History

Following the First World War, the German Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz, DRK) was threatened in its existence by the Treaty of Versailles, since the organisation was mainly focused on preparing its members for war and military-related medical service. This resulted in the DRK switching focus to social welfare activities during the time of the Weimar Republic.

The stipulations enforced by the Treaty of Versailles were declared null and void following the NSDAP’s consolidation of power in 1933. The new Reich Minister of the Interior, Wilhelm Frick, an NSDAP member, ensured that the DRK would be ready to support all of the Third Reich’s future military affairs and political ideologies. In 1938, the DRK was merged with the Ministry of the Interior’s Social Welfare Organisation, officially becoming an organisation under NSDAP oversight. The DRK also had ties to the SS, mainly due to high-ranking medical professionals serving in both organisations simultaneously.

The DRK dagger hangers have two straps and dull aluminum buckles and hooks, the buckles are oval and plain. The hanger backing is composed of light grey velvet or light-coloured corduroy, while the facing has sections of dull and bright aluminum wire, two interior stripes of bright aluminum, and three alternating stripes of dull aluminum. The bright aluminum sections are bordered by thin red stripes.

The Social Welfare Dagger is identical to the Red Cross Leader's Dagger, with the exception of the dagger hangers it uses. The Social Welfare dagger hangers have two straps and dull aluminum buckles and hooks, the buckles are rectangular and pebbled. The hanger backing is composed of light grey velvet, while the facing is composed of dull aluminum wire, with two thin blue-grey sections.