$155.00
An 18-jährige 1. Stufe. Polizei-Dienstauszeichnung. This was awarded to active members of the German Police who gave 18 years of service surrounding the Third Reich era. It is constructed out of a die-struck tombak base that has been silver gilded. The obverse features a centrally placed police logo, which consists of a German national eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika in its talons above an oval oak leaf wreath (tied together at the top) which is in front of a pebbled pattée style cross that has a smooth border. The reverse reads: “Für Treue Dienst in der Polizei” (For Loyal Service in the Police) within an oval smooth backing and in front of that same bordered pattée style cross. To the top is a soldered-on loop and ring. Accompanying the award is approximately 4 inches of ribbon.
Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was named Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern (Chief of German Police in the Interior Ministry) on 17 June 1936 after Hitler announced a decree which was to “unify the control of police duties in the Reich.” Traditionally, law enforcement in Germany had been a state and local matter. In this role, Himmler was nominally subordinate to Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick. However, the decree effectively subordinated the police to the SS, making it virtually independent of Frick’s control. Himmler gained authority as all of Germany’s uniformed law enforcement agencies were amalgamated into the new Ordnungspolizei, whose main office became populated by officers of the SS.
The police were divided into the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo or regular police) and the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo or security police), which had been established in June 1936. The Orpo assumed duties of regular uniformed law enforcement, while the SiPo consisted of the secret state police (Geheime Staatspolizei or Gestapo) and criminal investigation police (Kriminalpolizei or Kripo). The Kriminalpolizei was a corps of professional detectives involved in fighting crime, and the task of the Gestapo was combating espionage and political dissent. On 27 September 1939, the SS security service, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), and the SiPo were folded into the Reich Main Security Office (Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA). The RSHA symbolized the close connection between the SS (a party organization) and the police (a state organization).
On January 30, 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of an award for police officers who met qualifications based on length of service.
To qualify for the medal, a person must be an active police member or “an administrator” in the police service. Military service time could also be applied to the total time of service needed for the award.
The award was given in three grades to men who had served for eight, eighteen, and twenty-five years.
On 12 August 1944, a higher grade was authorized for 40 years of service. It was to be in the form of a gold metal bar bearing the number 40 and oak leaves, to be affixed onto the ribbon of the twenty-five-year award. There is no record of it being awarded before the end of World War II in Europe.
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World War 2 was one of the most significant conflicts in modern history. Millions of soldiers and civilians died in the fierce battles between the Allies and the Axis.
Tales of courage and sacrifices still live in the military artifacts that remain in our grandparents’ attics, basements, and footlockers. Iron Cross HQ is very proud to offer a wide selection of WWII uniforms, WWII field gear, weapons, medals, decorations, photos, and more, for sale at Iron Cross HQ Store. Reproduction items and originals are available for Militaria collectors and reenactors.
