Titoist Partisan Badge.

[CtahhR]

Here is a Partisan Badge for those Yugoslav Partisans loyal to Tito. The political situation in occupied Yugoslavia was exceptionally complicated with Occupiers, Chetniks, Partisans and forces with all sorts of nationalist and political leanings. These rather poor quality Badges were worn by those who would later be on the "winning team".

Photographed in wear in 1944 is 9 year old Miriam Steiner and her parents Bela and Zora, the only Jews in the village of Trebnje, Slovenia. The Communist Slovene Partisan loyalties were not originally to Tito but directly to the Comintern and only fell under Tito's influence in 1944, later becoming a branch of the Yugoslav People's Army. As this is a 1944 dated photograph it is unknown as these partisans were always Titoist or are wearing this Tito Badge after his influence became more prominent in Slovenia.

As this family was a Jewish Communist family in a supposed occupied territory they didn't have to be shy about their political leanings as the fact that they were Jewish of any political leaning would have been reason enough for deportation had they been caught.

To say these Badges are original war time pieces they can be picked up for almost nothing. The quality does reflect the fact that they were mass produced under rather difficult conditions.