Heil Hitler. Ludendorff. V. Grafe - Opinion?

[Helene]

This is my Party badge. Is this the real thing?

[jerry c.]

i'm afraid not.

[Wim Vangossum]

poor fake.

Regards, Wim


Freedom is not for Free

[sjl]

An extra "F" in "LUDENDORF" - have a look at the catalogue image.

[Helene]

Well, I don't know what mistake 'they' made, but it is spelt with 2 FF's. Look him up, Wikipedia. The catalogue maker must have had a 'late night' when he printed it ???

[Helene]

Well, sometimes i wonder about this forum. Not many members seem to be able to back "their" opinions. Some even have spelling troubles. They just throw lose comments around. i have now witnessed the same person saying it is the real thing one minute and a fake the next. Also to say that it is a 'Poor Fake', C'mon. Haven't you seen what's coming out of China lately? I was hoping for constructive, mature responses. Giving such a definiite conclusion without actually seeing the item in the flesh, is a little 'dicky' too. Keeping an open mind, i will believe that this pin is the real thing until someone can prove me wrong.

[panzerguy]

OK, referring to "history". Imagine it is the year 2080 and you have a badge marked "2011," at it says "Democratic Party, Romney for President."

That's how fake this Ludendorff badge is.

RZM marked = Third Reich period, 1933 and after. The Nazis hated Ludendorff in 1933.

[Wim Vangossum]

Ok, I will give a bit more then "poor fake".

When the old general died in 1937, he was given a state burial. But that was it. The nazi's, like mentioned by panzerguy, hated him. Already in 1927 Goebbles said in a meeting with all the Gau leaders that Ludendorff was not a member of the NSDAP and had no influence within the party.

Ludendorff in turn, wrote a letter to Hindenburg two days after the last one made Hitler Chancellor over Germany were he claimed that he made a fatal mistake in supporting the nazi's.
So, any badge of this kind with an rzm mark is bogus.


Regards, Wim



Freedom is not for Free

[Br. James]

The third name on this badge -- "v. Gräfe" -- was not familiar to me so I looked him up. Interesting fellow. It appears that Albrecht von Gräfe was a wealthy landowner and politician who thought he could 'use Hitler for his own ends of controlling all of the right-wing organizations under one banner.' Though he marched with Hitler and Ludendorff in the front rank of the Putsch march representing one of the other rightist groups that combined for the events of that day, he managed to escape a jail sentence along with Ludendorff and in early 1924 he tried to mount a take-over of the NSDAP by creating a new group called the National Socialist Freedom Movement (Nationalsozialistische Freiheitsbewegung, or NSFB) while Hitler was safely tucked away in the Landsberg Fortress. Gräfe tried to work a deal with Gregor Strasser and got the support of Ludendorff, but Hitler refused to allow this new group to go forward without him in control of it. This seems to be the beginning of Hitler's disaffection with Ludendorff as well as with the Strassers, and the NSFB fell apart shortly after Hitler was released from Landsberg. But Hitler had a very long memory and that seems to have been the end of his relationship with either gentleman. Gräfe died in early 1933 and Ludendorff in 1937, and we all know what happened to Gregor Strasser, though his brother, Otto, managed to slip out of the net before it was hauled in!

Br. James

[panzerguy]

mis-post sorry

[panzerguy]

Originally Posted by milanche

Hello,

I have not seen many of this badges at the forum, so I will ask for opinion on this one.
At front is written "Heil Hitler. Ludendorff. V. Grafe" with swastika at the center, and on the back there is RZM and M1/73 markings at the top and GES.GESCH. at the bottom.
What do you think, is this a genuine pin?

Thank you

see post 12 and 14