Show me your DDR

MedalFuhrer · 18-12-2010 3:49am #1

After visiting East Germany/ East Berlin and talking with some of the locals an interest in one of the most repressive societies in history was formed. So from East Berlin the following small collection was formed over a few months.

I bought a small display case last week:

DDR hat emblem/ badge

Paperwork:

If anyone has an interest in the DDR then post up your behind the Iron Curtain collection.

HerrScheisse · 19-12-2010 11:17pm

Almost nobody talks of the DDR anymore and at most of the fairs I have been at, you rarely see any items. Its almost like Germany's Experiment with communism was a pubescent quirk during their growing pains to democracy and is best forgotten. Yet it lasted so long, from 1949 to 1989, a lengthy period of forty years where the old men in the Normannenstrasse repressed 17 million of their own people to prevent them being exploited by the West German capitalists :eek:

What is sinister about the DDR medals is that awards for "Excellence in Border Duty" or "Loyal Service" do not have the same connotation as they would in democratic countries. And the awardees must have felt like they were doing their people and country a service without realising that they were a minor cog in a much bigger wheel.

Miehlke, the head of the notorious Stasi, in his defense stated "Ich liebe doch alle Menschen" - "I love all people", a perfect example of how skewed their worldview had become.

Below my collection:

Treue Dienst - Loyal Service in Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Service Excellence in the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee) - Bronze and Silver. 20 Years in NVA.

Defense of Fatherland in Bronze, Excellent Achievment and Excellent Border Service in Bronze.

HerrScheisse · 19-12-2010 11:19pm

Your collection look great in that case:)

MedalFuhrer · 20-12-2010 2:20pm

Nice collection Herr Sheisse! I didn't realise that you had so many. Yes it's a major part of European history, but more importantly; social history. And it only ended a short time ago.

Dr Strange · 21-12-2010 10:15am

Nice to see a different variety of awards.

The upcoming auction on 15 January by Carsten Zeige has lots of GDR (DDR) items as well as Sowjet and Russian:

http://www.zeige.com/en/index2.html

HerrScheisse · 21-12-2010 7:48pm

Hi Preusse,

Can you tell me a bit more on that auction house?

Is it bidding like Ebay or can you simply buy items, Are they reliable (no fakes)??

Ta!

Dr Strange · 22-12-2010 2:18pm

Hi HS,

no, it's not like ebay. It's a proper auction house meaning that they have scheduled auctions (hence the catalogue for the upcoming auctions) and you can register your bid either per email, fax or phone or, if you are there at the time, bid live (you can probably do that also as a phone bidder).

During non-auction times there are items available through their catalogue for sale (just send them an email).

As with all auctioneers you are best advised only to buy what you know well. There are originals as well as fakes and museum copies/collectors copies for sale. Some are marked as such in the catalogue but others may not be marked.

Fuinseog · 24-12-2010 12:19pm

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

After visiting East Germany/ East Berlin and talking with some of the locals an interest in one of the most repressive societies in history was formed. So from East Berlin the following small collection was formed over a few months.

I bought a small display case last week:

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East Germany ceased to exist when the post war borders were officially recognised in 1972.
as for the GDR, repressive is a matter of perspective.
everyone had a job. everything was cheap. people were for the most part, apart from travel restrictions, happy with their lives.
the current German state could also be considered repressive. indeed our own green isle was not adverse to oppressing its citizens.

MedalFuhrer · 24-12-2010 11:36pm

Fuinseog wrote: »

East Germany ceased to exist when the post war borders were officially recognised in 1972.
as for the GDR, repressive is a matter of perspective.
everyone had a job. everything was cheap. people were for the most part, apart from travel restrictions, happy with their lives.
the current German state could also be considered repressive. indeed our own green isle was not adverse to oppressing its citizens.

This is very true. And when speaking with the locals they still have mixed feelings. At the time, apart from people dissappearing and getting shot trying to escape over the border, they didn't know any different. But at least they all had jobs.
One woman I was speaking to told me about the day that the wall came down and she wandered over to the East. The first she happened upon was a supermarket. She said that she spend hours in there just looking, She couldn't believe that they had, or couldn't understand how they had or why they had 10 different types of cereal, 20 different milks, 20 different butters and fresh oranges!! She said that she never knew such things existed. Mad to think that it wasn't long ago.
While our state and most can be oppressive, people don't get "dissappeared" for saying the wrong things or having the wrong view. There are some great reading materials out there- very interesting part of history in recent society.

Fuinseog · 01-01-2011 11:53pm

I have a few GDR things in my collection. Once I find out how to post photos here I will put up a few photos

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h359/rexmundi77/DSCF0647.jpg

Fuinseog · 03-01-2011 1:34pm

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h359/rexmundi77/DSCF0649.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h359/rexmundi77/DSCF0639.jpg

MedalFuhrer · 03-01-2011 7:41pm

Nice collection Fuinseog. Each a piece of history to hold!

The Stasi were and still are widely regarded as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies in the world, their motto was "Schild und Schwert der Partei" (Shield and Sword of the Party), that being the Socialist Party of East Germany.

Stasi efforts with one agent per 166 citizens dwarfed, for example, the Nazi Gestapo, which employed only one officer per 2,000 citizens whereas the Soviet KGB employed one agent per 583 citizens. When informants were included, the Stasi had one spy per 66 citizens of East Germany. When part-time informer adults were included, the figures reached the surreal sum of one spy per 6.5 citizens. Spies reported every relative or friend that stayed the night at another's apartment. Punishments were severe and Stasi executions were carried out in strict secrecy, and usually were accomplished with a guillotine and, in later years, by a single pistol shot to the neck. In most instances, the relatives of the executed were not informed of either the sentence or the execution. They simply disappeared, made to have never existed.....

Fuinseog · 03-01-2011 11:42pm

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

Nice collection Fuinseog. Each a piece of history to hold!

I lived in the former GDR. it was an interesting time. I remember an acquaintance served with the stasi.

the hat is not a complete fake, just the cuff title.

HerrScheisse · 04-01-2011 2:59pm

Very interesting. Do you have any tales of life in the GDR? We would be very interested to hear them as we collect GDR.

There is a great book - Stasiland by Anna Funder. The type of book you cannot put down until it is finished.

MedalFuhrer · 05-01-2011 2:23pm

Yes very interesting indeed! You would be great to get an insight into such an era. Or where is best to buy medals etc. as I find that this is an area that is mostly forgotten.

HerrScheisse · 05-01-2011 5:18pm

I overlooked one of my DDR medals. Here it is below - in fact it is the first first DDR medal I found and it stimulated my further interest in this subject.

This is 15 years loyal service in the workers militia in silver (Kampfgruppen der Arbeitersklasse). Featuring a worker bearing an AK47 against an industrial backdrop.

Fuinseog · 05-01-2011 9:10pm

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

Yes very interesting indeed! You would be great to get an insight into such an era. Or where is best to buy medals etc. as I find that this is an area that is mostly forgotten.

if you want to buy medals go to a flea market, not in Berlin as there are too many tourists there and they jack up the prices accordingly.

I lived in the former East Germany before Ostalgie took off about ten years ago. the prices have probably risen since then. back then you could have bought a general's uniform at the flea markets. the good were there but I had to buy food as well.

The GDR styled itself as the real Germany, which is a reason why NVA uniforms look similar to whermacht ones, while the Bundeswehr took its lead from the US. the train service still retained the title of Reichsbahn.

most people I knew and know there were happy to be GDR citizens. they wanted reform not the destruction of their state.
if you messed with the state you got into trouble. if you mess with the current German state you will will land yourself in trouble. true you won't disappear but you could be landed with a Berufsverbot (whereby you are forbidden to have a career).
the introduction of democracy or whatever happened in 1990 caused a lot of upheaval. a lot of folk lost their jobs and people were constantly told they were behind the times. I studied with people older than myself who had to retain because their job was now obsolete. at uni all the professors were from the west because the old professors had been dismissed due to party (SED) membership.
Adolf hitler strasse changed to Yuri Gagarin Strasse after the war and the that same street changed to JFK strasse after 1990. many things changed. not all for the better.

HerrScheisse · 06-01-2011 8:17pm

When I was in Berlin in 2007 I was surprised that there are still divisions among the people after all this time has passed.

Fuinseog · 07-01-2011 12:50am

HerrScheisse wrote: »

When I was in Berlin in 2007 I was surprised that there are still divisions among the people after all this time has passed.

i work with Germans in Ireland and the tension between the two parts is still very noticeable. not so much among those born after 1990.
though having said that Germans are a regional people and you will also notice tensions between a Bavarian and a Hamburger.

Fuinseog · 09-01-2011 10:26pm

a few more decorations and a FDJ membership book

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h359/rexmundi77/DSCF0675.jpg

MedalFuhrer · 10-01-2011 12:10pm

Wow, that is a nice collection! Puts my 3 medals to shame!

Fuinseog · 10-01-2011 8:52pm

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

Wow, that is a nice collection! Puts my 3 medals to shame!

most of them are run of the mill and easy come by, but i operate on a limited budget.

Little Alex · 15-01-2011 9:38pm

Thanks for putting all the photos up! Nice to see them. I have some DDR stuff myself and must take a few pics soon.

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

the hat is not a complete fake, just the cuff title.

I think you must have taken the pic down already, but is it by any chance a hat with the fake "Ministerium für Staatssicherheit" cuff title instead of a strap, held on with shoulder board stars?

Fuinseog · 15-01-2011 10:14pm

Little Alex wrote: »

Thanks for putting all the photos up! Nice to see them. I have some DDR stuff myself and must take a few pics soon.

I think you must have taken the pic down already, but is it by any chance a hat with the fake "Ministerium für Staatssicherheit" cuff title instead of a strap, held on with shoulder board stars?

thats its exactly. I bought it in the mid nineties when the original items outnumbered the fakes. I haggled with the gypsie, but I guess they had the last laugh. I think I paid ten euro for it.

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h359/rexmundi77/DSCF0635.jpg

I also have an NVA dagger, similiar to the Whermacht one.

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h359/rexmundi77/DSCF0653.jpg

they appear to have gone up in price since when I bought it.

HerrScheisse · 15-01-2011 10:18pm

Now that dagger is a beautiful item. The blade looks pristine.

Fuinseog - any idea of the availability and price of NVA dagers? I assume that is an officer issued item? It looks ceremonial rather than a combat dagger.

Little Alex · 15-01-2011 10:55pm

The hat looks like a traffic cop's, if I'm not mistaken.

The dagger is lovely, alright. I have the parade belt, but no dagger! :pac: It's an army officer's parade dagger, HerrScheisse, which can also be worn by the MfS (Stasi) Guards Regiment and Grenztruppen (border guards). If you want to check out what they're going for, go to ebay.de and search for "Ehrendolch" in the category Militaria > DDR.

Was there a new law brought in a year or two ago banning (the importing of) daggers and swords?

Little Alex · 28-01-2011 1:04am

Here's something of mine:

picture.php?albumid=1422&pictureid=8619

I have some other stuff that I'm working on and I'll put up a few more pics soon!

MedalFuhrer · 28-01-2011 12:15pm

Now that is a great looking uniform! How did you come to get it?

Maybe this is something that doesn’t be talked about, but have you ever tried it on? Do people have a go at wearing the items that they have bought? Hats, uniforms, putting a dagger on your belt, etc.? And if you are buying a uniform or hat, do you try to get one in your size?

HerrScheisse · 28-01-2011 8:23pm

MedalFuhrer wrote: »

Maybe this is something that doesn’t be talked about, but have you ever tried it on?

Just to see what you look like as an NVA Officer

But not to the supermarket or the library

Little Alex · 28-01-2011 9:48pm

Both the uniform and hat fit me. The hat was no problem, as it is uses the standard metric sizing system. Tunics and trousers are trickier as the DDR had its own unique military sizes.

Little Alex · 29-01-2011 9:33pm

This is the Strichtarnfelddienstuniform (pine needle camoflauge field uniform):

picture.php?albumid=1422&pictureid=8625

And a few accessories to go with it:

picture.php?albumid=1422&pictureid=8626

I'm putting together a few more uniforms, too. I'll post pics as it happens.

Show me your DDR

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