Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice WWII German National Socialist State Veteran's Association (Nationalsozialistische Reichskriegerbund - NSRKB) Gold-painted Bakelite Flag Pole Finial or Topper (Fahnenstange Endstück). As the name implies, these were attached to the top of flag poles, as an additional indication of the affiliation.

Total length of the topper is 9 3/4 inches, with a width of about 5 1/4 inches. The design features a gladius-type sword pointing upward with an overlapping wreath of oak leaves around the lower section. On the crossguard of the sword is a disk with a Swas (Swas) in the center. Written around the circular border of the swas are the words SYMBOL WIRD WAFFE or “Symbols Become Weapons”.

On the reverse the pole top is the same except the center area has an nicely detailed Iron Cross complete with serrations, center swas, and the date of 1939 on the bottom leg. There is a banner on either side of the iron cross that bears the date of 1940. Like most we have seen, the bottom portion of the pole top is cylindrical with four mounting holes. In this case, a piece of wood has been pressed into the bottom, which is used to attach it to a 4 3/8" wide wooden base for display.

Overall it is in very good condition, with no deformation and the usual wear to the finish, showing the black bakelite in areas where it is missing. These Flag Pole Finials are extremely hard to find, as they are much more delicate than the earlier metal types. This is one in very nice condition, ready to add to any collection!

The Kyffhäuserbund (English: Kyffhäuser League) is an umbrella organization for war veterans' and reservists' associations in Germany, founded in 1900 to unify the various veteran's groups in Germany. It owes its name to the Kyffhäuser Monument (German: Kyffhäuserdenkmal), a memorial built on the summit of the 473 m high Kyffhäuser mountain near Bad Frankenhausen, in the state of Thuringia in central Germany. It was not a political affiliated organization, and was open to all German war veterans.

When the National Socialist party came into party however, as with all national organizations, the group was absorbed under the NSDAP umbrella. In the name of Gleichschaltung (Co-Ordination or NSDAPfication), the Kyffhäuserbund was after the NSDAP takeover of power in 1933. Five years later, its name was altered to NS-Reichskriegerbund ‘Kyffhäuser’ e.V. (National Socialist Reich Warriors Association ‘Kyffhäuser‘), becoming the sole and exclusive organization representing the Veterans´ interests in the Third Reich. The organization would then be disbanded in March of 1943 and its members would be drafted into Volksturm service in 1945, as the fall of WWII Germany approached.