Ritterkreuzträger with NSDAP Golden Party Badge (Goldenes Parteiabzeichen der NSDAP)

The NSDAP Golden Party Badge (Goldenes Parteiabzeichen der NSDAP), officially known as the Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP, stood as one of the most prestigious political awards of Nazi Germany, authorized by Adolf Hitler via decree on 13 October 1933 and first bestowed on 9 November 1933 during the 10th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. Reserved exclusively for the earliest members of the party—those with unbroken membership and registration numbers from 1 to approximately 100,000 as of late 1933—it symbolized the elite status of the so-called "Old Fighters" (Alte Kämpfer) who had joined before the Nazi Party's rise to power, distinguishing them from later, often opportunistic recruits. Crafted in two sizes—a larger 30–30.5 mm version for wear on military or service uniforms and a smaller 24–25 mm variant for civilian attire—the circular badge featured a central black swastika on a white field encircled by a gold wreath, with the recipient's unique number engraved on the reverse along with the maker's mark (primarily Deschler & Sohn or Josef Fuess of Munich). Wehrmacht officers and soldiers who qualified through prior party membership proudly displayed the large version on the left breast pocket of their tunics, positioned below or alongside military decorations like the Iron Cross, reflecting the regime's fusion of political loyalty with military service; meanwhile, SS members, particularly in the Waffen-SS and Allgemeine SS, wore it more liberally on both uniforms and civilian clothing, as the SS embodied the party's paramilitary vanguard and allowed greater integration of political insignia. Worn by high-ranking figures including Reinhard Heydrich and various decorated frontline commanders, the badge not only conferred prestige and preferential treatment but also served as a visible marker of ideological purity and early devotion to National Socialism amid the total war effort of World War II, until its public display was banned following Germany's defeat in 1945.

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HEER


Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner (1892-1973) was born on 12 June 1892 in Munich and entered the Bavarian Army in October 1911 as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger with the Bayerisches Leib-Regiment, rising to Leutnant der Reserve by November 1914 and earning the Pour le Mérite as a company commander during the Battle of Caporetto in 1917 before continuing service in the Reichswehr. In the Second World War he commanded Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 in the Polish campaign and later the 6. Gebirgs-Division, for which as Generalmajor he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 April 1941 after leading a surprise assault that overran Greek outposts on the snow-covered Belaaica mountain, penetrated two bunker lines of the Metaxas Line, and on his own initiative captured the northern Krusa mountain, advancing toward Salonika in coordination with the 2. Panzer-Division and contributing decisively to the collapse of Greek and Macedonian resistance. Promoted to General der Gebirgstruppe, he took command of the XXXX. Panzerkorps and was awarded the Eichenlaub on 17 February 1944 for his skilful defence and evacuation of the Nikopol bridgehead under extremely difficult terrain and weather conditions beginning on 4 February 1944, ensuring an orderly withdrawal that preserved the fighting strength of his formations against relentless Soviet pressure. As Generaloberst and Oberbefehlshaber of Heeresgruppe Nord he received the Schwerter on 28 August 1944 for restoring the link with Heeresgruppe Mitte through Unternehmen Doppelkopf and for the subsequent stubborn defence in the Courland region, where his troops repeatedly frustrated superior enemy forces. The Brillanten followed on 1 January 1945 for his leadership during the late-1944 battles of Heeresgruppe Nord, including the successful withdrawal from Estonia and northeastern Latvia without major losses after the Soviet offensive of 14 September 1944 and the defence of the Kurland-Kessel in its first three major battles, in which Soviet assaults achieved only minor gains at heavy cost. Schörner later commanded Heeresgruppe Mitte, was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall on 5 April 1945, and was named Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres in Hitler’s last will; after the war he was imprisoned by the Soviets and later by West German authorities before dying in Munich on 2 July 1973.

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WAFFEN-SS

SS-Obersturmbannführer Vinzenz Kaiser (1904-1945), born on 28 February 1904 in Waltersdorf near Judenburg in Styria, Austria, and killed in action on 20 April 1945 near Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany, was an Austrian SS officer whose military career in the Waffen-SS spanned from the pre-war SS-Verfügungstruppe through major campaigns on the Eastern Front, culminating in the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for his decisive leadership during the Third Battle of Kharkov. After early involvement in the Austrian Nazi movement, including founding SA troops and SS units in Styria, arrests by the Austrian authorities, and flight to Germany as a political refugee in 1933, he completed training with the Austrian SS Legion at Lechfeld and advanced through various SS training and leadership roles before the war, eventually serving as a company commander in SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4 "Der Führer" of the 2. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Das Reich". On 12 March 1943, as SS-Hauptsturmführer and Führer of the III.(gepanzerten) Bataillon of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4 "Der Führer", during the bitter fighting to retake Kharkov, he found himself in a critical sector where the I. Bataillon of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Deutschland" had established a bridgehead in the first rows of houses in the Zalyutino suburbs after the 16. Kompanie breached a deep Soviet anti-tank ditch, only for heavy enemy counterattacks to threaten its collapse in the early morning hours. Rather than simply reinforcing the defensive line as initially planned while awaiting the arrival of tanks, Kaiser proactively decided to launch an immediate attack from the bridgehead with his SPW-equipped battalion to relieve the hard-pressed I. Bataillon "Deutschland" and expand the foothold; his bold initiative and personal leadership turned the situation completely, enabling his forces to push the Soviets back, advance to the railway station area, link up with reconnaissance elements of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" near the Red Square, and then pursue the retreating enemy in a Kampfgruppe of armored personnel carriers that inflicted heavy losses and captured approximately forty artillery pieces in the woods southwest of the city. Kaiser himself personally destroyed four enemy tanks at close range with handheld weapons during the fighting, earning him four silver Tank Destruction Badges, and his tremendous personal bravery, tactical decisiveness, and proven combat leadership were singled out in the recommendation submitted by acting divisional commander SS-Standartenführer Kurt Brasack, leading to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 6 April 1943 (the 1684th such award). He later rose to the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer, commanded units in formations including the 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Götz von Berlichingen", and met his end during a reconnaissance mission in the final defensive battles around Nuremberg in April 1945.

Source :
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q640988