DRL Sport Badge, silver grade with swastika, owned by German Jewish refugee
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Width: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm) | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
Creator(s)
- Carl W. Lenneberg (Subject)
- Wernstein (Manufacturer)
Biographical History
Carl Werner Lenneberg (1899-1989) was born on November 5, 1899 in Remscheid, Germany and had an older brother Georg (b. 1898). Their father, and later Carl and his family, owned a store in Remscheid. Carl was a soldier in the 8th (Rhenish) Foot Artillery Reserve Battalion, XVI Army Corps, German Army, during the First World War. He was awarded several medals for his combat service. Carl’s fiancé, Hildegarde Hilb (Hilde, b. 1912 in Ulm) immigrated to the United States in May 1937. Carl and Georg were arrested during Kristallnacht in November 1938 and sent to Dachau concentration camp. They were released in December. Carl, Georg, and Fritz Hilb (b.1919 in Ulm), Hilde’s brother, booked passage on the MS St. Louis and left for Havana, Cuba, on May 13, 1939, with 937 passengers. During the voyage, Carl wrote nearly daily letters to Hilde as well as others in Germany and kept a diary. After the ship was denied entry in Cuba and returned to Europe they disembarked in Antwerp, Belgium and got an apartment in Brussels along with another shipmate, Fritz Buff. Carl and Georg used this time to continue learning English. Fritz Hilb left for England and, in February 1940, sailed from Liverpool on the MS Scythia. On April 11, 1940, Carl and Georg left on the SS Westernland from Antwerp, arriving in New York on April 25. On April 27, 1940 Carl married Hilde. They settled in New York City and had a son.
Archival History
The pin was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2011 by Ron Lenneberg, the son of Carl Werner Lenneberg.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ron Lenneberg
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
DRL Sport Badge, silver grade, with swastika awarded to Carl Werner Lenneberg. DRL [Deutscher Reichsbund für Leibesübungen / German Imperial Commission for Physical Exercise] replaced the DRA [Deutscher Reichs-Ausschuss / German National Committee for Physical Training) in 1934. The silver grade badge was for those from 18-32 who passed the national fitness test for 8 years or those from 32-40 who passed the tests within a 12 month period. The 1913 Olympics and Germany's selection as the next host city generated widespread interest in physical fitness and led to the institution of a national sports badge. Earning a badge was a significant accomplishment. In January 1933, Hitler and the Nazi regime took power. Anti-Jewish policies put increasingly harsh restrictions on Jewish life. Werner and his brother Georg were arrested during Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938, and sent to Dachau concentration camp. After their release, they left Germany on the ill-fated voyage of the MS St. Louis to Havana, Cuba, May 13-June 17, 1939. Upon the ship's forced return to Europe, Carl and George were in the group given asylum in Belgium. In April 1940, they sailed from Antwerp to New York. a
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Silver colored die-struck metal brooch in the shape of a cutout, oval, embossed oak leaf wreath with a mobile swastika set over a bow at the bottom. In the center are 3 intertwined, openwork upper case letters, DRL. On the back is a maker's mark and a soldered hinged pin and C hook.
Subjects
- World War (1939-1945)--Refugees.
- Jewish refugees--Belgium.
- Jews--Persecution--Germany.
- Jewish soldiers--Germany.
- World War (1914-1918)--Participation, Jewish.
- Soldiers--Germany.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany.
Genre
- Object
- Identifying Artifacts