Military Sports Badge (NVA)

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On the left the military sports badge of the NVA and on the right the new pattern embossing that was not awarded

The military sports badge of the National People's Army was an award of the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was donated on November 15, 1968 with effect from December 1, 1968 by the Minister for National Defense Heinz Hoffmann by order of the military sports badge of the National People's Army . With this order, the order and with it the award of the predecessor of this award, the martial arts needle of the National People's Army , ceased to be in force. The first military sports badges were awarded in April 1969.

In addition to badges of achievement , best badges , rifle cord and classification badges , the military sports badge was one of the NVA's so-called "five soldier awards".

Award terms

The military sports badge could be acquired by all members of the NVA army and civilian employees of the NVA. The prerequisite for this was that the candidate for this award had successfully completed a total of five compulsory exercises in his age group as well as two weapons-specific elective exercises within one year of training. With the change in the military sports badge order, the following disciplines were:

  • Storm track or obstacle course
  • Long range hand grenade throw
  • Run
  • Uniform swimming
  • shoot
  • Type of weapon specific shooting I
  • Type of weapon specific shooting II

In addition, the award of the military sports badge could be counted as a repetition for the general sports badge of the GDR in gold. Accordingly, the test person did not need to repeat these disciplines (except for general shooting) twice in the year of training. Furthermore, the acquisition of the military sports badge was credited with four points for the acquisition of the sports badge medal , which was actually more of a clasp. On September 24, 1982 there was another change in the conditions for awarding the military sports badge. It could be awarded from this point in time if the person to be awarded:

and, according to his age group, successfully completed three or four of the compulsory exercises mentioned. These could be:

  • Storm track
  • 3000 meter run
  • Hand grenade throw
  • Pull-up
  • an additional elective exercise

The weapon-specific shooting, however, was omitted. What was new, however, was that the conditions for the military sports badge had to be repeated after two years. If the entrusted had already passed the age of 50 and had left the NVA with honor, he was allowed to continue to wear the military sports badge. On September 17, 1984, the terms of the award were regulated again, but not fundamentally new, but extended to include the acquisition of female members of the NVA army.

Appearance and wearing style

The military sports badge of the NVA is oval, 44 mm high, 36 mm wide and consists of non-ferrous metal or simple sheet steel. In the middle of it you can see a rifle with an attached bayonet , which is directed slightly to the top left and pierces the upper edge of the badge. A waving flag is affixed to the rifle itself, on which NVA can be read in capital letters . This symbolism is enclosed by a semicircular laurel wreath on both sides, which is united in its center by a hammer and compass. The other half of the edge forms the embossed inscription: FOR OUR WORKERS-AND-FARMING POWER in a tape .

In the course of 1984 new patterns were minted from the military sports badge, which should replace the old form. This new military sports badge was also oval, 41 mm high and 31 mm wide and showed in its center an NVA soldier with a weapon in hand jumping over a small trench. This symbolism was limited by a two-sided laurel branch tied together at the bottom, which merges into the symbolic representation of a three-lane running track of a stadium after about 1/3 of the height. However, these samples were never issued.

The military sports badge was worn on the crease of the right breast pocket and, for uniforms without a breast pocket, at about the same height. However, wearers of the military sports badge were not allowed to wear the general sports badge on their uniform at the same time .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Klaus Feder, Jürgen Wagner, Ralf Swoboda: Military badges of the German Democratic Republic. Military Publishing House of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-327-00523-0 , pp. 39–41.