Kampfzeit Collection

[pjm]

In addition to SA items of the Kampfzeit I have tried collecting other relevant pieces of the era with moderate success.

Here is part of my collection of RFB, KPD and other Red material.

[Wuerstenfuchs]

Ritter von Epp! Wo bis du?

[Adrian Stevenson]

These are fantastic! I have never even seen any for sale in the UK in 30 years of collecting.

Cheers, Ade.

[Nick VR]

Hi PJM


I have to agree with Adrian, these are fantastic, never seen them for sale myself...

Do you have pictures of the items in wear?


Greetz

Nick VR

[pjm]

There's a catalogue available at times, "Roter Frontkämpferbund 1924-1929" published by Armeemuseum der DDR in the late 1980's. It contains some original photos as well as photos of items in the museum inventory.

But here are some images that show buckles, the small RFB cap badge and what appears to be the rectangular Pfingten meeting tinnie from 1926.

Collecting this material is very frustrating. I bought several pieces from an East German collector at a Dresden militaria show in 1990. He had tried to collect it in the DDR. He had a two buckles, a drum hanger and a few small badges.

Years later, I obtained a large grouping of tinnies, two photos and other items (like the RFB woman's broach and large plaque illustrated) at a Madison, Wisconsin militaria show. It appears to have been assembled in the TR and was part of an archive - there are just too many pieces in nice condition to have been collected privately. It was probably picked up by an American soldier.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

I agree with Adrian, marvelous material. As I wrote above, the NVA heirs had uniforms and musical instruments of the marching bands and headwear. Funnily enough, what they did not have were black SS uniforms or a Panzer berets, at least when I went to visit many years ago. The museum has been totally reorganized and rebuilt. If pjm would send me a private note, I can put him in touch with the Dresden people.

Many thanks and congratulations on this excellent aspect of German history.

[Adrian Stevenson]

It is funny, last night I ended up reading about Ernst Thälmann after jumping from link to link as you often do. Then I find this thread.

It is interesting how their uniform tunics had a Soviet style to them. I wonder just how much of this material still exists? I think much of it must have been destroyed in the 1930's: indeed who would want to be caught with it by the Nazis.

Cheers, Ade.

[pjm]

Right, possessing KPD, RFB material would have certainly implicated the owner as an enemy of the state and resulted in a stay in a concentration camp.

To compare, I had a friend in East Berlin who went to jail during the good old DDR days when, because he tried to escape though Hungary, the Stasi showed up and searched his family's home. They found the grandfather's SA dagger that had been discovered hidden in the attic space and wound up in a drawer in my friend's bedroom.

In addition to attempted flight from the republic, he was charged and convicted with honoring the NS-Regime and got extra time for it.

[pjm]

Here's a piece I found in another collection but unfortuantely do not own. It's part of a pole top for the Jungspartakus Bund organization. The star design is like the one posted above that I attribute to the KPD.

[pjm]

Try this YouTube - Der Rote Wedding (Red Front)

I tried finding RFB Schalmei Chor records but was unsuccessful. Another Holy Grail was an RFB flag but, again, no luck. Those not seized by the Nazis were destroyed, hidden or smuggled to the Soviet Union and then some returned after the war to museums in the DDR.

The more sophisticated KPD and RFB flags, like the second one shown here, were made in the Soviet Union and presented to German leaders on their visits to Moscow or delivered by the CPSU when its delegates came to Germany. However, most RFB unit flags were locally made as the others illustrated below.