Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice late war HJ Gau (State/District) Level 1944 national trade competition victors/winners (sieger) badge! The Reichsberufswettkampf (National Trade Competition) was an annual vocational competition held in NSDAP Germany as part of the much large program of Gleichschaltung (Synchronization) in German society. The idea was to make the populace as uniform as possible according to NSDAP doctrine, which also would make them easier to predict and control.

The badge is constructed out of a die struck tombak base that has been silver washed and contains multicolored paint work (early war examples used enamel). The obverse depicts a German national eagle with outstretched wings clutching a cogwheel, that has a HJ diamond logo above it, in its talons. This is all in front of a smooth pearl white field that reads GAUSIEGER / 1944 (State Winner 1944) and is surrounded by a laurel leaf and berry wreath. The reverse is a solid back with an embossed maker mark which reads: G. BREHMER /  MARKNEUKIRCHEN, a known maker of these badges. It also has a pressed in round wire catch and rotating pressed in solid hinge with attached pin, which works very nicely.

There is a bit of degradation and oxidation on the front, but nothing major. It's overall a very good example, and would hold its own in any collection. Ready to display!

AH believed German youth to be the future of his 3rd Reich. The HJ (AH Jugend) was formed officially in 1935, and with the exception of NSDAP ideology indoctrination was very similar to the Boy Scouts. Beginning at about the age of ten years, both boys (AH Jugend) and girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel) were enlisted in the Party-run organization.