Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a very nice collection of German WWII Awards, Insignia, and Tinnies, which was brought back from the European theater by a USGI after the war was concluded. Many solders traded these on the way back, and would end up with a pocket full of various different collectible items, and this set represents the typical "haul" one might have come back with. It includes nice variety of items, as well as some things that we have never seen before!

This lovely set includes:

- One German WWII Wehrmacht 4th Class Long Service Award (Silver), for four years of service. Complete with the ribbon with a silver Wehrmachtadler eagle, for service in either the Heer Army or Kriegsmarine Navy.

- One German WWII Mothers Cross 2nd Class in Silver, for eligible mothers with 6 or 7 children. Much of the silver color is very well retained, and the enamel is in very good shape. It still has the original ribbon, which has a snap installed, though it was torn through in another location.

- One German WWII Medal Ribbon Bar for four Awards. From left to right, this has ribbons for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the Iron Cross, the Close Combat Clasp in Gold, and a Gold Wound Badge.

- One Small 2 3/4" wide round side profile porcelain bust of what looks to be Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. 

- One German WWII Heer Army Panzer EM/NCO BeVO Embroidered Breast Eagle. It has the correct white and black embroidery on a black background, and while the corners are folded under, it does not look to have ever been installed on a uniform.

- One German WWII SS Schutzmannschaft Local Collaborator Auxiliary Police Officer Cap Insignia. The Schutzmannschaft (Protection team), shortened to Schuma, was an organization made to police the occupied territories in the USSR and the Baltic States.

- One German WWII Kriegsmarine Navy Sports Shirt Eagle Insignia for M35 Sport Shirt. It has the correct blue BeVo embroidered Wehrmachtadler insignia, however the white background has been age toned and stained over the years, so it is almost beige now. Measuring 9" x 4 3/4", it has had the edges folded over and stitched, so this is definitely one removed from a shirt.

- One German Pre-WWII Jungstahlhelm Sword Pin for the children of German soldiers killed during the war. These junior members were quite successful at raising funds for the Der Stahlhelmbund veteran's association

- One German Pre-WWII DEUTSCH IST DIE SAAR 1934 tinnie, Celebrating the vote in the Saar region to return to Germany

- One German NSDAP OPFERRING ELSASS (Alsace Relief Fund) membership pin, worn by NSDAP financial contributors in the French Alsace region.

- One German Pre-WWII 1939 KREISTAG BAD KISSINGEN (District Day Bad Kissingen) tinnie.

A wonderful totally genuine grouping perfect for the German collector. Ready to research and display!

"Tinnies" (Veranstaltungsabzeichen - Event Badge) are small commemorative pins or medals, acquired when one attended a specific event held in Germany. They were often made of thin stamped metal, bakelite, or even pressed paper. Many of these were given out as part of the WHW (Winterhilfswerk - Winter Help Work) Organization, which often involved Germans traveling quite a bit to help out the war effort.

Wehrmacht Long Service Award
The Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung (Wehrmacht Service Award) was a military service decoration of NSDAP Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. The award itself is cumulative, so after the 3rd class, both a cross and a medal were worn, and the color indicated service.

On 16 March, 1936, Adolf AH ordered the institution of service awards for the first four classes, each reflecting the completion of a select number of years of military service. Each branch of the Wehrmacht (army, navy, and air force) maintained their own version of the Long Service Award and the decoration was issued for four years (silver medal – fourth class), 12 years (gold medal – third class), 18 years (silver cross – second class), 25 years (gold cross – first class), and 40 years (1939 special class). The 40 years special class service award was introduced on 10 March 1939.

Professor Dr Richard Klein designed the awards. Recipients of lower year awards would wear the decoration simultaneously with higher level decorations. The manner they could be worn was:

3rd Class with 4th Class (gold medal with silver medal)
2nd Class with 4th Class (silver cross with silver medal)
1st Class with 3rd Class (gold cross with gold medal)

The Long Service Award was retroactive throughout a service member's career, encompassing Reichswehr service as well as service dating during and before World War I. As such, there were a handful of 40 year awards presented, even though the NSDAP era only lasted 12 years (1933-1945).