Gau Badge
A Gau Badge was a political award of the Nazi Party, issued by the various Gauleiters of the Nazi political districts for a variety of achievements.[1] Each Gau of Nazi Germany, which was a geographical region parallel to the traditional German states (known as Länder) issued a unique Gau badge. Regulations for award were determined entirely by the Gauleiter as were any award degrees. Some Gauleiters issued single Gau badges while others awarded in degrees of bronze, silver, and gold. A handful of Gau badges were struck in gold with diamonds, normally ceremonially intended for Adolf Hitler. By default, Hitler qualified automatically for the highest degree of every Gau badge due to his status as Führer of the Nazi Party.
A "General Gau Badge" also existed, awarded by the Brown House, Munich Nazi headquarters. The General Gau Badge was issued in two degrees, known as the 1923 and 1925 Gau Badge. The badge appeared as a large swastika with the honor date of either 1923 or 1925 centered on the decoration.
Gau badges were ranked in an order of precedence, with the General Gau Badge considered a decoration of the Reichsleitung (National Party level) and thus ranked the highest. This was followed by the Munich Gau Badge (Munich being the birthplace of the Nazi Party), and the Berlin Gau badge due to that city's status as the capital of Germany. The remaining Gau badges were ranked according to the creation year of the particular political region.
List of Gau Badges
- General Gau Badge (1923 and 1925)
- Munich Gau Badge
- Berlin Gau Badge
- Thuringia Gau Badge
- East Hannover Gau Badge
- East Prussia Gau Badge
- Baden Gau Badge
- Essen Gau Badge
- Danzig Gau Badge
- Wartheland Gau Badge
- Sudetenland Gau Badge
References
- ↑ Lumsden, R. (2001). Medals and Decorations of Hitler's Germany. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing Company
