District honorary mark
The Gauehrenzeichen was in the era of National Socialism an award for - from the perspective of the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) - deserved party members.
The Gauehrenzeichen is one of the anti-constitutional propaganda means in Germany. Its production and public carrying or distribution is prohibited according to Section 86a of the Criminal Code (StGB).
The decorations were awarded by the respective Gauleiter . The award regulations differed from district to district. Several Gaue of the " Third Reich " - including the Gau Sachsen , the Gau Bayerische Ostmark , the Gau Franken , the Gau Halle-Merseburg , the Gau Hessen-Nassau , the Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt and the Gau Mecklenburg-Lübeck - had a badge of honor published for so-called old fighters , i.e. for people who had already joined the NSDAP or one of its “fighting organizations” before the Nazi “ seizure of power ” in 1933. In these cases, the Gau badge had a similar function as the angle of honor of the old fighters . However, the Gauehrenzeichen was also awarded to other people who had made special contributions to the National Socialist movement. More precise provisions for the award of the Gau Ehrenzeichen are not known.
The general Gauehrenzeichen with the year 1923 was awarded to members of the NSDAP who had already become party members before November 9, 1923 - i.e. before the Hitler-Ludendorff putsch (march on the Feldherrenhalle in Munich). For the badge with the year 1925, membership of the NSDAP has been a prerequisite since the re-establishment of the NSDAP on February 27, 1925.
The Gau badge was worn on the left side of the chest. Members of the NSDAP who, in addition to the Gauehrenzeichen, also had the NSDAP's golden party badge , were only allowed to wear one of the two badges; The simultaneous wearing of several Gau badges or the Gau Ehrenzeichen and the Golden Decoration of Honor of the NSDAP was prohibited.
All Gauehrenzeichen showed the swastika; some additionally the imperial eagle. In the districts in which the badge of honor had the shape of an (imperial) eagle - z. B. Thuringia - the Gauehrenzeichen was also called Gauadler.
R. Wächtler & Lange from Mittweida is known as the only manufacturer of the district honorary mark .
Carriers of a district honor mark were among others:
- Hans Bavendamm (1896–1974), civil servant and agricultural functionary
- Otto Born (1892 – after 1942), politician
- Karl Fiedler (politician) (1897 – after 1945), politician
- Ernst Kendzia (1894–1950), administrative officer
- Wilhelm Koppe (1896–1975), SS-Obergruppenführer
- Karl Pflaumer (1896–1971), SS brigade leader
- Erich Schüler (politician, 1905) , (1905 – after 1944), politician
- Adolf Schuppel (1895–1946), politician
- Otto Somann (1899–1956), functionary in the SS security service
- Gerhard Woitschell (1910–1969), politician
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- The Reich Organization Leader of the NSDAP, Dr. Robert Ley (ed.), Organization book of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party), Verlag F. Eher Nachf., 1937 - 552 pages, p. 44; https://books.google.de/books?id=FYFkAAAAMAAJ
- Arco Weihs, (member of the German Society for Ordenskunde DGO), German medals and decorations since the 18th century, Gau badges for members of the NSDAP since 1923, Ehrenzeichen-Orden.de, https://www.ehrenzeichen-orden.de /nationalsozialismus/gau-abzeichen-fur-verbindungen-der-nsdap-seit-1923.html
- Images of various Gau decorations at: http://www.wehrmacht-odlikovanja.com/10-political-civilian-awards/ostala-odlikovanja.htm
