Original Item: Only One Available. Gorgets hold an interesting place in history, as they are a throw-back to the days of knights, when suits of armor included a neck protection device called a Gorget. They have been used since that time to identify membership or function in various military and police organizations, and Gorgets were thoroughly used during the Third Reich.

This is a lovely example of a mid-WWII style German National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei - NSDAP) Political Leader Standard Bearer's Gorget (Politisches Leiter Ringkragen). These would be worn at meetings and even in the field, to make it clear who was of a higher rank, who would also carry the standard / flag during parade formations. Similar gorgets were used in other parts of the NSDAP organizational structure.

The gorget is constructed of bronze and bronzed aluminum, with a large NSDAP Reichsadler (Party Eagle) in the center, and bordered on the outside with an overlapping oak leaf motif. It is marked with the ((RZM)) (Reichszeugmeisterei) insignia and maker marked M5/8 for F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid on the right chain clip. It is complete with the golden brown felt protective felt liner on the back, which is unstained but does show moth damage and glue repairs as shown in the pictures. The edges of the gorget show some light wear, which has exposed some of the base metal, but overall it's much better than we usually see.

The Gorget is hung on a bronzed and gilt aluminum chain, with alternating wreathed swas (hook cross) and art deco eagle insignias on the panels, stamped with the ((RZM)) insignia and maker marked M1/17 on the reverse of both end panels, so it was also made by F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid, which is not common, as often the chains get swapped over the years. It is interesting however that the gorget itself is under the M5 RZM designation for "Uniform Accesories", while the chain is under M1, for "Insignia".

This is a really nice example of of an NSDAP Leader's Gorget, nice and clean with no signs of abuse and the gold wash still very well retained. These are among the hardest to find examples of German World War Two Gorgets. Ready to display!

The National Socialist German Workers' Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei , abbreviated NSDAP), commonly referred to in English as the NSDAP Party, was a far-right political party in Germany that was active between 1920 and 1945, that created and supported the ideology of National Socialism. Its precursor, the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; DAP), existed from 1919 to 1920.

The NSDAP Party emerged from the German nationalist, racist and populist Freikorps paramilitary culture, which fought against the communist uprisings in post-World War I Germany. The party was created to draw workers away from communism and into völkisch nationalism. Initially, NSDAP political strategy focused on anti-big business, anti-bourgeois, and anti-capitalist rhetoric, although this was later downplayed to gain the support of business leaders, and in the 1930s the party's main focus shifted to anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist themes.