NSDAP long service award - in picture

[Stijn David]

Hello,

Well here is a detail out of a picture from my humble collection, it does show a (at this time unidenityed) Luftwaffe soldier with a rather interesting ribbon bar.

Check it out + feel free to comment as i am curious to find out what the ribbon's on his bar are

Cordial greetings,

[Stijn David]

Hello,

And here is the ribbon bar in its full glory => let the identifying start

Cordial greetings,

Edited January 26, 2006 by Stijn David

[Guest Rick Research]

That's the thing about NSDAP long services-- unlike others, there was no correlation between RANK and seniority.

This guy was also a reaaaallllllly old early Hitler Youth member as well.

[J Temple-West]

Don't ask me what the 1st ribbon is, but certainly a loyal "Party" member.. 10/15 year NSDAP, HJ, SA and Luftwaffe. He was in for the long haul.

[Stijn David]

Hello,

He was indeed already of some age => on his shoulderboards we can see the so called "Offz. Anw?rter Litzen", so he was in the running to become a officer.

Mayby he was already a HJ member (and later at some function for sure => hence the HJ award) at the early stage of the party + that can also explain his NSDAP long service awards.

What awards could rank before the NSDAP long service awards? , mayby that can give a clue into the correct direction?

Cordial greetings,

[Stijn David]

Hello,

When looking through my other pictures from this grouping i found yet another nit picture. And who did we find between his comrades?

Interesting to see is that the officer in front does wear the para badge as well as the Oberfeldwebel besides him (and that one does even wear a aerial clasp - transporters !!!!!!!!! ). And in the background we do find our glider party member again

Cordial greetings,

ps: glider troops where quite a strange mix it seems

[Stijn David]

Hello,

And here is the very same unknown party member

Cordial greetings,

Edited January 26, 2006 by Stijn David

[Gold Party Pin Guy]

I'd bet the first ribbon is the 1938 Austrian Annexation Medal, which was popular with the political types.

He does look old for a recently former HJ member. The NSDAP awards came out in 1940 and the HJ honor badge he wears was 1934. He was probably an HJ or NSDAP leader rather than a straight HJ member before taking up gliding in Russia. If you do the math - if he was an 18 year old HJ member in 1934, that makes him at least 24 in the picture, and he looks a bit older to me (mid 30s?).

[Guest WAR LORD]

Thre is another possibility, if we presume he is 30 in the picture, and this has to be taken after 1940. The date of the NSDAP Award. He was born 1910. HE COULD HAVE BEEN A MEMBER IN 1923, REJOINED IN 1925 and continuded until he was 18 joined the Party. Thus when the Golden HJ badge was introduced he would have rcieved it being a NSDAP Member. The badge could be confered if the member had outgrown the award but was a member of the Party or other related organisation within the Party. This timing would put him in military service in time for the Flower War medal 1938.

Edited March 13, 2006 by WAR LORD

[Stijn David]

Hello,

Thank you both for the information on how he could have won the NSDAP and HJ awards, very interesting to say at least !!!

he was certainly a hardliner IMHO, as otherwise he would never have earned the NSDAP long service awards. Iff i only could manage now to find out who he was

Cordial greetings,

[MattGibbs]

Quite nice and interesting pics.

It is likely he was an early member, but not early enough to qualify for the Golden Party badge, OR not continuous membership.

He may well have been a young leader in the HJ and thus recieved the Golden HJ badge for this service. It was not restricted just to HJ youngsters, don't forget up until the declaration of war he could still have been involved in the HJ as a leader. The whole set up of his badges is very nice.

As a glider pilot with those Fallschirm. is it likely that they are comrades in some way as of course they were not "just" paras but were also glider borne units as well!

I like those small ribbon bars for civil/party as well as military awards.

Best wishes

Matt Gibbs

[Stogieman]

I find that embroidered Glider Badge to be way more interesting!

[MattGibbs]

Stogieman;

Do you mean the one with the three gulls, the C classification badge? Or the glider pilots badge, very rare!

I thought from the pics the glider pilots badge was not an embroidered one?

If I am on the wrong track just say.

I did wonder if the C badge was a wreath of leaves around it, or just an embroidered circle.

If its the wreath one then I understand your reasons, but the "normal" version is quite common is it not?

interestingly in the first pic the guy above who you can hardly see appears wo be wearing a metal award version of the C type, it that the NSFK Glider bagde..??? If so that must be quite a rare pic of the award in wear.

Regards

Matt Gibbs

Edited March 29, 2006 by MattGibbs

[Stijn David]

Hello,

@ regarding the first picture : that is the Large NSFK glider badge to be seen (completely different then the C profiency badge)

Check out the following threads on these rarely awarded pieces :

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5177

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3523

Cordial greetings,

[MattGibbs]

Very smart in that case then. I did wonder that it might be the NSFK glider pilots badge, these are a smart award, I think the NSFK is sometimes a bit of a poor relation in the collecting world, but I guess it depends if you are in the know or not! I loved reading a book I got about the Horten Brothers for example. I like the NSFK table medals too! Thanks for the links.

Great pics!

Matt Gibbs