Schwabisch Hall red, gold and blue enameled coat of arms pin acquired by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Width: 1.000 inches (2.54 cm) | Depth: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm)
Creator(s)
- Harold B. Goldberg (Subject)
Biographical History
Harold B. Goldberg (1922-2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York to Samuel and Rose Goldberg. Samuel and Rose were born in Russia and immigrated to the United States before the birth of their children. Samuel worked as a presser in a tailor shop. Harold had six siblings and the family spoke Yiddish and English at home. As a young adult Harold worked as a mail carrier and attended City College in New York. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The following day the United States declared war on Japan, and on December 11, Germany declared war on the United States. On October 31, 1942 Harold was drafted into the U.S. military. He entered the army on October 31, 1942 as a private, and received serial number 32613738. He served in Europe until the end of the war. Harold then returned home to New York where he married his wife Rita in 1952. The family lived in New York for the rest of their lives.
Archival History
The lapel pin was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by the family of Harold Goldberg.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the family of Harold Goldberg
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Schwabisch Hall cross and hand crest lapel pin brought back from the war by Harold Goldberg, an American soldier who served in Europe, circa 1945-1946, during and after World War II. Schwabisch Hall is a town in Baden-Wurttemberg state in southern Germany, midway between Stuttgart and Nuremberg. In 1936, the Luftwaffe established an airport in the Hessental section. It was destroyed by Allied bombardment in September 1944. The Germans immediately began re-construction and a subcamp of Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, called Schwabisch Hall- Hessental, was built to supply labor. On April 5, 1945, as the Allies neared, the camp was evacuated by death march to Dachau. Schwabisch Hall was occupied by US troops on April 17, 1945.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Shield shaped, heavily corroded, silver colored metal pin with an enamelled coat of arms, topped by a rectangle with the town name. The upper shield has a rectangular, yellow field with a possibly silver circle enclosing a cross pattee on a red field. The bottom section is a semi-circle with a red field with a possibly silver circle enclosing a hand, palm outward, on a blue field. The back has engraved German text and a soldered spiral hinge pin and triangular C-catch.
front, top, engraved : SCHWAB.HALL
Subjects
- Souvenirs (Keepsakes)--Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
Genre
- Identifying Artifacts
- Object