Gendarmerie High Alpine badge

[JoeW]

Geez Gary, a little late to the party, aren't we? At my age, I have to think about what I was thinking about almost nine years ago. Pulling out my file on the Alpinist und Hoch-Alpinist Gendarmerie Abzeichens brings back some memories. .............................. Saris cited an unpublished order of 26.07.1938 as introducing these badges. I disagreed with his statement as well as with the inclusion of a Polizei Schi-Fuhrer badge of dubious authenticity and so wrote Patzwall. The unpublished citation is unknown, but we know the Austrian badges were created years befoe 1938, so his contention was incorrect. I believed that unpublished order concerned modifying those badges in the possession of Austrian Gendarmes. If the order concerned the creation of a new badge, then it would have been published, such as were the creation of the Bergfuhrer and Ski-Fuhrer badges. Something unpubished to me would be of a secondary, local importance, such as authorizing the continued wear of the badges if they were nazified...............................

I guess that explains the "evidence" of my opinion. Perhaps it is a bit more circumstantial than empirical.

Gary, I did forget a bit. Looking at the additional material sent to me from the Austrian Gendarmerie in the 1990s, I had forgotten a reference to the July 1938 order in the Winter 1994 issue of "Die Bundesgendarmerie". On page 27 of the article "Abzeichen, Plaketten und Gedenkmünzen der Gendarmerie" by Oberst iR Franz Hesztera, the unpublished decree was cited as requiring modification of Austrian Alpinist and Hochalpinist badges in order for them to be continued in wear. The citation continues with the description of the modification.

I would take this reference to the bank. Again, it contradicts the unsubstantiated Saris statement in the Patzwall article.

[Stan]

Great new information (for me anyway) Joe. Thanks for sharing.

My "Alpinist" badge with the white solid wreath shows a full size Austrian coat of arms shield beneath. My "Hochalpinist" with open wreath shows a cut down shield so that it isn't visible from the front.

Unfortunately, because of the wide clips for fastening, these features are very difficult to see let alone photograph.

Stan

[Stan]

I have now taken a couple of shots of the reverses. The Alpinist with the solid wreath clearly has the old Austrian shield still in place with the solid eagle device soldered on to it.

The Hochalpinist has had the shield cut away and a Polizei eagle device riveted in its place.

It is probably to make the process simpler that the solid eagle devices were introduced.

Stan