SSB blue enamelled badge with a snowflake acquired by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Depth: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm)
Creator(s)
- Harold B. Goldberg (Subject)
- Mayer & Wilhelm (Manufacturer)
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 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
Enameled SSB badge with a white snowflake on a blue field brought back from Germany by Harold Goldberg, a Jewish American soldier who served in Europe. The acronym SSB stands for Schwabian Skiverband, a regional ski association in the Swabian region of southern Germany. The badge was manufactured by Mayer & Wilhelm, a metalware factory in Stuttgart, Germany. The factory was founded in 1865 and still produces medals and metalware today. Harold B. Goldberg lived in New York City where he attended City College and worked as mail carrier prior to being drafted into the U.S. Army as a private in October 1942. Harold served in Europe until the end of the war and then returned to New York where he married his wife Rita in 1952.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Convex, inverted, silver colored metal, equilateral triangle pin with an enamel white snowflake and gray letters in each point on a blue enamel field. A spring hinge and safety catch is soldered on the reverse, with the maker's mark.
front, three corners, grey enamel : S S B
Corporate Bodies
- United States. Army
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish.
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Germany.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Souvenirs (Keepsakes)--Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.
Genre
- Identifying Artifacts
- Badges.
- Object