Saal-Schutz" (Hall-Protection) made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for Nazi Party meetings in Munich. Later in 1925, Heinrich Himmler joined the unit which had by then been reformed and renamed the "Schutz-Staffel". Under Himmler's leadership (1929–45), it grew from a small paramilitary formation to one of the largest and most powerful organizations in the Third Reich. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II (1939–45). The SS, along with the Nazi Party, was declared a criminal organization by the International Military Tribunal, and banned in Germany after 1945.
(Wikipedia)
The Tank Combat Badge, or Panzer Badge, first existed in the German Army during World War I, and was later issued again after the Spanish Civil War.
The World War I version showed a German A7V tank within a wreath surmounted by a Totenkopf ("death's head").
The Panzer Badge was introduced on December 20, 1939, in order to recognize the achievements of Panzer personnel who took part in armored assaults. It was designed by Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus of Berlin, and was instituted by order of Generaloberst Walther von Brauchitsch. On June 6, 1940, a separate class of the badge, in Bronze, was added in order to recognize the crews of armored vehicles other than tanks. The badge was presented in a paper packet with the name of the award printed on the outside. The award document that was awarded with it was the common type that had the particulars of the recipient (rank, name) and the authorizing signature of an officer. The Panzer Badge was worn on the left tunic pocket. The Bronze Panzer Badge was authorized for armored personnel and Panzergrenadier units equipped with armored vehicles. It was also to be presented to members of armored reconnaissance groups and rifle battalions of Panzer divisions. The authorization of these badges was usually done at a regimental or divisional level.
Two wound badges in black and gold.
Wound Badge (German: das Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military award for wounded or frostbitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied bombings, it was also awarded to injured civilians. It was ultimately one of the most common of all Third Reich decorations, yet also one of the most highly prized, since it had to be "bought with blood".
(Wikipedia)
The National Socialist Flyers Corps (German: Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps; NSFK) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that was founded April 15, 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the latter had been active during the years when a German Air Force was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. The organization was based closely on the organization of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and maintained a system of paramilitary ranks closely associated with the SA. A similar group was the National Socialist Motor Corps.
(Wikipedia)
Der gute Kamerad" ("The good Comrade"), also known as "I had a comrade in arms", is a traditional lament of the German Armed Forces. The text was written by the German poet Ludwig Uhland in 1809. In 1825, the composer Friedrich Silcher set it to music.
"The Good Comrade" plays an important ceremonial role in the German Armed Forces and is an integral part of a military funeral. The song has also become traditional in obsequies of the Military of Austria, the Austrian firebrigades and the highly prussianized Chilean Army. It is also used to some degree in the French Army, particularly in the Foreign Legion. When the song is played, soldiers are to salute, an honour otherwise reserved for national anthems only.
(Wikipedia)
It is a lamentation for a dead comrade.
Reverse of a token has a horizontal inscription in capital letters running in seven rows: “Those who have received this token of iron have helped with the adornment of resting paces of our brave ones”
The Hitler Youth Knife (German: Hitler-Jugend-Fahrtenmesser) was a knife sold to and carried by boys of the paramilitary youth organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1922 to 1945. The Hitler Youth wore knives as part of their uniform, which was very similar to the uniforms worn by the Sturmabteilung or SA. The knife was also given to those who performed exceptionally well in minor exams.
The Hitler Youth knife is mostly based on Mauser Gewehr 98 bayonets, except that it does not have a fuller (groove), and it is designed to be a dagger rather than a bayonet. Hitler Youth knives typically have an enameled swastika emblem on the obverse grip, and a Reichszeugmeisterei inscription on the blade. In early 1937, the motto Blut und Ehre! (Blood and Honor!) began to be etched on early knife blades, but this practice was abolished and later knives were produced with plain blades.
There are large numbers of fake and reproduction Hitler Youth Knives. After the war, an unknown quantity of Hitler Youth-style knives were shipped to the United States, made from mostly surplus parts, with the swastika emblem on the handle of many knives replaced with a fleur-de-lis emblem, similar to that used by the Boy Scouts. Knives of this style are still made for recreational use. Authentic models include a small leather swatch that prevents metal on metal contact between the handle and sheath, and have steel rather than alloy scabbards. Some fake scabbards also have a raised lip at the throat, unlike genuine ones.
The Hitler Youth Knife (German: Hitler-Jugend-Fahrtenmesser) was a knife sold to and carried by boys of the paramilitary youth organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1922 to 1945. The Hitler Youth wore knives as part of their uniform, which was very similar to the uniforms worn by the Sturmabteilung or SA. The knife was also given to those who performed exceptionally well in minor exams.
Steel knife with metal hilt marked RZM M7/28 1942 and black plastic grip with inlay; anodized scabbard with leather strap.
