Ailsby Collection: NSDAP Party Book and Award Document Group - Georg Müller

Golden Party Badge.

On 13^th October 1933 Hitler introduced this award, which is variously referred to as The Golden Party Badge, The Golden Party Decoration, or the NSDAP Decoration. Eligibility for the award was to be gained in three ways; as a reward for veteran party membership, to reward exceptional service to the NSDAP by a party member or as a decoration for outstanding service to the party or State by a non party member. When awarded in recognition of veteran membership, it was to be bestowed on all male and female members who had uninterrupted service in the NSDAP, calculated from 27^th February 1925, which was the period set for the first membership and running until the total membership had reached 100,000. This was to be surpassed in September 1930 and by the time of the party coming to power on 30^th January 1933 it had reached 700,000. By the time of the decree, the party membership had further mushroomed. The 100,000 members who were or who had been on the party roll, were scrutinised and further condensed by the strict qualification of active and unbroken membership, which reduced the awards to 22,282. This figure can be further broken down into 1795 women and 20,487 male recipients. These badges were to be awarded on 9^th November 1933, with the membership number of the recipient placed on the reverse. Although this badge was authorised in 1933, the deadline for production was set for 1^st May 1935. Hitler himself did not wear one until sometime after the Olympic Games in 1936 and before the opening of the HAUS der KÜNST in München during the summer of 1937. In 1938 Hitler gave the Gauleiters permission to qualify members who did not meet the original deadline.

Georg Müller – SS - Untersturmführer

30 January 1905.

Party Number 46581 SS Number 4700

Iron Cross Second Class 9 July 1941, Iron Cross First Class 13 June 1942, Infantry Assault Badge Silver Class 10 December 1941, 1939 Wound Badge Black Class 15 February 1942, 1939 Wound Badge Silver Class 23 November 1942, Medal for the Winter Campaign in Russia 1941-1942 5 September 1942, War Merit Cross Second Class with Swords 20 April 1945, Golden Party Badge 12 December 1933, Gau Essen Gold 1 August 1935, S.A. Brunswick 1931 Rally Badge, Nürnberg Party Day Badge of 1929, S.A.Sports Badge in Bronze. SS Honour Ring.

Golden Party Badge - Müller Georg

Golden Party Badge reverse No 46581 - Müller Georg

Golden Party Badge citation - Müller Georg

Red Party Book - Müller Georg

Red Party Book stamps - Müller Georg

Red Party Card - Müller Georg

Gau Essen Commemorative Badge Citation

Gau Essen Commemorative Badge - Silver and Gold Class.

Instituted on 1^st August 1935.

Rarity – Very Rare, Extremely Rare.

Known Makers – Unmarked.

These awards are both identical, save for the colour of the class. It comprises of a sword that points upwards, with a broad double edged blade with raised fuller that is scalloped to the cutting edge on either side. On to the handle of the sword is impressed a swastika. This surmounts a crossed miner's Hammer and Pick. On to the head of the Hammer is impressed, '1925' and the Pick, '1935'. These dates represent the founding of the Gau and its subsequent tenth anniversary. The badge measures 41 mm high and 21 mm across its widest part, while the width of the blade is 4 mm.

The reverse is plain with a vertical hinge needle pin and hook. The badge is constructed of white metal.

There is a very similar badge, with the difference that the sword blade doses not feature the scallop to the cutting edge on either side of the raised fuller. The two dates are stamped in a smaller font and the plain reverse has the silver content .935 stamped in small numerals.

Another version of the badge exists which again comprises of similar design, a sword that points upwards, with a broad double edged blade with raised fuller that is scalloped to the cutting edge on either side. On to the handle of the sword is impressed a swastika. This surmounts a crossed miner's Hammer and Pick. On to the head of the Hammer is impressed, '1925' and the Pick, '1935'. The fields of the recessed numbers and swastika have tiny horizontal lines. The badge measures, 53 mm high and 31 mm across its widest part, while the width of the blade is 7 mm the measurements of this badge, taken in the same positions.

The reverse is plain with a raised panel that is split and this holds the pin. The sides of the panel are lined and form a herringbone design. Beneath this, in two lines, in small raised capital letters is the manufacturer's name, 'HOFFSTÄTTER, BONN'. The badge is produced in aluminium that is then either left in its base colour or gilded.

It is important to state that the above described badge has caused some doubts as to its authenticity as the award of the Gau but not to its originality as a piece.

To further the debate, a solid gold version of this larger badge, has been offered for sale by a German auction house. It was described as being in real gold, of a purity of 333 and measuring 52 mm by 30 mm with a pin on the reverse, and the maker's mark in two lines in raised capital letters, F. HOFFSTÄTTER, BONN, and the gold stamp 333. It has been quoted that there were four examples of this type and this sort of award was supposedly bestowed upon Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring and Dr. Robert Ley and later, to the Stellv. Gauleiter des Gaus Essen Heinrich Unger, on the occasion of his seventy-first birthday on 7^th November 1939.

The confusion is further demonstrated by the fact that the picture of the emblem of the badge depicted on the citation, is that of the smaller badge described. However, the badge that accompanied the Gau Essen citation which was with the other awards and citations of Gold award recipient Georg Müller, (Party No. 46581), was the larger badge. One conclusion that could be drawn from the facts amassed, is that possibly the smaller version was the civil form of the award. Other interesting recipients are, Franz Xaver Schwarz (Party No. 6) Gold award and Karl Gutenberger.

The badge was instituted on 1^st August 1935 by Gauleiter Josef Terboven to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Gau. It was to reward the old fighters in the time of struggle. It has been stated by Dr. Klietmann that the Silver Class was awarded to all the holders of the Golden Party Badge in Gau Essen. However, as has already been stated, the badge that accompanied the citation is gold and Georg Müller was the holder of the Golden Party Badge. Restrictions were levelled on the wearing of Gau Badges generally, in that only one could be worn at any given time if the recipient had received a second from another Gau, and none was supposed to be worn when the Golden Party Badge was worn. This tends to make the Gau Essen Badge a little superfluous in its award terms as stated by Dr. Klietmann.

The badge was accompanied by a citation that measured 120 mm by 92 mm. This has an indented red border line with two inner white lines. The all over colour of the citation is light old gold. At the top, printed in black, is an early party eagle and swastika with, in Gothic script on either side of the swastika, 'NSDAP' on the left, and 'GAU ESSEN', on the right. At the centre of the citation there is a picture of the Gau Badge in negative. Printed across the upper part of the sword blade, in red, is, 'AUSWEIS', with BENEATH, 'ZUM TRAGEN DES, TRADITIONS GAUABZEICHENS, Für', then a line which has the member's rank hand written upon it. Beneath is a similar line on to which is written the recipient's name. Beneath this, in small Gothic script, 'DIESER AUSWEIS GILT NUR IN BERBINDUNG MIT DEM ORDNUNGS -, GEMÄβ GETLEBTEN MITGLIEDSBUCH, DAS RECHT ZUM TRAGEN DES EHRENZEICHENS ERLISCHT MIT, DEM TAGE DES AUSSCHEIDENS DES INHABERS AUS DER PARTEI'. The reverse has a black indented border line and printed in Gothic script, 'PERSONALIEN, NAME, BERUF, WOHNORT, STRAβE, PARTEIEINTRITT, MITGLIEDSNUMMER, ORTSGRUPPE'. The next line has Essen written in ink, 'den' printed followed by the date, hand written. Beneath this is 'F.D.K.', a large ink stamp of the Gau. At the bottom on the left, 'GAUSCHAKMEISTER', and on the right, 'GAULEITER'. Above these two are the relevant signatures in ink.

Georg Müller – SS - Untersturmführer Ausweis Nr 4700