The SS Zivilabzeichen (-Z.A.) was a badge of the SS issued between the years of 1933 and 1938 to SS members. Translated as "SS Civil Badge", the ''SS Zivilabzeichen'' was a small

lapel A lapel ( ) is a folded flap of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat below the collar. It is most commonly found on formal clothing and suit jackets. Usually it is formed by folding over the front edge of the jacket or coat and sewing it to t ...

pin worn on civilian clothing to denote membership in the SS. The badge was most commonly awarded to members of the ''

Sicherheitspolizei The often abbreviated as SiPo, is a German term meaning "security police". In the Nazi Germany, Nazi era, it referred to the state political and criminal investigation security agency, security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of ...

'' who were veteran SS members. There appears to have been no set criteria for the SS-Z.A.'s issuance, and an SS member had only to apply to the ''

SS-Hauptamt The SS Main Office (; SS-HA) was the central command office of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in Nazi Germany until 1940. Formation The office traces its origins to 1931 when the SS created the SS-Amt to serve as an SS Headquarters staff overseeing ...

'' in order to receive the civil badge.

Known civil badge numbers

Adolf Hitler was given honorary SS number "1" and was awarded a ''Zivilabzeichen'' by the SS. The badge was stored in Hitler's Munich apartment until it was taken by 1st LT Philip Ben Lieber in 1945. The badge, along with a group of material owned by Hitler, was sold through Mohawk Arms to collectors Stephen Wolfe and Neil Hardin. In 2013, the entire group was purchased by military antique collector and dealer Craig Gottlieb. * #1:

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

* #2:

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

* #6,375:

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ;"Eichmann"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; 19 March 1906 – 1 Ju ...

* #72,723:

Gustav Lombard Gustav Lombard (10 April 1895 – 18 September 1992) was a high-ranking member in the SS during World War II. During the war, Lombard commanded 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer and the 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division. He was a recipie ...

* #106,983:

Karl Freiherr Michel von Tüßling Karl Richard Freiherr Michel von Tüßling (27 July 1907 – 30 October 1991) was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who served in the Nazi government of dictator Adolf Hitler, in the staff of the Reichsführer SS and in the staff of the SS Mai ...

* #160,180:

Ernst Kaltenbrunner Ernst Kaltenbrunner (4 October 1903 – 16 October 1946) was an Austrian high-ranking SS official during the Nazi era, major perpetrator of the Holocaust and convicted war criminal. After the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, and a ...

* #169,582: Hermann Senkowsky

References

Sources

* SS

service record A service record is a collection of either electronic or printed material which provides a documentary history of a person's activities and accomplishments while serving as a member of a given organization. Service records are most often associa ...

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ;"Eichmann"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; 19 March 1906 – 1 Ju ...

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located approximately from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. Its population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the home of the University of Mary ...

Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany {{germany-mil-stub