A National Socialist People's Welfare Sisterhood Nursing Badge

Solid silver with gilt wreath, number impressed "51", marked "800" (silver) and "GES. GESCH." (Gesetzlich Geschützt) on the reverse, obverse with the NSV (Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt) insignia in the centre, inscribed "NS" above and "Schwelternschaft" below, surrounded by a full wreath of laurel leaves, 42.5 mm, horizontal pinback, contact marks and scattered tarnishing, better than very fine. Footnote: Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt (NSV), meaning "National Socialist People's Welfare" was a social welfare organization during the Third Reich. The NSV was established in 1933, shortly after the NSDAP took power in Germany. Its seat was in Berlin. The NS Schwesternschaft was the "Kampfbund fighting for the health of the NS State". It was the National Socialist Sisters (Nurses) organization and as part of the NSV, was expected to be thoroughly versed in party ideology and to use this as their guidelines, sometimes to the detriment of a terminally ill or hereditarily damaged patient. This is a badge that would likely have been discarded or destroyed after the war, due to the involvement of the organization in the euthanasia program and other questionable activities.