Description
Product Description: This TeNo Honor Badge is a very nice and extremely hard-to-find piece, with outstanding visual impact. It is constructed of two pieces of die struck Tombak. The central piece on the front is beautifully wrought in high-quality red and black enamel that remains intact with only minor scratches. 1921 award date below the enamel motif. The remainder of the front of the badge shows great detail and a very attractive bronze finish, with beautiful light and dark age toning. The reverse of this TeNo Honor Badge features all of its original, well marked, and functioning hardware. The broad attachment pin is functional, and is maker marked “Wilhelm Fühner . PFORZHEIM”. The reverse of the central roundel is marked “Ges. Gesch.” at the top, indicating a legally protected design, and is also stamped with the recipient’s number “2883.” A very nice piece with no major damage. This seldom encountered TeNo Honor Badge would make a wonderful addition to a political award or insignia collection.
Historical Description: The TeNo Honor Badge was introduced on April 2nd, 1935. It was bestowed upon TeNo personnel whom had taken honorable action protecting critical infrastructure, or disbanding of riots, against political enemies from the period of 1919-1923. The year of action is highlighted on each badge below the enameled swastika motif, as well as a recipient number, which is displayed on the reverse. It’s origins begin in September 30, 1919, when the Technische Nothilfe was founded by Otto Lummitzsch with the purpose to protect and maintain vital and strategic facilities, such as gas works, water works, power stations, railways, post offices, agriculture concerns and food production activities. At it’s start in 1919 through 1923, these vital infrastructure facilities were under threat from sabotage and attack during the “Kampfzeit” era, usually by left-wing elements. In effect they were strike-breakers. Most personnel in this time were conservative middle class, but included a large number of students, especially those in technical studies. In the Weimar Republic period, the Technische Nothilfe was seen as a threat by the working class and thus faced hostility of trade unionists, especially the German Communist Party (KDP). After about 1925, strikes became less common and less aggressive, and the TN was able to shift its activities into public welfare areas such as disaster relief, such as floods, fires, industrial accidents, bridge and railway collapses. Air raid protection activities also began in the late 1920s to the early 1930s, later being branched out into the Reichsluftschutzbund (RLB). From 1931 to 1934, the TN also became involved in the Freiwilligen Arbeitsdienst (FAD), which later morphed into the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD). Upon Hitler’s rise to power, the TeNo focused on civil defense duties such as air raid rescue, general disaster response, and relief work. From 1936, the TN was gradually absorbed into the Ordnungspolizei as an auxiliary police organization, thus falling under the ultimate control of Heinrich Himmler.
With nearly 30 years of expertise handling, collecting, and studying some of the finest and scarcest military collectibles, Empires Past offers the best prices for your collectibles.
We purchase German, American, and Japanese Military Artifacts.
FROM SINGLE ITEMS TO ENTIRE COLLECTIONS…
WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING!!!
