Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare German WWII NSDAP Diplomatic Corps Officer's Visor Cap insignia, in very good condition. Constructed from hand-embroidered gold bullion thread on a black background, at almost 5 inches across these are definitely among the largest and most ornate of the cap badges used on Third Reich visor caps. The curved outspread wings are distinctive, as is the size, and the level of detail is way above those shown on other caps.
The Diplomatic Corps of the NSDAP was responsible for Ambassadors to foreign countries, so they needed to look very impressive. This example in gold is in very good condition, and still shows the original paper backing that prevented the threads from pulling. It does not look like it was stitched to a visor cap, however it definitely does show wear, probably from years of storage.
A very nice example of a rare cap badge, ready to display!
The NSDAP Diplomatic Corps was made up of officials (civil servants) of the Foreign Ministry. This ministry was taken over in 1938 by newly appointed Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop who, for the first time, introduced specific Diplomatic Corps uniforms. In April of 1939, a uniform pattern for Officials was introduced. The garments are either navy blue or field-grey. This uniform pattern was not meant as a replacement for the June 1938 pattern uniforms worn by Diplomats. Gold-colored uniform fittings for certain ranks were introduced in May of 1939. Officials who qualified for them wore gold-colored instead of silver-colored buttons, (collar) piping, and pay grade insignia. They underwent near continuous modification between then and 1943. Prior to 1938, there had been no defined uniforms for members of the Foreign Office.
Prior to the war, the Foreign Ministry was heavily involved in the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland. During the war, some conquered territory, especially in Poland, was incorporated into the German Reich, while other territory was merely occupied. These countries, while officially still independent, were in reality administered by German officials of the Diplomatic Corps, and in some cases also German-approved puppet governments.
Officials of the Diplomatic Corps were distinguished by rank as well as their educational level. The latter determined which kind of “Laufbahn” (career) an individual was able to choose. The “Höherer Dienst” (Higher Career) required a university degree, the “Gehobener Dienst” (Elevated Career) required a college degree, the “Mittlerer Dienst” (Middle Career) required a highschool degree, and the “Einfacher Dienst” (Lower Career) required a grade school education, to put it in a simplified way. Additionally, the Higher and Elevated Careers included several different pay groups.
Initially, both navy blue and field-grey garments were worn by all Officials, but in September of 1939 the field-grey uniform was restricted to those Officials stationed outside the German Reich (including the General Government) and the navy blue uniform was only worn by those stationed within the German borders. The highest ranked Officials, those that wore collar piping on their tunics, would continue to wear the navy blue uniform regardless of where they were stationed. In March of 1940, field-grey uniforms were restricted to those Officials attached to AH’s headquarters or military headquarters, as well as higher ranked Officials in both the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the General Gouvernment (Poland).
