Badge for blockade breakers

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Front of the blockade breaker badge
Back of the blockade breaker badge
Image of the blockade breaker badge in the 57 version
The Bremen model for the blockade breaker badge

The badge for blockade breakers was a badge of honor donated by Adolf Hitler on April 1, 1941 . It was awarded to ship crews of German ships that were abroad when the war broke out and returned home despite the Allied blockade .

Appearance, texture and way of wearing

The badge for blockade breakers is made of non-ferrous metal or zinc and has the dimensions 48 × 48 mm. It shows a ship's bow adorned with an eagle and a swastika (as a kind of figurehead ), which cuts a locking chain forming the edge of the badge at high speed . The ship shown on the badge is the Bremen of Norddeutscher Lloyd . The ship was under the command of Commodore Adolf Ahrens in 1939 and was able to break through the English naval blockade from Murmansk to Bremerhaven in December 1939 . Ahrens and his crew were the first to receive this newly created award for this achievement. The design of the badge goes back to the artist Otto Placzek . The chosen symbolization of cutting through a locking chain was chosen to do justice to the name of the badge as a “blockade breaker”. Incidentally, the badge was awarded to civilians in the merchant navy in a semi-miniature. The badge was worn with the uniform and field suit on the left side of the chest under the Iron Cross 1st Class or in its place in and out of service. At the same time, a pin was awarded with the badge, which had to be worn on the left jacket or coat lapel with every other suit.

Award terms

The badge could be awarded to the crews of blockade breakers and to ship crews who drove under the German trade flag and were to be treated on an equal footing with the blockade breakers in their activities, if the award requirements were met.

Implementing Regulations

The implementing ordinance issued on the same day by Reich Minister of Transport Julius Dorpmüller regulated the exact conditions of the award.

Award terms

The badge for blockade breakers was awarded to crews of seagoing ships under the following conditions:

  • a) Successful breakthrough of the ship through the enemy blockade.
  • b) Destruction of the ship if it is threatened by enemy forces.
  • c) The existence of particularly stored cases which have led to the maintenance or destruction of the ship and cargo in the interests of the people and the economy and which have demonstrated a high level of commitment.
  • d) To survivors of a ship that was lost to enemy action.
  • e) In special cases to the wounded.

In addition, the award of the badge required worthiness and good conduct .

Award proposals

The award proposals were to be submitted by the captain or his deputy via the shipping company , and in the event that the shipping company was unable to do so , directly to the responsible maritime representative. The latter then forwarded the proposals to the Reich Minister of Transport with his own opinion. The suggestions had to contain the following information:

  1. First and last name,
  2. Birthday and place,
  3. Job title,
  4. Name of the ship and the shipping company,
  5. short reason and the
  6. Statement by the authorized representative for shipping.

The badge, including the pin, was awarded free of charge with a certificate of ownership. When the borrower died, it remained as a souvenir for his bereaved. The award was to be noted in the seafaring book .

Changes to the implementing regulations

The implementation regulations were changed several times in the further course of the war. For example, on June 28, 1942, the award authority was changed, so that from this date onwards, instead of the Reich Minister of Transport, the Reich Commissioner for Maritime Shipping Karl Kaufmann for ships in free travel, and in the military sector the Commander in Chief of the Navy Erich Raeder in agreement with Kaufmann, could bestow the badge.

Others

According to the law on titles, medals and decorations of July 26, 1957, wearing the award in the Federal Republic of Germany is only permitted without National Socialist emblems.

literature

  • Kurt-Gerhard Klietmann : Awards of the German Empire. 1936-1945. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-87943-689-4 , p. 142.
  • Klaus D. Patzwall : The awards of the Kriegsmarine 1939–1945. Taking into account the merchant marine (= series of publications awards of the German Reich. Vol. 5, ZDB -ID 2293736-5 ). Militair-Verlag Patzwall, Norderstedt 1987.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 235, Article 2
  2. ^ Ellmers: Maritime silver in the industrial age. German Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven
  3. ↑ Ordinance on awarding a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 235, Article 5 paragraph 1
  4. ↑ Ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 235, Article 5 paragraph 2
  5. ↑ Ordinance on awarding a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 235, Article 3
  6. ↑ Implementing ordinance for the ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 237, § 1
  7. ↑ Implementing ordinance for the ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 237, § 2
  8. ↑ Implementation ordinance for the ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 237, § 3
  9. ↑ Implementing ordinance for the ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 237, § 4
  10. ↑ Implementing ordinance for the ordinance on the award of a badge for blockade breakers of April 1, 1941, Reichsgesetzblatt No. 48 of May 6, 1941, page 237, § 5 and 6
  11. ^ Kurt-Gerhard Klietmann: Awards of the German Reich, 1936-1945, page 142