The Coburg Badge

[JoeW]

Well, we know for sure that Hitler attended the 10yr anniversary in 1932 where he personally handed out the badges to the 436 or so recipients.

We also know that he attended the 15yr anniversary in 1937.

After that, the war was on so don't know if attended any of the others.

Inasmuch as this was an SA controlled award, Roehm would have been there with Hitler at the 10th annivesary celebration presenting the awards too as he rejoined the SA as commander in January 1931. Erich, is there any documentation or photos of this 10th anniversary? Or has it been shown already in this great thread?

[ErichS]

Inasmuch as this was an SA controlled award, Roehm would have been there with Hitler at the 10th annivesary celebration presenting the awards too as he rejoined the SA as commander in January 1931. Erich, is there any documentation or photos of this 10th anniversary? Or has it been shown already in this great thread?

Joe, there are photos of the event and they are posted on this thread by member Jeffhan but none showing the awarding of the badge. My period source regarding the awarding of the CB personally by Hitler, comes from Kurt Ludecke's book "I knew Hitler" published in 1937. Ledecke also mentions that party sent out questioners to recipients asking for 2 witnesses to vouch that they took part in the event. It seems that some were wearing the badge and not entitled to do so. The same reaffirmation was also done starting in the late 30's with Blood Order holders as well.

[JoeW]

Well if it was 1937, then Ludecke surely didn't mention Roehm in his book. Does Ludecke discuss who arranged the 10th anniversary?

[ErichS]

Well if it was 1937, then Ludecke surely didn't mention Roehm in his book. Does Ludecke discuss who arranged the 10th anniversary?

No, he just talked about the high status of the award and that Hitler personally awarded the badges. He was in prison when he received the questioner and named Eckert and Hitler as his wittnesses which he thought was funny. He does mention Roehm in the book but nothing related to the 10th anniversary. By the way, the book was written when he was already in exile in the US.

[Br. James]

Thanks very much, Erich and Joe. Since apparently there were no photos of the original CB Award Ceremony in 1932, were there any pix of the 1937 event that Hitler also attended? I checked Aaron Johnson's "Hitler's Military Headquarters" and you're right: Hitler was at his 'Wehrwolf' field headquarters in the Vinnizia area of the Ukraine from July 16 till October 30, 1942 and was fully occupied with events on the Russian Front.

Br. James

[ErichS]

Thanks very much, Erich and Joe. Since apparently there were no photos of the original CB Award Ceremony in 1932, were there any pix of the 1937 event that Hitler also attended? I checked Aaron Johnson's "Hitler's Military Headquarters" and you're right: Hitler was at his 'Wehrwolf' field headquarters in the Vinnizia area of the Ukraine from July 16 till October 30, 1942 and was fully occupied with events on the Russian Front.

Br. James

James, there is a clip on you tube of Hitler making a speech at the 37 anniversary.

[ErichS]

James, here's a guest book from the 37 anniversary that was postED earlier On this thread and sold by HH.

[JoeW]

Joe, there are photos of the event and they are posted on this thread by member Jeffhan but none showing the awarding of the badge. My period source regarding the awarding of the CB personally by Hitler, comes from Kurt Ludecke's book "I knew Hitler" published in 1937. Ledecke also mentions that party sent out questioners to recipients asking for 2 witnesses to vouch that they took part in the event. It seems that some were wearing the badge and not entitled to do so. The same reaffirmation was also done starting in the late 30's with Blood Order holders as well.

Erich, have you read the report of the 10th anniversary celebration by Schwede-Coburg in his book? There seems to be a difference of report from the Ludecke book. Was Ludecke's book in German or English? The way I translate the pages from 232-234 in the Schwede-Coburg book, it appears Hitler did not make the presentation to the veterans, that there were only 250 men presented with the Ehrenzeichen at that time, and that the presentation was made by an Oberst Hofmann. He was called the Gruppenfuhrer in the report. The presentation seems to have occured in a quiet garden of the Gesellschaftshause where some of the Coburg confrontation occured ten years earlier. Rosenberg was reported there, as were other senior SA and SS leaders.

But at the other end of town, the massive march and assembly of formations from all over Germany was occuring in the Coburg Sportsplatz where Hitler was to give his speech. After the speech by Hofmann, in which he stated he was delegated by Hitler to present the awards, the contingent of Coburg veterans headed off to the Sportsplatz.

[JoeW]

Schwede-Coburg explained the entire weekend celebration in some general details. Saturday the 15th was the arrival day and reception of all contingents taking part in the festivities. Coburg was a sea of flags, cheering the entry march of the Brown Army of the Fuhrer. On that evening, the 250 veterans of Coburg assembled in the Coburg Theatre for a speical production of the "Meistersinger". The men then traveled to the Hall of the Hofbraugaststatten where Hitler spoke ten years earlier.

The first to speak was another veteran of Coburg, Gauleiter Mutschmann of Saxony. He was followed by Hans Dietrich. The last speaker was Schwede-Coburg himself. The assembled group followed with three chears of Heil Hitler and the Horst-Wessel Lied. The evening was over.

Sunday began with a march of 18 000 SA, SS and HJ who had come for the Appell of Old Fighters. After breakfast, they marched to the Coburg Sportsplatz. At the same time the Ehrenzeichen presentation took place. The Schwede-Coburg book reported that a Stabsfuhrer Mayer was also involved in the presentation.

As I mentioned above, the 250 veterans then left for the Sportsplatz where they were cheered by the multitude assembled and took their place on the Tribune. The party formations were joined by 40 000 men and women to listen to Hitler's speech. Schwede-Coburg introduced the Fuhrer whose speech was reproduced in his book on pages 235-239. The chapter on the 10 year anniversary ended.

I would appreciate if others who have the "Kampf um Coburg" book could also review the pages I indicated above to verify my translation of the material.

[Br. James]

Dear Erich,

Many thanks for pulling up photos of that unique guestbook from the 15 Anniversary observation of the Battle of Coburg in 1937! What an amazing artifact that is!

Br. James

[JoeW]

James, here's a guest book from the 37 anniversary that was postED earlier On this thread and sold by HH.

Erich, did HH identify any of the signatures shown on the pages of the guest book? From where did the guest book originate? One of the hotels, a reception?

[ErichS]

Erich, did HH identify any of the signatures shown on the pages of the guest book? From where did the guest book originate? One of the hotels, a reception?

Joe, Ludecke was general in his description but stated that the Ehrenzeichen was presented by the Fuhrer to the veterans of the battle, so there is a discrepancy between the two authors.

As far as the guest book, there were other pages that I didn't post that had the signatures of Rosenberg, Grimminger and Hitler to name a few. It didn't say where the book was housed but my guess is that it may have been at this location.

[ErichS]

Here is a post card from the event or possibly later that I posted earlier in this thread. Note all the signatures of the Old Guard. I'm sorry to say that this card is not in my collection.

[JoeW]

Sometimes such discrepancies can be attributed to translations. Was Ludecke's book written in German and translated to English?

Was the building in the postcard the same as mentioned in Schwede-Coburg's recounting of the anniversary?

[ErichS]

Sometimes such discrepancies can be attributed to translations. Was Ludecke's book written in German and translated to English?

Was the building in the postcard the same as mentioned in Schwede-Coburg's recounting of the anniversary?

Joe, Ludecke spent many years in the US in the early 30s and his book was written in English. He wrote a very interesting chapter entitled " Were you at Coburg?" in which he describes the battle in great detail. He even wrote that Eckert not feeling well even got involved in a street fight.

The building pictured is where Hitler was head quartered during the battle and later was named the NSDAP House, Coburg so I think it's the same location that Schwede Coburg mentioned.