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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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KRIEGSMARINE
Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (1891-1980) was born on 16 September 1891 in Grünau near Berlin to Emil Dönitz, an engineer, and Anna Beyer, and enlisted in the Kaiserliche Marine as Seekadett on 1 April 1910, advancing to Fähnrich zur See in 1911 and receiving his commission as Leutnant zur See on 27 September 1913. At the outbreak of the First World War he served aboard the light cruiser SMS Breslau in the Mediterranean, which later operated from Constantinople against Russian forces in the Black Sea after transfer to the Ottoman Navy; promoted to Oberleutnant zur See in March 1916, he transferred to the submarine service, trained at Flensburg-Mürwik, served as watch officer on U-39, and then commanded UC-25 before taking over UB-68 in the Mediterranean, where technical failures forced him to surface and scuttle the boat near Malta on 4 October 1918, leading to his capture by the British and internment until 1919. After returning to Germany he continued in the Reichsmarine, rising through Kapitänleutnant, Korvettenkapitän and Fregattenkapitän, commanding torpedo boats and the training cruiser Emden before being appointed in 1935 to rebuild the U-boat arm in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles as Führer der U-Boote and later Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU), developing the Rudeltaktik or wolfpack tactics that concentrated multiple boats against Allied convoys. With the start of the Second World War he directed the U-boat campaign in the Battle of the Atlantic, achieving early successes that earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 April 1940 while holding the rank of Konteradmiral and serving as Befehlshaber der U-Boote, the decoration being awarded specifically for the outstanding successes of his U-Boote against the British fleet and Allied merchant shipping. Promoted successively to Vizeadmiral, Admiral and finally Großadmiral on 30 January 1943, he replaced Erich Raeder as Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine while retaining command of the U-boat force; on 6 April 1943 he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as the 223rd recipient, granted for his achievements as leader of the U-Boat arm and the associated successes of his forces, especially in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite heavy losses after May 1943 he continued to press U-boat operations until the end of the war; named by Adolf Hitler as successor, he became head of state on 30 April 1945, formed the Flensburg Government, ordered the German surrender, and was arrested on 23 May 1945. Tried at Nuremberg, he was convicted of crimes against peace and war crimes, sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment at Spandau, released on 1 October 1956, and lived quietly in Aumühle until his death on 24 December 1980.
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WAFFEN-SS
Source :
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q640988
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