- Time Period: Nazi Germany (Interwars Period)
- Institution: 30 January 1940
- Country: Germany
The Nazi Party Long Service Award, officially known as Die Dienstauszeichnung der NSDAP in German, was a distinguished political decoration presented in the form of a badge by the Nazi Party.
Instituted on April 2, 1939, by Adolf Hitler, this award recognized long-term service of male and female members of the NSDAP. The decoration was first bestowed on January 30, 1940.
Due to the Nazi Party’s relatively short existence (1920–1945), the awards were granted before the actual service years were completed. The period from February 1925 to January 1933 was considered the “Kampfzeit” (Time of Struggle), and service during this time was counted double. Continuous service in any Nazi Party organization or formation qualified, with exceptions for up to two years of compulsory military service, military service against the Republican Government in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and German military service post-September 1939.
The Nazi Party Long Service Award Classes
The award featured three classes: ten years (bronze), fifteen years (silver), and twenty-five years (gold).
Ten-Year Award: The ten-year service medal (3rd class) was a bronze medal measuring 43mm, suspended from a dark brown ribbon with two narrow white side stripes. The reverse side featured raised lettering.
Fifteen-Year Award: The fifteen-year service medal (2nd class) had a similar design but was plated in silver and featured dark blue enamel on the cross arms and the center section. The reverse side inscription was in blue enamel with silver lettering. The ribbon was blue with two narrow silver-gray side stripes.
Twenty-Five-Year Award: The twenty-five-year service medal (1st class) was gold-plated with white enamel on the cross arms and center section. The reverse inscription was white enamel with gold lettering. The ribbon was red with white edge stripes and a small gold center stripe. This medal was sometimes awarded posthumously.
The Nazi Party Long Service Award Design
Each medal bore the inscription “Treue für Führer und Volk” (Loyalty to Leader and People) on the reverse side. The service award was a four-pointed cross with slightly curved arms, featuring a national eagle and an oak leaf wreath at the center.
When awarded to men, the medals were worn on the left breast pocket medal bar. Women wore the award as a neck order or a brooch medal from a 15mm ribbon. On the small ribbon bar, the ribbon included a small national eagle within a wreath in the class-specific color.
All three classes could be worn simultaneously.
