The “Gesetz über Titel, Orden und Ehrenzeichen” (Law on Titles, Orders, and Decorations), commonly known as the “Ordensgesetz” (Orders Law), is a federal law in Germany that governs the regulation and management of both civilian and military awards. Enacted on July 26, 1957, the law served two main purposes. Firstly, it outlined the proper handling of medals and decorations from before 1945, including those from the Weimar Republic, which had been influenced by Nazi-era laws from 1933 and 1937. Secondly, it established guidelines for the treatment and administration of awards in the newly formed Federal Republic of Germany.
The law includes a range of provisions regarding the handling of previously awarded medals and military decorations. It aligns with Germany's criminal code, especially § 86a, which prohibits the public display or distribution of Nazi symbols unless for historical or academic purposes.
Medals awarded before the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933 may be worn in their original form, while decorations from the years 1933 to 1945 may only be worn if any National Socialist symbols, such as swastikas or SS runes, are removed. Military decorations from previously allied states can only be worn with explicit permission, regardless of when they were awarded.
This meant that all such medals had to be modified to comply with the new law, a task undertaken by Steinhauer & Lück, a renowned German company based in Lüdenscheid. Founded in 1889, Steinhauer & Lück became the official supplier to the “Ordenskanzlei des Bundespräsidialamtes” (Office of the Federal President) from 1951 for the “Bundesverdienstkreuz” (Federal Cross of Merit) and all decorations for the “Verteidigungsministerium” (Ministry of Defense) from 1956 onward [1].
Steinhauer & Lück was commissioned to redesign all medals and decorations awarded between 1933 and 1945, ensuring they met the new requirements. The final result of this redesign process was published in “Bundesanzeiger No. 41” on February 28, 1958, as an appendix visualizing the freshly passed “Ordensgesetz”. Veterans decorated in the past wars were now able to purchase their awards in various sizes, featuring the updated designs for wear. Steinhauer & Lück produced these medals in both full size and miniature forms, as well as mounted on ribbon or full-size medal bars.
The redesign process was relatively straightforward for most awards since Steinhauer & Lück, being a licensed manufacturer at the time, had access to the original dies, pieces, and drawings. The sole exception was the Balloon Observer Badge, depicted on page 18 of the appendix to the “Bundesanzeiger No. 41” under “Leistungs- und Tätigkeitsabzeichen- I. Heer” (Achievement and Proficiency Badges - Army I.), with the description "Ballonbeobachterabzeichen in Bronze, Silber und Gold" (Balloon Observer Badge in Bronze, Silver, and Gold).
After its official issuance on July 8, 1944, no drawings were published for the Balloon Observer Badge, as it was continuously modified based on Hitler's orders until the very last stages of World War II. When a small number was finally ordered way after the first official batch of awards was made on December 12, 1944, the production of that first batch was destroyed. However, a rare example, a bronze Badge of the 1st grade, survived in the collection of Max Aurich, who later allowed Dr. Kurt-G. Klietmann to examine and photograph the badge. This photograph served as the foundation for recreating the original badge design and adapting it to meet the 1957 requirements. [2]
Dr. Klietmann’s personal archive contains a letter from Steinhauer & Lück, dated February 16, 1955, which reads: “Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Klietmann! Ich höre, dass Sie eine Abbildung haben von dem Ballon-Beobachterabzeichen. Können Sie mir eine solche Abbildung überlassen? Ich wär Ihnen für schnellste Zusendung dankbar. Nichts mehr für heute bin ich mit den besten Grüssen“ (Dear Dr. Klietmann! I hear that you have a picture of the balloon observer badge. Can you leave me such an illustration? I would be grateful for your fastest mailing. Nothing more for today I am with the best regards). [3]
It is noteworthy that Steinhauer & Lück manufactured all orders and decorations after 1945, following the depletion of old stock, in their original design, including the swastika. [4] This is also true for the Balloon Observer Badge, which they likely had to recreate from scratch, as it was the one decoration they had never encountered before.
Thanks to a generous collector, we are now able to present the array of Balloon Observer Badges in bronze, silver, and gold, all acquired directly from Steinhauer & Lück's clearing sale. Interestingly, there seem to be two versions of the badge with the swastika. These versions can be distinguished by differences in the needle systems, details on the reverse, and slight variations in the swastika designs—one version shows a flawed upper arm of the swastika. However, flaws on the Balloon itself clearly indicate that these badges were minted from the same tool. Interesting however is the so called "hump" that the eagle displays on his right wing/shoulder that finds its way to almost all forgeries of the badge from that point on going forward.
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Above the full set of higher Quality badges and now below the comparison between the two sets:
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When comparing these post-1955 badges with the surviving original badge, it becomes evident that Steinhauer & Lück worked from the photograph Dr. Klietmann provided. Significant differences in design can be seen between the original (right) and the recreated version (left).
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One might wonder why Steinhauer & Lück chose to redesign the badge without the two-tone design, perhaps mainly for cost savings. The original badge featured not only the dual color scheme requested by Adolf Hitler, but also a distinct surface texture: the bronzed oak leaves and eagle contrasted with the gilded balloon. It's also clear how the "hump" on the eagle emerged, as the high relief of the badge cast shadows during photography that may have misled the designers in 1955.
Below are images of the properly redesigned 1957 Balloon Observer Badge in bronze in comparison with the image from the appendix to the “Bundesanzeiger No. 41”.
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The absence of the flaws present on the swastika versions indicates that the tools were reworked to produce clean badges for sale following the introduction of the new laws.
[1] https://www.steinlueck.de/historie/
[2] “The Balloon Observer Badge”, Andreas M. Schulze Ising, March 14, 2022, https://medalnetservices.com/articles/the-balloon-observer-badge
[3] Letter as part of an ebay.de offering in 2024.
[4] There are various articles written on this topic which we will not elaborate on further. E.g. in Dietrich Maerz’s Book “The knights Cross of the Iron Cross”, Volume I on pages 198f.