DDR ? The League of Useful Idiots

[Guest Rick Research]

This extremely thick, heavy, silver (?) pin caught my eye while rummaging through a Tupperware bin of miscellany at this morning's militaria show. It's 25mm square on each side and 3mm thick!

Around the meaningless stylized whateverthehell design on front it says in capital letters "F?r Verdienste Um die Freundcshaft der V?lker^." On the reverse "Liga f?r V?lker (the pin) Freundschaft der DDR."

I'm assuming from the quality of the materials (if not the design ) this may have been intended for FOREIGN ah "useful" Comrades.

The scan does not do credit to this. Patina comes out looking all icky and splotchy when this is actually a nicely toned looks-like-silver pin.

Or was this just another nominally "independent" front group in the DDR?

[Gordon Craig]

Rick,

The pin you have is the "Ehrennadel fur Verdienste um die Freundschaft der Volker. The organizations name is on the reverse of the pin "League for Peoples Friendship in the DDR". The award came in two classes. Gold and silver. The pin was made of bronze and a 23mm award from 1965 to 1967;from 67 to 87 it was a 32mm award. From 88 to 89 it was made of iron, nickle or a metal alloy. The 65-67 awards had enamel around the circular portion with the wording and in the dots on the obverse. The enamel was not used after these dates.

I don't have any info on the League itself. It could be for promoting friendship within the DDR as it does not specify promoting friendship with "auslanders" of any specific nationality etc. Just a guess on my part though.

Regards,

Gordon

[Guest Rick Research]

DOH! Knowing the precise name allows it to be looked up-- thanks! And there it is, Plate LXXX #8 and on page 197 of Bartel & Karpinski--

Model 1967, in silver, 32mm across at the points (check), no enamel.

It was SUPPOSED to foster "friendship between the DDR and other lands" though that would normally have led to arrest or a very thick Stasi file!

Thanks!

[Guest Rick Research]

And what they had to say about this in 1979:

I still can't figure out what the stupid design is supposed to BE:

George Lucas's inspiration for the Star Wars "Death Star" schematics, or the logo for Basketball-Skeet.

But whoever "designed" this is obviously still loose in the world making those unidentifiable automobile dashboard controls symbols.

[Ulsterman]

The most interesting thing about this item to me was the construction and the catch system. It mirrors-both in style, weight catch system and "feel", the early Ethiopian DERG council members' badges.

[Gordon Craig]

Rick,

The world symbol, in a stylized form, such as is shown on the badge you posted seems to occur in a number of places in the communist world where world festivals are concerned. I'm sure you know this already but what the heck! Here is another small badge, with a similar world design, for a Peoples Festival in Warsaw in 1955.

I'd would like to know the name, author etc. of the book that you got the explantion from gor the League for Friendship in the DDR. I would really like to add it to my library.

Regards,

Gordon

[Guest Rick Research]

I'd love to know what the random buckshot "holes" on the DDR Basketball Planet are supposed to "symbolically represent!"

Gordon-- my one and only source on DDR awards is

Frank Bartel (text) and J?rgen Karpinski (photos) "Auszeichnungen der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik von den Anf?ngen bis zur Gegenwart," Milit?rverlag der DDR, Berlin, 1979:

Virtually all the illustrations are black and white, making "sight" recognition of ribbons a matter of reading the text and... imagining shades. It's oddly organized and the "indexing" is simply stupid.

Other than that, the text is good, once you FIND what you are looking for... up to 1979.

[Gordon Craig]

Rick,

Thanks for the info. I've considered buying this book a number of times but never bought it because of the dates it covers. Seems I was missing a good thing. Bartell's later books are better organized although it helps to look at them a lot and commit some things to memory. I knew I had seen the small pin you posted in his book but couldn't find it through the index so it was page-by-page until I located it. As for the dots on the world? Someone probably has an answer and perhaps in time will say something.

Cheers,

Gordon