Keitel's party number

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GoeringsPetLion
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Keitel's party number

#1

Post by GoeringsPetLion » 01 Nov 2016, 01:48

Hello everybody!

Do you know Keitel's party number?

Keitel became a party member in 1944. So, his party member was either around 9.6xx.xxx, or it was very low because sometimes Hitler attributed very low numbers to his closest followers (e.g. 23 to Goering).

freddiefro
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Re: Keitel's party number

#2

Post by freddiefro » 01 Nov 2016, 15:55

GoeringsPetLion wrote:Keitel became a party member in 1944.
Patzwall's "Das Goldene Parteiabzeichen" shows he was awarded the Golden Party Badge 03.02.1939, so I'm not sure it took until 1944 to confirm he was a member. Even if he were awarded it in 1944 & it was backdated until 1939, the are too many early war photos showing him wearing it already (for example, see the 1941 photo with the Japanese Ambassador below). I've seen the Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Keitel) stating he wasn't a member until 1944...well, why is he wearing a Golden Party Badge in 1941? I doubt that Party protocal allows the wearing of a Golden Pary Badge by a non-member of the NSDAP.

Fred
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GoeringsPetLion
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Re: Keitel's party number

#3

Post by GoeringsPetLion » 01 Nov 2016, 17:46

freddiefro wrote:I doubt that Party protocal allows the wearing of a Golden Pary Badge by a non-member of the NSDAP.
I read that serving officers were not allowed to join the party until 1944. :?

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Michael Miller
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Re: Keitel's party number

#4

Post by Michael Miller » 02 Nov 2016, 00:20

A fair number of non-Party members in the Wehrmacht were honorary recipients of the Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP, awarded for their contributions to the Reich. Raeder, von Blomberg, von Brauchitsch, Jodl, Dietl, Ringel, Rendulic, Keitel, etc.

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~ Mike

freddiefro
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Re: Keitel's party number

#5

Post by freddiefro » 02 Nov 2016, 11:35

Thank's Mike. You mentioned von Blomberg, but I believe he had the NSDAP number of 3 805 226. Fritsch also had one - 3 805 227 (my source is the aformentioned Patzwell book). Wouldn't an NSDAP number mean that the individual was a Party member?

By the way, welcome to the Forum, GoeringsPetLion...interesting post!

Fred

Halfdan S.
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Re: Keitel's party number

#6

Post by Halfdan S. » 02 Nov 2016, 19:48

As GoeringsPetLion says, German officers weren't allowed to be members of the NSDAP until late in the war … as Mike says a number of higher officers were by Hitler bestowed the Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP. By receiving this decorations they were automatically accepted as Party members and given a membership number … I can add Schörner and Dönitz to the above list. You could say that Hitler in this way bypassed his own regulations.

Best
Halfdan S.

freddiefro
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Re: Keitel's party number

#7

Post by freddiefro » 02 Nov 2016, 20:20

Thanks, Halfdan S.

Fred

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coburg22
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Re: Keitel's party number

#8

Post by coburg22 » 07 Nov 2016, 06:52

You can also add General der Inf Herman Reinecke, Generaloberst Lothar Rendulic and General der Gebirgstruppe Julius Ringel to the list of recipients, non of whom were members of the NSDAP!

Br. James
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Re: Keitel's party number

#9

Post by Br. James » 15 Jan 2017, 23:45

According to Patzwall's book on the AH Honorary GPB, GFM Keitel received this honorific award on 3.2.39, and there is no NSDAP Membership Number listed for him. Keitel may well have received an NSDAP Number later on. Also according to Patzwall's list, neither Karl Dönitz (30.1.44) or Ferdinand Schörner (30.1.43) were assigned NSDAP Membership Numbers at the time of their awards of the AH Honorary GPB.

Br. James

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