DDR Unknown piece

[Alex K]

Hi I found this hanging from a bush!! in East Berlin in the early 1970's, I kid you not, I havn't a clue what it is, does anyone else know??

thanks

Alex

[Kev in Deva]

Hi I found this hanging from a bush!! in East Berlin in the early 1970's, I kid you not, I havn't a clue what it is, does anyone else know??

thanks

Alex

A D.D.R. Freindship Medal from the F.D.J. litteral translation "Free German Young Folk"

Patriotic award.

Kevin in Deva

Edited July 1, 2007 by Kev in Deva

[speedytop]

Hi Alex,

it is the peace medal (Friedensmedaille) of the FDJ 1950.

On your medal the blue enamelled bar is missing.

See the award document.

The inscription on the medal is "peace kontingent of the German youth (01.07.-01.11.1950)"

Regards

Uwe

[Alex K]

Hi gentlemen, great info, thanks, I thought that it might have been suspended from a piece of ribbon, but it's obviously a brooch type of fastener

regards

Alex

[Guest Rick Research]

They slide on and off of little tabs/"hooks" on those awkward "bow tie" ribbons. Weird, since there is no way to WEAR the ribbons alone as ribbon bars, in any kind of group.

[Alex K]

I assume therefore that it was obviously not a military decoration but a civil award. It is very light in weight, aluminium or similar alloy, very similar to many soviet block currency coins of the time

[Guest Rick Research]

FDJ was their youth organization. Though I've got a 1980s Soviet General's tunic with FDJ "honor" awards, it looks like yours must have been some sort of "youth congress" meeting badge. Since it was ONLY awarded in 1950, you've got about as early an "early" DDR badge as can be.

My 1970s DDR published reference on their awards is very sketchy on this and a couple of other badges that seem to have been either not-quite Official Decorations or cthings considered One Offs and so of no ongoing mention.

Stalin's cheerful visage wouldn't have been very popular from 1956 on, either.

[Alex K]

Thanks for the info. I assume the other guy with stalin, is Roosevelt, why would he be on a 1950 piece when he was no longer around?

Alex

[speedytop]

Hi,

it is a civil FDJ decoration.

It was awarded only to the best FDJ men.

Roosevelt is good , but I think, it is Genosse Wilhelm Pieck, the president of the DDR.

In Bartel, DDR-Spezialkatalog 1949-1990, edited 1998, you can find it at No. 2482.

I think, that they often lost the medal, because the hanger for the medal ist badly soldered.

It is not a common decoration like Kollektiv or Aktivist of the socialist labour.

There are two different medals, one made of aluminium (less value), the other of Bronze.

You can wear the brooch without the medal, it is separable.

Regards

Uwe

Edited July 2, 2007 by speedytop

[Alex K]

Hi Uwe, thanks for correcting me on Roosevelt, It just looked like him. Wilhelm Pieck would make more sense. I think my piece is aluminium as it's too light for bronze although it has a bronze look to it. I must try to keep an eye open for the suspension device.

regards

Alex

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Alex,

This flag represents the FDJ association and is currently up for grabs on Ebay USA:

http://cgi.ebay.com/East-German-FDJ-Flag-B...1QQcmdZViewItem

Kevin in Deva

[Alex K]

Hi Kevin that's a nice flag to have on the wall in the bedroom As the FDJ was primarily an early 1950's organization, I assume that it is now quite old, or did the FDJ continue throughout the existence of the DDR?

regards

Alex

edit, spelling mistake!

Edited July 2, 2007 by Alex K

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Alex

if you look at the flag, its blue colour mirrors the blue enamelof the bar the medal hangs from,

with regards the exsistence dates of the group itself I have to be honest and say I have no idea,

hopefully Uwe can fill us in on it.

Kevin in Deva.

[Alex K]

Hi kevin, yes just noticed that the blue colour is the same as the actual medal bar, I'll keep an eye open just in case a bar presents itself. It would be nice to re-unite them and so restore the decoration to what it must have looked like once.

Alex

[speedytop]

Hi,

the Freie Deutsche Jugend FDJ in the DDR/GDR was a mass organization like the Hitlerjugend HJ in the TR.

Existence from 1946 to 1990.

Children aged 6 -14 years were organized in the "Pionierorganisation Ernst Th?lmann", Junge Pioniere JP (!981 1,6 million members).

The youth aged 14 to max. 25 years was organized in the FDJ (1981 2,3 million members).

There were hundreds of decorations, medals and badges in both organizations.

Regards

Uwe

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

We speak of the FDJ very seldom on this forum when, as Uwe says, it was one of the largest mass organizations in the DDR. Here are some FDJ pictures to add to this thread.

First, an FDJ short with a badge for an celebrating the 20th year of the DDR.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited July 3, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

A close up of the event badge.

[Gordon Craig]

Another FDJ flag. This one is for a Best unit.

Edited July 3, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Guest Rick Research]

And sometimes the FDJ awards show up on very old and very odd boys indeed. Here are TWO on the ribbon bar of a 1970s Soviet Guards Major General and graduate of the Lenin Military Political Academy who from all his other highly unusual DDR ribbons, must have been some sort of supervisory Commissar monitoring the "younger brothers"--

[Alex K]

This is all very interesting

Alex

[Paul R]

And sometimes the FDJ awards show up on very old and very odd boys indeed. Here are TWO on the ribbon bar of a 1970s Soviet Guards Major General and graduate of the Lenin Military Political Academy who from all his other highly unusual DDR ribbons, must have been some sort of supervisory Commissar monitoring the "younger brothers"--

I have never seen such a mixed bar!! Very odd!

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gents

The following FDJ items are on Ebay at the moment,

I attach pictures for reference:

Kevin in Deva

[Kev in Deva]

Kevin in Deva.

[Kev in Deva]

Kevin in Deva

[Kev in Deva]

Kevin in Deva