BACKGROUND:The Stahlhelm, (Steel Helmet), League of Combat Veterans was conceived by a nationalist ex-army officer Franz Seldte in November 1918, and was officially instituted on Christmas day of that year. It consisted mostly of WWI veterans trying to assimilate back into a devastated society. The Stahlhelm became the largest of the post-war veterans groups and absorbed many of the smaller Freikorps groups until it was absorbed by the SA in July 1933. The Stahlhelm was eventually disbanded in November 1935 with the remaining members being absorbed by the DRKB, Deutscher Reichskriegerbund (Kyffhäuserbund), (German National Association of Veterans, Kyffhäuser Association). The DRKB was renamed NS-RKB, Nationalsozialistische-Reichskriegerbund, (National Socialist-State Soldiers League), by the NSDAP on March 29TH 1938 and amalgamated most of the earlier veterans associations into one national organization. The Stahlhelm was a uniformed organization that utilized collar tabs with unique oak-leaf cyphers as indicators of rank.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Stamped alloy construction Stahlhelm oak-leaf collar tab cypher with a silver wash. The cypher features dual oak-leaves with smooth, raised outer edges and "veins" with a subtly textured background field. The cypher also has an extended stem with a two acorns. The word "Wehrsport" is visible to the largest leaf. The badge measures approximately 5cm x 3cm with three folded soldered prongs to the reverse.