Posted 8 years ago
elanski
(105 items)
Der Stahlhelm Bund der Frontsoldaten (Steel Helmet, League of Front Soldiers) was set up in 1918 as both a support society for World War I veterans and as a political paramilitary group. After the Treaty of Versailles the German army had to be reduced to no more than 100,000 troops. Along with numerous Freikorps groups Der Stahlheml was meant to form an unofficial reserve force.
Although the Stahlhelm did not officially endorse any single political party it took on an open anti-republican and anti-democratic character. As it supported a German dictatorship and it did not allow Jews to be members it became an easy target for Nazification and when Hitler came to power in 1933 large numbers of units were assimilated into the Nazi SA or disbanded altogether.
Picture 1 : Members badge - Der Stahlhelm Bund der Frontsoldaten. The iron cross signifies the owner is an actual WW1 veteran and not someone who joined later, who got one without the cross.
Picture 2: Participant at the 13th Annual Berlin Reichsfrontsoldatentag rally.
Picture 3: Unknown badge but probably a fundraising or supporters badge.
Interesting items and history lesson. The Germans seemed to have found a fair amount of loopholes.
They voted against Hitler at first. I just posted several. They were basically mercenaries basically & could be hired by companies to break strikes. Didn't know the meaning of the cross on some & thanks for clarifying that. I was going to start collecting their things, but the prices jumped overnight.