"NS-Reichskriegerbund 'Kyffhäuser' e.V." Hat Badge

History

The Kyffhäuserbund's origins lie in a section of the Deutscher Kriegerbund (German Warrior League) that established a league in 1900 that would unite the formerly scattered German war veterans' associations. Some of these organizations had been already administrating the maintenance of the memorial together. The league was initially named "Kyffhäuserbund der deutschen Landeskriegerverbände" (Kyffhäuser League of the German Countries' Warriors Associations), a name that became later abbreviated to "Kyffhäuserbund".

In the name of Gleichschaltung, the Kyffhäuserbund was nazified after the Nazi takeover of power in 1933. Five years later, its name was altered to "NS-Reichskriegerbund 'Kyffhäuser' e.V." (Nationalsocialist Reich Warriors Association 'Kyffhäuser'), becoming the sole and exclusive organization representing the Veterans' interests in the Third Reich.

The Kyffhäuserbund was swiftly and unceremoniously disbanded during the Second World War, in March 1943, by Adolf Hitler himself. Apparently the reason was the German defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad.

The reestablishment of the Kyffhäuser organization with federal state branches began in 1952 in the German Federal Republic. The present-day Kyffhäuserbund emphasizes its role as a shooting sports association.