... I have mailed DGO to get a copy ...

Received a copy of the article today. Nothing new about the date of introduction. All it says is:

"Zur leiblichen Ertüchtigung der Mädelschaft wurde vermutlich im jahr 1934 durch die Reichsjugendführung das Jungmädel-leistungsabzeichen gestiftet. das genaue Datum konnte leider nicht ermittelt werden."

"For physical exercise of the girl community, the young girl performance badge was probably founded in the year 1934 by the Reich Youth Leadership, the exact date could not be determined."

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Many thanks Henrik :thumb:

Yes, 1934 is often quoted as the institution date because that is the year when the BDM achievement badges were introduced and for most authors it seems perhaps logical that the JM badge would have been introduced at the same time. Wrong :001_smile:
 
Tag des Leistungsabzeichens - Achievement Badge Day - 1941

Tag des Leistungsabzeichen am 22. Mai 1941 - Achievement Badge Day, 22 May 1941.

Scan from: Führerinnendienst - Obergau Niedersachsen 8, Number 8, May 1941, JM-edition.

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Still no date ...

I have just received a small 32 pages publication:

"Das Jungmädel
Leistungs-
Abzeichen

Die Jungmädelschaft
Sonderausgabe für die Sommerlager
1939."


The booklet contains the requirements for obtaining the badge

But there is no date mentioned, when the badge was introduced. :cursing:

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Another little bit of information ...

Klaus, Martin: Mädchenerziehung zur Zeit der faschistischen Herrschaft in Deutschland. Frankfurt am Main 1983.
Page 168-177:

"Wollte man beispielsweise Jungmädelführerin der unteren Ebenen werden, galten ab 1939 die Regeln ... und das Jungmädelleistungsabzeichen zumindest begonnen zu haben."

"If you wanted, for example, to become a Jungmädelführerin of the lower levels, the rules were from 1939 ... that you at least had begun the training for the Jungmädel achievement badge."

Lexikon - Ort

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As far as the introduction date is concerned Henrik I think we can be certain that this was in the summer/autumn of 1938 as shown by the October 1938 reference here and due to your generosity here :thumb:
 
As far as the introduction date is concerned Henrik I think we can be certain that this was in the summer/autumn of 1938 as shown by the October 1938 reference here and due to your generosity here :thumb:

I think my last posts also confirms the summer/autum 1938.

I'll keep searching. The date is out there, somewhere. And I won't give up untill I find it.

Unless someone want me to do it, I won't scan more publications until there is something new.

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I'll keep searching. The date is out there, somewhere. And I won't give up untill I find it.

That makes two of us :) No, please do post your sources! They allow us to see if the requirements of the test changed over time so they are extremely useful.

As you know, W Saris has a large collection of Verordnungsblätter and I asked him in 2009 whether he had anything on the introduction date but he was working on his book at the time and so nothing came of it. There is a good chance I would have thought that he may have that Verordnungsblatt and therefore an exact date.
 
Das Jungmädel Leistungs- Abzeichen - 1939

Well, here it is:

"Das Jungmädel
Leistungs-
Abzeichen

Die Jungmädelschaft
Sonderausgabe für die Sommerlager
1939."


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The regulations for the Jungmädel Leistungsabzeichen is published in the Dienstvorschrift der Hitler-Jugend, Dv JM 1, Der Jungmädeldienst, published with release date 1. April 1938.

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On print in a post-war publication: The Jungmädel Leistungsabzeichen was introduced in 1938.

This is the first time I have seen on print in a post-war publication: The Jungmädel Leistungsabzeichen was introduced in 1938.


Erich Blohm: Hitler-Jugend – soziale Tatgemeinschaft
2. Auflage, 1979, page 123:

"Als sichtbare Anerkennung für die Erfüllung der Übungen in der Grundschule stiftete der Reichsjugendführer 1934 das Leistungs-abzeichen der HJ und des BDM, 1935 das Leistungsabzeichen des Jungvolks und 1938 das für dreizehnjährige Jungmädel."


Unfortunately there is no source mentioned.

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Hi Henrik,

My apologies for not responding to the above two posts before now. Excellent information. Yes, as you say, Blohm gives 1938 as the year but your Dienstvorschrift really narrows the date to early 1938. The situation with the JM achievement badge is very odd isn't it? The introduction of all of the achievement badges is announced in the respective Verordnungsblatt but I've just been through all of the Verordnungsblätter for 1937 and there is no mention of the introduction of the badge. I have done the same with the Verordnungsblätter for 1938 and still no mention. Very odd that the RJF didn't announce the introduction of the JM badge in the same manner as all of the others. No wonder post-war authors were confused and it looks like many of them have relied on Kaufmann's statement that the year of introduction was 1940. Others have gone for 1934 but I now think that we definitely looking at early 1938 as being the introduction date thanks mainly to your reference in post 32. We'll get that exact date at some point I'm sure :)
 
It might be sure the JM badge must have been introduced as early as 1938 and given public in the regulation as shown by Henrik.
In the 1937-"Organisationsbuch der NSDAP", section about HY only were shown: DJ-Leistungsabzeichen, as well as HJ-Leistungsabzeichen (plate 61);
In the 1938-version were mentioned: BDM-Leistungsabzeichen (bronze and silber), the JM-Leistungsabzeichen in silver. But with the drawings with both the BDM-badge was shown. A mistake?
As far as I know this was the same in 1940. In the 1943 version of the book on plate 61/63 were shown: JM-badge, BDM-badge (bronze) and BDM badge (silver).
 
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Update: Henrik has unearthed more evidence in support of an introduction date of early 1938. In the March 1938 issue (Sachsen) of the magazine Das deutsche Mädel there is an article on the badge by the RJF JM-Referentin Käthe Bäumler. It is clearly an announcement and informs the JM that the aim of all 10-12 year old girls in the coming year to qualify for the badge.

Thanks Henrik :thumb:
 
Update: Henrik has unearthed more evidence in support of an introduction date of early 1938. In the March 1938 issue (Sachsen) of the magazine Das deutsche Mädel there is an article on the badge by the RJF JM-Referentin Käthe Bäumler. ...

Here is the article
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I found a period source dated 14.3.1938 today which mentions the "new achievement badge for the Jungmädel". That pushes the introduction date for the badge back a month or two compared to what we worked out previously. This new source clears up the issue of the introduction date once and for all I think. Post #1 updated.
 
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