English Translation

171 S NATIONAL SOCIALISTIAN GERMAN WORKER PARTY PARTY-CANZLEI The head of the party law firm Führerhauptquartier, August 30, 1944. Circular 205/44 (Strictly confidential, not for publication!) B et r if f t: Wearing the party badge in the Wehrmacht. Repeatedly came from circles of the NSDAP. the suggestion that the Führer allow the wearing of the party badge to the Wehrmacht uniform. Several reasons speak for this proposal. There are concerns against this, which do not make it seem appropriate to make such a regulation: If wearing the party sign in the Wermacht were allowed, then an additional evaluation would be carried into the troupe. It would inevitably lead to a certain distinction between soldiers with and soldiers without badges. However, at a time when we have to put everything that separates us back, this would be completely undesirable. Apart from that, such a distinction would also include inequities with the professional soldiers who were not allowed to join the party at all. The same applies with regard to many of the valuable comrades of the Wehrmacht, who have not been able to become members of the NSDAP because of the suspension of admission. On the other hand, not all of the party members are still in such a position that they could be exposed within the Wehrenmacht by giving them the right to wear the party badge. A considerable number of people who joined the party after the transfer of power is by no means a gratifying increase for the NSDAP; in some of them, only with regard to their current membership of the Wehrmacht was the release from the party. And finally, wearing the party badge in the Wehrmacht would without doubt also immediately raise the question, whether now also the professional soldiers of entry into SM√4-41c/44