SS Leistungsrune

[Felix]

Patrick: You do seem to have a talent to find really nice pieces!

Zozole: Where is the time machine and perfect remake artist to join the line to get it?

Cellophane was certainly used, less common for badges though. Paper was cheaper, but cellophane looked more modern and fancy. A way of commercial. To save weight for a transport to Stalingrad is however not a likely scenario.
In my boxed and matching numbers Walther PP set, some cleaning things are inside a cellophane bag. With that said, I do not have any badge with original cello bag. However there was even some insignias that was delivered in cello.

//Felix

[Helbe]

Hello,

Before anything, we (Vincent and I) don’t want to start a useless war about this Leistungsrune, or the ones that we don’t like.
With the lack of confirmed info, we started working on this medal for a few months.

I have to apologize for my first “positive” statement posted in the first few posts.

We are working on a listing of “real” and “fake” Leistungsrunen, to try to work on the characteristics of the medal.
We listed them with a short name, usually the owner, the stores that were selling the medals, or the guy who posted it (and we don’t know if the guy is the owner). Some Leistungsrunen passed from hand to hand, but we tried to make a clear identification between all the medals.

In our opinion, this Leistungsrune (and at least two other ones we found pictures on the internet and are listed as “real ones”) is not good. Infact if you forget all the very poor fakes (with RZM marks, rivets etc), some characteristics found on this Leitstungsrune (and on the “Gladkov” and the “Tarnmilitaria” medals) are not matching AT ALL the characteristics of real medals.

You can check a Leistungsrune with more than a half-dozen of characteristics.
Nota: in our opinion, the major problem is the catch on the back of the medal. It can’t be used to confirm if a Leistungsrune is good or not.

We will start with a first characteristic, the points of the sun wheel.
We apologize about the various quality and size of the pictures we used. For now, we only compiled raw data, we will try to have the help of the various owners in the future. We want to thanks all the people that posted their Leistungsrune, and Patrick W who kindly replied to us.

You will find in the two first pictures the points of 20 Leistungsrunen (8 in silver, 12 in bronze) that are in our opinion confirmed as real ones.





Then you will find period pictures of the Leistungsrunen taken from issues of “De SS Man” [March 4, 1944 – silver and bronze ones, same picture of the silver one on the “Aufbruch” issue 8, 1944 – dutch edition] and “Devenir” [issue 2, February 1944 – bronze one] (you can check the various replies and topics we did on those SS newspapers).





Finally, we present you the pictures taken from the “Patrick W”, “Gladkov” and “Tarnmilitaria” medals.



It is quite obvious that the shape of the point is different. And we don’t believe in the existence of such radical differences (even more for a medal said to be made by one company, with less than 1300 medals awarded…). We don’t see the deal to have such different casting for the sun wheel. May the three Leistungsrunen (“Patrick W”, Gladkov” and “Tarnmilitaria” may be over cast copies?

We will continue to propose the other characteristics if you want.

I think that we must work on the Leistungsrune before claiming anything of the cello paper or any other sandwich bag…
If wishes were horses, then beggars might ride.

Loïc & Vincent

[jabnus]

Hi,

Very nice post but if i may say so, i think you overlook a few things. I think you are very wrong there was only one maker. I don't want to give away my own research yet as i want it published first, but there were definately more makers. Also differences exist among ORIGINAL runes!


Regarding bags, cases or celophane envelopes: those are not impossible but imo definately not the matter for all issued runes!

best regards,
Gaston

[octavian]

Perhaps i missed it in the earlier thread. What exactly sports wise was the SS Leistungsrune's awarded for?

[Glowlight]

The badge was for members of the "Germanic" SS who fulfilled a Police support role in flanders, Holland, Norway and Denmark was was the equivalent of the DRL and SA sports badges. It came in silver and bronze according to the level of scoring in running, jumping, assault courses etc. It was a difficult badge to obtain.

[Winkelman]

Among the many tests there was also an oral examination - plus the writing of an essay on National Socialism in 2 hours time ..

[C.Reinhardt]

Wow. That is an unbelievable score! Congratulations!

[zozole]

Himmler officially introduced the German Proficiency Runes on 15August 1943. It was instituted in two grades, bronze and silver, with a higher standard required for the attainment of the silver.He wanted an award that would be available to both the General SS in Germany and the Germanic SS abroad. No proficiency badge was available for all branches of the Germanic SS and in fact only in Holland had any SS sports badges been introduced at all. In the institution document he stated that it “should be an example in physical training and tests in the use of weapons in the National Socialist spirit, and confirmation of the voluntary attainment of the Germanic joint destiny”. His rational for such an award was mullty faceted.His desire was to encourage SS men to be athletically fit, with their minds attuned to Nazi ideology. For the essentially non – combatant SS members, to stimulate a competitive interest in basic military training.On a more grandiose plain he aimed at strengthening the pan – Germanic idea within the entire political SS organization.

It was presented with an exam record book and worn in the centre of the left breast pocket of the service uniform.

The design was to appeal ostensibly to the Germanic SS, being the formation sign of the “Wiking” division of the Waffen – SS, and later adopted by the entire III. Germanic SS Panzer Corps, which was made up largely of volunteers from the Germanic countries. Records show only awards in Holland, Denmark and Norway, with one presentation ceremony known for these three countries. Although there may have been others later in the war. Exams were held in the Beneshau/Prague area of Czechoslovakia, but it is not known if official award ceremonies were held. It is possible that the Runes were awarded to members of the Flemish SS, but as this formation was on the decline in 1944, none of its members received them.

In Holland; several thousand applied to undergo the tests, however only 95 passed, giving rise to the first awards being made on 1st, February 1944 at the Dutch SS School Avegoor. near Arnheim. The Higher SS and Police Leader in Holland, SS-Obergruppenführer Rauter, greeted Himmler. Also present were Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart, leader of the N.S.B. Mussert, and Chief of the SS-Hauptamt, SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Berger. Himmler presented the badges, carried on a board by an Unterscharführer from the "Germania" regiment of the "Wiking" SS division. Himmler, who then promoted the Dutch Volunteer Legion to a grenadier brigade SS-Grenadier- brigade “Nederland”, in particular delivered a speech praising the achievements of the Dutch SS and the “Westland” regiment.

In Denmark the presentation was made on 2nd June 1944, at a memorial ceremony for the Danish SS volunteers killed in action, at Hovelte by the Chief of the SS-Hauptamt. SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Berger. The test schedule had been timed so that the results would be ready for this ceremony. Berger spoke of the Danish SS volunteers killed in action, and how "their spirits could rest in peace knowing that new columns of Germanic fighters stood behind them." He stated that it was in the memory of the dead Danish SS volunteers and in their spirit that the first Germanic Proficiency Runes were being awarded on Danish soil.

The Higher SS and Police Leader in Norway, SS-Obergruppenführer Rediess, acting upon instructions from Himmler on 16th August 1944, presented the awards in Norway. The ceremony was held at the Norwegian SS School; also present at the ceremony were SS-neststandartfØrer Riisnæs, and the leader of the Germanische Leitstelle in Norway, SS-Sturmbannführer Leib. Once the commander of the Norwegian SS School had bade his guests welcome, Rediess spoke of the badge's meaning, and how the 25 recipients, ten in silver and fifteen in bronze, had, though their behaviour, been a good example to their comrades in the Germanic SS, and to the youth of Norway.

[jabnus]

There are quite some big mistakes in the above copy-pasted little piece of tekst, that have been copied from one (old) reference book to another...

[militaria.no]

The Higher SS and Police Leader in Norway, SS-Obergruppenführer Rediess, acting upon instructions from Himmler on 16th August 1944, presented the awards in Norway.
The ceremony was held at the Norwegian SS School; also present at the ceremony were SS-neststandartfØrer Riisnæs, and the leader of the Germanische Leitstelle in Norway,
SS-Sturmbannführer Leib. Once the commander of the Norwegian SS School had bade his guests welcome, Rediess spoke of the badge's meaning, and how the 25 recipients,
ten in silver and fifteen in bronze, had, though their behaviour, been a good example to their comrades in the Germanic SS, and to the youth of Norway.

Award ceremony in Norway:

[zozole]

...

[zozole]

There are quite some big mistakes in the above copy-pasted little piece of tekst, that have been copied from one (old) reference book to another...

Please fill in the mistakes,, we are here to learn

[jabnus]

i will soon, after a lot of archive work my book is almost ready and there are quite some gaps regarding this award. I will anounce here when it's ready.

[Thomas Bendixen]

Low awardnumbers IMO doesn't exclude more manufactures, you see at least three manufacturs of the luftschutz cross (with aprox. 150 awarded), 4-5 makers of the lifesavingmedal. When guessing about production numbers I think that one should also take into account the expectance of the awarding authorities, in this instance SS.

Kr. Thomas

[Lasse L]

Interesting enough, the picture of the award ceremony in Norway does not show the award being given to a Norwegian volunteer - the man who is shaking hands is actually Frank Gustavsson, a Swedish volunteer raised in Norway. He was the only known Swede to receive this badge. His badge is said to have survived the war, but the whereabouts is unknown today.

Frank Gustavsson served in the Wiking-division, at the SS-School in Norway (Kongsvinger?), and was later transferred to Bad Tölz for officers training. The training was canceled and he was instead moved to the newly raised "Nibelungen"-Division - whereupon he decided it would be wiser to desert (In april 1945). Made it to Sweden during the summer of 1945.