This badge documents the SA Competition Days of 1939 organized by SA-Gruppe Hansa, which took place from June 14-18, 1939 in Hamburg. This plastic badge was manufactured by the renowned firm Richard Sieper & Söhne from Lüdenscheid, registered under the RZM designation M9/25.

The Sturmabteilung (SA) regularly organized competition events during the National Socialist period, serving purposes of physical training, political indoctrination, and camaraderie. These events were an integral part of the Nazi propaganda system and were intended to demonstrate the striking power and discipline of SA formations.

SA-Gruppe Hansa was one of the regional divisions of the SA, encompassing northern Germany, particularly Hamburg and surrounding areas. The organizational structure of the SA was hierarchical, with SA-Gruppen serving as major formations uniting several brigades and standards beneath them. Hamburg, as an important port city and industrial center, played a significant role in Nazi Germany.

The competition days in June 1939 took place at a historically significant moment—just months before the outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939. By this time, the Nazi regime had already annexed Austria (March 1938) and occupied Czechoslovakia (March 1939). Domestic consolidation and the demonstration of strength through mass events were essential elements of National Socialist governance.

The production of such badges was subject to strict controls through the Reichszeugmeisterei (RZM) system, introduced in 1929 to regulate the production and distribution of Nazi Party badges and uniforms. The firm Richard Sieper & Söhne was one of the most important manufacturers of party badges and received the manufacturer number M9/25. The company from Lüdenscheid, a traditional center of metalworking in the Sauerland region, produced a variety of badges, medals, and decorations for various Nazi organizations.

The use of plastic as a material is noteworthy and reflects the increasing material scarcity and efforts toward resource conservation in the prelude to war. While earlier badges were frequently made of metal, there was an increasing shift toward using alternative materials. Plastics such as Bakelite or other thermosetting polymers enabled more cost-effective mass production.

SA competition days typically encompassed various disciplines: athletic competitions, shooting exercises, cross-country marches, and paramilitary drills. These events served not only physical training but also ideological education and demonstrations of power to the population. Participants in such competitions frequently received commemorative badges that they were permitted to wear on their uniforms.

The badge was attached to the uniform with a pin, as was customary for SA event badges. The quality of the badge in condition 2 indicates good preservation, whereby in military-historical evaluation, condition 1 means mint and condition 5 means heavily damaged.

After the “Night of the Long Knives” in June 1934, during which the SA leadership was largely liquidated, the SA lost political significance. The SS increasingly assumed the dominant role in the Nazi terror apparatus. Nevertheless, the SA remained as a mass organization and continued to conduct training, propaganda, and sporting events.

In 1939, the SA still had several million members, even though its political power had been considerably curtailed. The organization primarily served to mobilize and indoctrinate broad sections of the population and maintain the myth of the “movement.”

Today, such badges are important historical documents providing insight into the organizational and propaganda structure of the Nazi regime. They are preserved in museums and collections and serve historical research and education. Trade and public display of such objects in Germany are subject to strict legal regulations under § 86a StGB, which concerns the use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations.