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Deutsches Rettungsschwimmabzeichen
Today, I would like to present some examples of the Deutsches Rettungsschwimmabzeichen [literally "German Rescue Swimming Badge", but perhaps better translated as "German Lifeguard Badge"].
First, a little bit of background information.
Currently, three organisations are officially authorized to undertake qualification tests for and awards of the badge: The Deutsche Lebensrettungsgesellschaft (DLRG) [German Lifesaving Association], the Wasserwacht [Water Rescue Service, a division of the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK) [German Red Cross]] and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland (ASB) [Workers' Samaritan Foundation Germany]. Each organisation awards its own unique design of the badge.
The badge comes in three grades - bronze, silver and gold - which can only be attained successively, with increasingly higher requirements for each grade. The requirements are standardized and identical between the three organisations.
The bronze grade is the basic-level qualification badge and an entry requirement for several state police forces. The silver and gold grades are officially recognized as decorations and are authorized for wear on military (and other) uniforms, which is why only these two grades are also available as full-size badges and ribbon bars. (All three grades are available as civilian miniatures and cloth badges for wear on sports clothing.)
Last edited by HPL2008; 11-03-2018 at 03:56 PM.
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11-03-2018 02:02 PM
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HPL2008: do you own also the Totenkopf-Schwimmerabzeichen.
as well as its wearing?
Just a question as I would like to see their documents.
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by
Wilhelm Saris
HPL2008: do you own also the Totenkopf-Schwimmerabzeichen.
as well as its wearing?
Just a question as I would like to see their documents.
Sorry, Wim; I don't have any specimens of those.
For those unfamiliar with this badge: The Totenkopf-Schwimmabzeichen [Death's Head Swimming Badge] is for endurance swimming. It comes in three grades (black for 1 hour of uninterrupted swimming, silver for 1 1/2 hours and gold for 2 hours).
This badge is of an unofficial nature and, although once popular, is only rarely tested for since the 1970s or so, as it often led to cases of hypothermia and other serious medical problems, especially when tests were undertaken in open water.
Nowadays, most swimming clubs and baths don't offer tests for these badges anymore. If they do, they usually restrict them to candidates who are known to be good swimmers and in excellent physical condition, and particular care is taken to ensure sufficient water temperature and thorough supervision. (Some Wasserwacht local groups still offer them, whereas the DLRG has strictly prohibited its local groups from doing so.)
All grades are cloth badges. You sometimes see ribbon bars on German eBay with little metal death's head devices affixed to ribbons in the Olympic colors (as on the specimens seen above) which are allegedly for the Totenkopf-Schwimmabzeichen, but these are made-up fantasy pieces. (The badge is not authorized for wear on any uniforms, and the ribbon as such is legally protected under the statutes of the Ordensgesetz; thus, technically, wearing such a bar is an infraction.)
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