The Social Welfare Decoration (German: Ehrenzeichen für deutsche Volkspflege) was a German Civil Award created by Adolf Hitler on 1 May 1939 for services in the social sector.
| Social Welfare Decoration Ehrenzeichen für deutsche Volkspflege | |
|---|---|
 The four classes of the decoration | |
| Type | Civil Award |
| Awarded for | Merit in the field of welfare, Winterhilfswerk or the care of sick and wounded |
| Presented by |  Nazi Germany |
| Status | Obsolete |
| Established | 1 May 1939 |
.jpg){kind=small} Ribbon bar | |
| Precedence | |
| Equivalent | German Red Cross Decoration |
| Next (lower) | Medal of Social Welfare |
It could be awarded to Germans and foreigners for a wide variety of service to the German state in the social sector. This included service with the Winterhilfswerk, the National Socialist People's Welfare, medical and rescue work, or care of ethnic Germans.[1] It replaced the German Red Cross Decoration.[2]
It was conferred in four classes, each consisting of a white-enamelled gold Balkenkreuz, with the Reich eagle and swastika in the centre, and a medal:[1]
- Special class: a four-rayed breast star with the badge worn from a sash over the right shoulder
- 1st class with diamonds: exclusively for ladies of high rank. Worn on the left shoulder from a bow
- 1st class: a neck decoration
- 2nd class: worn on the left side on a pin
- 3rd class: worn on the left chest from a ribbon
- Medal of Social Welfare: a circular silver coloured medal, worn on the left chest from a ribbon. It shows an image of the cross with, on the reverse, the inscription: 'Medaille für deutsche Volkspflege' (Medal for German social welfare).
Only one grade could be worn at a time. From January 1942, the 3rd class and the medal could be awarded with crossed swords on the ribbon.[1]
Recipients included Reinhard Heydrich who received the first class for providing "security to the German people" and Doctor Josef Mengele, in 1941, for providing medical services to the wounded on the Eastern Front.
Holders of the Social Welfare Decoration First class with Diamonds
editPost war
editWearing Nazi era decorations was banned after Germany's defeat in 1945. The Social Welfare Decoration was not among the World War II awards authorised for wear by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1957.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Littlejohn, David; Dodkins, Colonel C. M. (1968). Orders, Decorations, Medals and Badges of the Third Reich. California: R. James Bender Publishing. pp. 36–39. ISBN 978-0854200801.
- ^ Dorling, H. Taprell (1956). Ribbons and Medals. London: A. H. Baldwin & Sons. p. 215. OCLC 930416375.
- ^ German Federal law (1957). Bundesministerium der Justiz: Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen, 26.7.1957. Bundesgesetzblatt Teil III, Gliederungsnummer 1132-1.
- ^ German Federal regulation (1996). Dienstvorschriften Nr. 14/97. Bezug: Anzugordnung für die Soldaten der Bundeswehr. ZDv 37/10.
Further reading
edit- Christian Zentner, Friedemann Bedürftig (1991). The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. Macmillan, New York. ISBN 0-02-897502-2
External links
edit- Red Cross and Social Welfare Decorations
- Relevant statute: "Satzung des Ehrenzeichens für deutsche Volkspflege. 1 May 1939". de-academic.com. Reichsgesetzblatt Nr 98. 26 May 1939.