The German Olympic Decoration (german: Deutsche Olympia-Ehrenzeichen or Deutsches Olympiaehrenzeichen) was a civil decoration of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

awarded to administrators of the IV Olympic Winter Games in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...

and the Games of the XI Olympiad in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

1936. The award was not intended for actual participants in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, but rather in recognition of those who had orchestrated the "behind the scenes" preparations and work for the events. Several members of the SS, including

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inclu ...

Karl Wolff Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff (13 May 1900 – 17 July 1984) was a German SS functionary who served as Chief of Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler) and an SS liaison to Adolf Hitler during World War II. He ended the war as the Supre ...

and

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

were awarded the Olympic Games decoration for providing security during the event.

Hermann Fegelein Hans Otto Georg Hermann Fegelein (30 October 1906 – 28 April 1945) was a high-ranking commander in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany. He was a member of Adolf Hitler's entourage and brother-in-law to Eva Braun through his marriage to her si ...

was awarded the decoration for overseeing the preparation of the courses and facilities for the equestrian events. The decoration was presented to

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

for her work in filming the various sports events. It was also presented in the 2nd Class to

Hiroshi Ōshima Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Japanese ambassador to Germany before and during World War II and (unwittingly) a major source of communications intelligence for the Allies. His role was perhaps best summed up by General Geo ...

, the Japanese Ambassador to Nazi Germany. The German Olympic Decoration was awarded in three classes: * 1st Class * 2nd Class * German Olympic Commemorative Medal Of the three classes, the First Class was presented as a

neck order A necklet is a type of decoration which is designed to be worn and displayed around a person's neck, rather than hung (draped) from the chest as is the standard practice for displaying most decorations. In the Middle Ages most order's insignias ...

. A total of 767 were presented. The second class was open to persons who played a significant, but lesser role as to the work which went into the presentation of the games. A total of 3,364 were awarded. The German Olympic Commemorative Medal (german: Deutsche Olympia-Erinnerungsmedaille) was established to recognize service in connection with the preparation work and execution of the game events. The medal was not restricted to German nationals. All classes could be worn miniaturized on a

ribbon bar A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...

.Angolia, John (1989). ''For Führer and Fatherland: Political & Civil Awards of the Third Reich'', pp. 17-22. Modern German law prohibits the wearing of a swastika, so in 1957 the German federal government authorised replacement decorations in place of the swastika version; which still exists and can be worn as a civil decoration.

Notes

References

*{{cite book, first=Dr Heinrich, last=Doehle, year=1943, title=Die Auszeichnungen Des Großdeutschen Reichs, location=Berlin, Germany, publisher=Berlin-Buch und Periodical Press, isbn=0-9624883-4-8 1936 Winter Olympics 1936 Summer Olympics Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany