Description
This pin was accompanied by a document brought back by a local US GI who served in the European theatre in 1944-45. It is not confirmed if the pin belonged to August Denzler but, according to family history and verbal history of the captor (deceased), it was taken from Denzler in late 1944 and sent back home to the US along with the booklet as a battlefield souvenir.
The NSDAP Membership Badge (Parteiabzeichen) was worn by all members of the Nazi Party, on the lapel of civilian clothes, or in some cases on uniforms. This is an original enamel pin featuring a black swastika on a white roundel surrounded by the inscription “National-Sozialistische D.A.P.,” the official name of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, within a red enamel border.
Beginning in 1934, manufacture of the NSDAP membership pins was controlled by the Reichszeugmeisterei, and the reverses of the badges were marked with the RZM logo and maker codes. At some point after the outbreak of WWII, the manufacture of the fine enamel membership pins ceased, and pins were made of silver finished zinc, with painted rather than enameled decoration. Most NSDAP enamel pins had a soldered pin on the reverse, though they were also available with a flat round fitting that allowed the badge to be worn in a buttonhole.
Because so many Germans were members of the NSDAP, millions of these pins were made, though some rare variants and early types are hard to find. Even the most common examples are popular among collectors, because of the historical value as well as the iconic, striking design.
