Golden Party Badge

Golden Party Badge; Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP
	NSDAP Golden Party Badge
	Awarded by Nazi Germany
Type	Badge
Eligibility	Members of the Nazi Party
Awarded for	being one of the first 100,000 members of the Nazi Party
Status	Obsolete
Statistics
Established	1933
Precedence
Next (lower)	basic Nazi Party badge without gold wreath

The Golden Party Badge (German language: Goldenes Parteiabzeichen, officially the Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP) was a special badge of the Nazi Party. The first 100,000 members who had joined and had uninterrupted service in the Party were given the right to wear it (these were denoted by the party members' number stamped on the reverse). Other Golden Party Badges (with the initials 'A.H.' stamped on the reverse) were awarded at the discretion of Adolf Hitler to certain members of the party who merited special attention. An identical badge was awarded each year on 30 January to persons who had shown outstanding service to the Party or State.^[1],

Overview[]

Anni Winter Estate Hitler Golden Party Pins — Anni Winter Estate Hitler Party Badges

The Golden Party Badge was the basic Nazi Party Badge with the addition of a gold wreath completely encircling the badge.^[citation ^needed^] The badge was awarded in two sizes: 30.5 mm for wearing on uniforms and 24 mm for other use. The badge was associated with the Alte Kämpfer (Old Fighters) and those favored by the Führer, the Nazi Party elite. The Alte Kämpfer, also referred to as the "Golden Pheasants", were those who had joined the Party before 1930. Those who joined after its electoral breakthrough in the September 1930 Reichstag elections were referred to by the Alte Kämpfer with the put-down of Septemberlinge ("little September people"). After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, there was a rush of applications from Germans to join the Party, and the old guard regarded these new members with contempt, seeing their applications as more opportunistic than idealistic. The basic Nazi Party badge, without a gold wreath, as worn by the newer members, was sarcastically referred to by the old guard as the Angstbrosche (Badges of Fearfulness).

The only makers of the Golden Party Badge were the firms Joseph Fuess and Deschler & Sohn, both located in Munich.

Adolf Hitler's own Golden Party Badge had the number '7' stamped on its reverse. There has been, however, an incorrect assumption that Hitlers Golden Party Badge was numbered '1. This belief stems from Hitler being reissued Nazi membership '1' during the reformation of the NSDAP in 1925. Additional claims that his badge number was '1' come from several US militaria websites, which cite a single article in the "Times in London” in 2005. The authors of the news article stated that his Golden Party Badge, according to Russian sources, was numbered “1.” The "Times" article also stated that the badge was stolen in 2005, right before being displayed at the State Archive of the Russian Federation Museum. The Russians reportedly explained that the guards thought the alarm was activated by a cat and this is why the break in was ignored. Oddly, according to the article, after the theft was reported, the Federal Security Service insisted the stolen badge was a copy. There are no known photographs from the Russian archives that show the reverse of Hitlers party badge as being numbered 1.

There are trusted accounts however, that detail the badge worn by Adolf Hitler was stamped number 7; one of which is from Hitler himself. In his biographical book, "Mein Kampf," he declared that his Nazi Party membership was number '7’. During the creation of his personal .750 gold Nazi Party Badge, it was stamped with number '7' and his facsimile signature. In 1970, this very same badge was sold to a prominent German collector. The sale, along with photographs, was documented in Klaus D. Patzwalls book, "The Golden Party Badge."

In 2004, Hitler's numbered "7" badge was auctioned by Hermann Historica, in Munich, Germany. The sale included written, sworn statements of authenticity by two persons very close to Hitler when he was the leader of Nazi Germany. These statements were made by Heinz Linge, Hitler's personal Valet and Reichs Press Photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann Jr., close friend of Hitler and son of Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, Sr.

In Linge's sworn statement, he explained that, as the valet responsible for dressing Hitler daily, he was able to verify that the special .750 fine gold, number '7' party badge was worn by Hitler from 1937 until his death in 1945.

An additional statement regarding Hitler's personal badges was given by his long-time housekeeper Anni Winter, also mentioned in Hitler's Private Will and Testament. Winter was arrested by Bavarian State Authorities for theft of Hitler documents and artifacts from his home in Munich. Winter claimed the items in question were given to her by Hitler. A court battle ensued which lasted over 3 years. Listed in a signed 1953 attestation of items given to her by Hitler, were his small and large pre-1937 golden party badges described as numbered "7".

Notable Recipients[]

Note - In the movie Schindler's List, Oskar Schindler is shown wearing the Golden Party Badge. It has not been confirmed that Schindler received the badge in real life.

First Mother of the Reich[]

In April 1945, literally minutes before his suicide, Adolf Hitler gave his own Golden Party Badge to Magda Goebbels and proclaimed her as the "First Mother of the Reich". Thus, technically by verbal decree, Hitler had in fact created a new grade of the Nazi Party Badge, although status as an official decoration was never recorded.

References[]

↑ Angolia, John (1989). For Führer and Fatherland: Political & Civil Awards of the Third Reich, R. James Bender Publishing, pp. 178-179. ISBN 0-912138-16-5

External links[]

Goldenes Parteiabzeichen Stenger Historica Inc.

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[1] Angolia, John (1989). For Führer and Fatherland: Political & Civil Awards of the Third Reich, R. James Bender Publishing, pp. 178-179. ISBN 0-912138-16-5

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