Original German WWII HJ HJ Enamel Cap Badge by Eugen Schmidhäussler – RZM M1/128 Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice German WWII AHjungend Mützenabzeichen (HJ Cap Badge), marked RZM M1/128 for manufacture by Eugen Schmidhäussler of Pforzheim. It is constructed out of a die stamped zinc alloy base that has been silver washed and contains red, white and black enamel work. The rhomboid diamond shaped obverse depicts the HJ emblem, which consists of; a black mobile swas above a silvered square diamond which is surrounded by alternating white and red translucent pebbled quadrants and is all surrounded by a small silvered border. The full back reverse has a horizontally soldered on pin assembly and is maker marked RZM M1/128. The pin measures approximately 25mm tall by a 13mm wide.

The plating is still partly intact on the front, and much more so on the back. The enamel work has no cracking making this a great pin!

AH believed German youth to be the future of his 3rd Reich. The HJ (AH Jugend or HJ) was formed officially in 1935, and with the exception of NSDAP ideology indoctrination was very similar to the Boy Scouts. Beginning at about the age of ten years, both boys aged 14-18 (AH Jugend) and girls aged 14-18 (Bund Deutscher Mädel) were enlisted in the Party-run organization.

Of Note: In late 1934 items manufactured for the NSDAP and other organizations, including membership pins, came under the quality control of the RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster) and as a result were marked with the RZM logo when appropriate. The registry was was based at the Brown house in Munich and NSDAP party headquarters in Berlin. The RZM ensured that the manufacturers of military items were consistent in design, quality of materials and other characteristics of the items. It also defined standards of design, manufacturing and quality and published an authoritative color chart for textiles. The M1 in the code stands for Metal Badges, with Eugen Schmidhäussler of Pforzheim being contractor number 128.