Soldiers in the NSDAP

[Angel Farré]

I know that officers were forbidden to join the NSDAP, but also were banned to EM and NCO?

Cheers

Angel

[Ken Jasper]

Angel,

I never heard that officers were prohibited from joining the NSDAP. What is the source of your information? I ask because I have a photo of an army Hauptmann wearing the large Gold Party Pin!!

[Angel Farré]

According to several books membership in the NSDAP was forbidden to officers of the Reichswehr and that's why several prominent Nazi generals received the Golden Ehrenzeichen as a conmemorative decoration and were given a low number despite he joined the party at a later date, perhaps I have not been clear, I mean during the Weimar Republic, prior to the rise of the nazis, I say this because I have a group belonging to a oficer who jpined the Army in 1.918 and the NSDAP in 1.937 with the number 4.031.104 being a NCO, he also joined other Nazionalsocialist organitations in 1.937 so I wonder when this abn was lifted.

Cheers

Angel

[McCulloh]

I believe that it was illegal for active members of the reichsheer-even noncoms, to belong to the NASDAP. I have seen correspondence from a man who served in the RH from 1929-34 (?) who petitioned to get his old NASDAP number back (and his party gold pin), citing that he was not allowed to be a party member while a regular soldier. Party officials granted him a lower number, but not his original one. I don't know if he got his gold badge.
Cheers,
JeMc

[Seppl]

It was forbidden to be a Member of the NSDAP and the Reichswehr up to 1935. However, they were many prominent Nazis who served in the Wehrmacht: one being Baldur von Schirach who was a Leutnant in the Infantry & won an EK2 in 1940, he left the Army after Hitler appointed him Gauleiter of Wien, he wore his Gold party badge on his Army uniform!
The other notable Nazi was Gauleiter Siegfried Ueberriether of Steiermark, who a corporal in Dietl's Gebirgsjaeger and wore his Golden Party badge on his Tunic in Narvik, 1940.
General Remer told me that in 1944, it was encouraged for Army Officers to join the NSDAP, especially after the Bomb plot against Hitler. Remer wanted to create a 'Political" Army, to fight for a National Socialist Europe, as he said in speech in August 1944 which is also on a Wochenschau!
Servus,
Josef

[McCulloh]

Off the top of my head I can think of at least 5 photos where I have seen a non-com wearing a golden party badge. Also, any perusal of illustrated picture books of the Third Reich shows ample evidence that a number of senior Wehrmacht officers wore their gold party badges. SS officers and men of course wore theirs as 'party soldiers".
I have a picture of an traffic MP NCO on the road to Moscow in 1941-obviously a recalled WW1 NCO by his EK1 (1914) and EK2/HK ribbon bar (39 EK2 ribbon at the front buttonhole) wearing his golden party badge next to his SA sports badge.
Although I've seen lots of photos of land police wearing regular Nazi party badges-I've never seen a photo of a Wehrmacht soldier or officer wearing a regular party badge on their uniform-nor Waffen SS either to think of it. Interesting considering the number of photos I have seen and own where the Landser is wearing proudly, his Hitler youth badge.
Cheers,
JeMc
p.s. Since this thread began Jamie Cross has put up for sale a GPB Doc. and photo album of one Alois Bayer, NASDAP# 63,107 (joined @1928) who served in IR 576 in Russia. The photos show Untffcr. Bayer wearing his badge im Feld.