WWII GERMAN BADGE - ORGANIZATION TODT BADGE
The Organisation Todt was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany eponymously named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure. The organization was responsible for a huge range of engineering projects both in pre-World War II Germany, and in Germany itself and occupied territories from France to the Soviet Union during the war, and became notorious for using forced labour. The history of the organization is divided in three periods:
1933–1938 pre-war period - during which Todt’s primary office was that of General Inspector of German Roadways and his primary responsibility the construction of the Autobahn network. The organisation was able to draw on "conscripted" labour, from within Germany, through the Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst, RAD).
1938 to 1942 - A period that saw the biggest growth of the organization. in 1940 Fritz Todt was named Minister for Armaments and Munitions and the projects of the Organisation Todt became almost exclusively military. The huge increase in the demand for labour created by the various military and paramilitary projects was met by a series of expansions of the laws on compulsory service, which ultimately obligated all Germans to arbitrarily determined compulsory labour for the state.From 1938-40, over 1.75 million Germans were conscripted into labour service. From 1940-42, Organization Todt began its reliance on guest workers, military internees, civilian workers, Eastern workers and POW workers.
1942 until the end of the war - , when Albert Speer succeeded Todt in office and the Organisation Todt was absorbed into the Ministry for Armaments and War Production. Approximately 1.4 million labourers were in the service of the Organisation. Overall, 1% were Germans rejected from military service and 1.5% were concentration camp prisoners; the rest were prisoners of war and compulsory labourers from occupied countries. All were effectively treated as slaves and existed in the complete and arbitrary service of a ruthless totalitarian state. Many did not survive the work or the war.
The item featured here is the badge that was issued to members of the organization Todt. Of metal construction,
the badge was very heavy and stout. the design consisted of an eagle with retracted wings standing atop a
gear with a swastika in the center. A rectangular sign at the feet of the eagle reads "DR Fritz Todt".
The back of the badge is smooth. Some of the badges had a number on the back. The sample shown here does not have any markings.
Members of the organization were issued an ID book .
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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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 -
Email Us .
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The hinge of the badge was directly soldered to the main body. It was of heavy duty construction.
The catch was located on the bottom portion of the badge. It was wide and directly soldered to
the body as well.
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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