WWII GERMAN RED CROSS MEDAL -
The German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz), or the DRK, is the national Red Cross Society in Germany.
Instituted in 1864 by Dr. Aaron Silverman of the Charité hospital of Berlin, the German Red Cross was a voluntary civil assistance organization that was officially acknowledged by the Geneva Convention in 1929.
Following Hitler's takeover of the government in Germany in 1933, the National Socialist Party moved to control the Red Cross as well. Thus the DRK became a legally recognized organization of the NSDAP in December 1937. Finally, at the end of 1938 the German Red Cross officially came under the control of the Nazi Party under the Ministry of the Interior's Social Welfare Organization, becoming de facto a Nazi entity.
After Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II, the American Military Government issued a special law outlawing the Nazi party and all of its branches. Known as "Law number five", this Denazification decree disbanded the DRK, like all organizations linked to the Nazi Party. Social welfare organizations, including the German Red Cross, had to be established anew during the postwar reconstruction of both West Germany and the DDR.
The item featured here is a German Red Cross medal. As issued during WWII. The design consists of a
silver medallion with a large cross. The redcross eagle is placed in the center of the cross. Its
wings are retracted and it is clutching a wreath with a swastika in the center.
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WE BUY German German badges, pins and medals - All types of WWII German civilian awards. Whether it is for
fire department, police. civil defense, Red Cross, Organization Todt, Luftsxhutz or any other civilian organization.
The process gets started by you sending us an
Email .
We will respond to your inquiry normally within 24 hours and in many cases much faster.
We can tell you what you have, what it is worth and how much we can pay you.
One item or an entire collection -
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This page is a recognition and identification guide for WWII German badges and awards. Multiple
detailed photos of a specific sample are provided. Descriptions point out clearly defined points
that should be noted.
One of the most commonly asked questions is "How much is my WWII German badge worth?". A price
guide is included here to address this question. The value of the badges and awards is reviewed
over a period of several years. A trend can be observed. The present worth of the German
badges in the collector's market is illustrated.
This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com,
a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military
antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.
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The ribbon of the medal consists of two outer white stripes with a much thicker red stripe runing
down the center.
A pin is sewn in six different points to the upper portion of the ribbon. This allowed the person
to secure the medal to a shirt or jacket.
The back of the medal reads "medaille Fur deutsche volkspflege", which translates to "Medal for german
people maintains".
Collecting Third Civilian Organization items
Collecting Third Reich memorabilia is a field that has been growing since the days the GI's rummaged around Europe
bringing back military souvenirs. As the cities were occupied, the members of the various civilian groups wore their
pins and awards on their uniforms. Once the person was killed or captured, the American soldiers would often strip the
pins and awards from the uniform and take them as war trophies. Eventually all these pieces came back to the United States
where military history enthusiasts began to collect them.
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In trying to determine if you should collect WWII German Civilian Organization items there are certain factors that should be
considered.
Once Hitler assumed power in Germany he systematically started absorbing the different civilian organizations into the
Third Reich. One way to know when the organization was absorved was that their logo, pins and medals started showing the
Swastika.
A collector may decide what to collect based on the likes of the person. Some individuals collect all fire department
related items.
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This award is currently being
reproduced.
It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality
of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style
and materials employed in the manufacturing of this badge. Attention to the details is critical in
order to be able to determine the authenticity of the badge.
If you have an interest is seeing other badges and awards of the Third Reich, you can do so by going
to our
WWII German Badges and Awards
identification guide. Where we cover Heer (Army), Navy (Kriegsmarine) and
Air Force (Luftwaffe) items.
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