Jon Fish's GPB

[Stan]

Hi Jo,

Another letter in my possession to the Gaugeschaefsfuehrung der NSDAP/ Franken refers to the request by Pg. Adolf Kunstmann for the late bestowal of the GPB despite his 3-Yr break of membership.

This letter, under the heading Mitgliedschaftswesen states that the request can only succeed with the " express recommendation of the Gauleiter or his deputy".

In the event, Klietmann received the AH GBP but the above line shows that exceptions could be made providing the Gauleiter or his deputy were supportive.

Stan

[Br. James]

It's an interesting subject, alright: Party Members holding numbers higher than 100,000 who apparently received the regular GPB! Here are four from Gau Thüringen who all held the GPB and whose names do not appear on Klaus Patzwall's list of recipients of the AH Honorary GPB:

128945 Ernst Bickel
128979 Paul Bickel
161554 Friedrich Bierwerth
242569 Arthur Behnert

I have no answers either!

Br. James

[ErichS]

[QUOTE=Jo Rivett;6307982]

Without a doubt those who received the Honor GPB s were certainly not regarded as Alter Kämpfer amongst the REAL old fighters/early members.

The same can be said for the 2nd pattern BO as well.

[der-hase-fee]

Gold Party Badges impressed with numbers over 100,000 were actually honor versions custom stamped with the recipient's issued party number instead of "A.H." and the date. They are pretty rare.

A nice badge to have. Too bad JP's things are coming to auction soon.

[sdesember]

Jo,

I think as long as one became a Party member early and received below 100k number, there might still be a chance for him to re-enter the Party, after leaving it for whatever reasons, and to still be able to receive a GPB. There was a Paul Färbert, an SS man, who became a Party member in 1928, received a number in the 97000s, resigned in 1930 due to economic hardship, reentered in 1931 and applied for a GPB in 1937 via the RFSS's intervention, and was granted the badge as well as his old number back. Färbert's used his early association with the SA since 1924 and his SS membership since 1931 as the only leverage in his appeal to the RFSS. He was only an SS-Hauptscharführer in 1937.

On another matter, I've seen some below 100k numbers in the Patzwall's "Ehrenhalber..." who also received the honourary GPBs. What gives? Why the double awards?

An honor GPB could, and was, given to anyone and their dog later, and has nothing to do with the initial reason for the award.

Without a doubt those who received the Honor GPB s were certainly not regarded as Alter Kämpfer amongst the REAL old fighters/early members.

Honor GPBs were given to many different people for many different reasons. To just say, salop, that there were many old fighters who left the party early on then joined again later and were eligible for the GPB is not correct. IF some of these people did get the GPB, -in this case you mention the honor GPB- then it was for a different reason, and not awarded to that individual for it`s intended purpose.

[Br. James]

Hi Sdesember,

"Paul Färbert" is first listed in the SS-DAL of 1937 and again in 1938, and in both issues he held the rank of SS-Untersturmführer. Both issues also show him as holding the GPB for NSDAP Membership #97066.

Klaus Patzwall's book on the AH Honorary GPB recipients does include a number of persons who held NSDAP Membership Numbers below 100,000, but those persons were apparently not eligible for the numbered GPB...probably because they could not substantiate that their original memberships were unbroken -- which was a major requirement for numbered badge eligibility.

Br. James

[Br. James]

Hi Erich,

"[QUOTE=Jo Rivett;6307982]

Without a doubt those who received the Honor GPB s were certainly not regarded as Alter Kämpfer amongst the REAL old fighters/early members.

The same can be said for the 2nd pattern BO as well."

I'm sure both statements were true during the period, but to the later Party Members or to the man-in-the-street who saw someone wearing a GPB or even a BO at an event, I doubt whether anyone would have taken the wearer aside and asked him: "Is that a numbered GPB or an honorary one?" or "Is that a First Issue BO or a Second Issue?" Both the BO and the GPB -- and the Coburg Badge, as well -- were outward signs of true loyalty to the NSDAP and to Hitler personally (even if the wearer was not a Party Member), and the public assumption would have been clear to all: this person should be accorded the courtesy and respect due to an Altekämpfer.

As we know, the great majority of the top military hierarchy were not early Party Members and some never did join the Party, and yet many proudly wore their GPBs on their uniforms...Honorary as they were! I've often wondered whether Sepp Dietrich -- who wore a numbered GPB -- ever went up to one of the other generals or admirals during a break at the Wolfsschanze and asked him whether he was wearing a numbered badge?!

Martin Bormann is another good example: he received his Second Issue BO in February of 1939, which meant that he didn't have to deal with walking toward the end of the procession in that year's 8/9 November Memorial March in Munich...because there was no march that year. The last Martyrs Memorial March was in 1938, with the war cutting such outside events to a minimum. But Bormann would still have attended Hitler's annual gathering of the Reichsleiters and Gauleiters at the Bürgerbraükeller in that and following years, and I wonder how he was accorded by the First Issue BO recipients on those occasions?!

Br. James