Golden Party Badge
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The Golden Party Badge was a special badge of the Nazi Party. It was worn by the first one hundred thousand members of the party (these were denoted by the party members' number stamped on the reverse), and by other individuals at the discretion of Adolf Hitler (these badges had the initials 'A.H.' stamped on the reverse).
The Golden Party Badge was the basic Nazi Party Badge with the addition of a gold wreath completely encircling the badge. The badge was awarded in two sizes: 38 mm for uniforms and 25 mm for civilian jackets.
It was because of this badge that the nickname "Golden Pheasants" was bestowed on its wearers (the Alte Kämpfer and those favored by the Führer: the Nazi Party Elite). After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, there were a rush of applications from Germans to join the NSDAP. The "Golden Pheasants" regarded these new members with contempt, seeing their applications as more opportunism than idealism. The basic Nazi Party badge that these newer members wore were sarcastically referred to as "Die Angstbrosche" (The Badge of Fear) by the 'old guard'.
Adolf Hitler's Golden Party Badge had the number '1'. He gave it to Magda Goebbels in his bunker just hours before he committed suicide. She called it, "The greatest honour any German could receive". It was awarded to her for being "The Greatest Mother in the Reich". [1]
The '1' badge was stolen from a display in Russia in 2005. The guards thought the burglar that set off alarms was a cat and allowed him to escape.[2]
The sole makers of the Golden Party Badge were the firms Joseph Fuess and Deschler & Sohn, both located in Munich.
[edit] References
- ^ Angolia J. R., "For Führer and Fatherland. Political and Civil Awards of the Third Reich", 1978, ISBN 0-912138-16-5
- ^ Times online
