Dynamo; the Stasi Sports Organisation

[Greg Collins]

The Dynamo was the sports organization of the Ministry for State Security and the Police. It was divided into three sizes- the SC (sport club), the SG (Sportgemeinschaft- Sports community), and the SV (Sportvereinigung- Sports association). The SG Dynamo could have several SC Dynamos attached to it while the SV Dynamo could have several SG's and associated SC's attached to it. The SC Dynamo would concentrate on a single sport; the SG's would have a couple to a few sports under the same roof; the SV would have several sports under the same roof. The main Dynamo was SV Dynamo Berlin, and was headed by Erich Mielke- head of the Stasi- from it's inception in 1953 until 1989.

I have a reasonable collection of Dynamo items I thought I'd share. First off, an early bronze honour badge (full size and miniature) and document from 1961.

[Greg Collins]

Next, the silver honour badge (full size and miniature) and document to the same individual in 1968. Note Erich Mielke's stamped signature.

[Greg Collins]

The next image is the gold honour badge (full size and miniature) to the same individual. The flag of the badge went from the tri-colour to red in 1973; this document is dated 1977. Note Erich Mielke's actual signature here.

[Greg Collins]

A detail of Mielke's hand signature on the previous document. It seems he used a ball point when signing this.

[Greg Collins]

The previous documents did not come to me with mappe (document covers); the next two did; the silver in a dark red cloth covered mappe and the gold in a red leatherette mappe.

[Greg Collins]

The silver full sized badge and document from 1973 (the first year of the "red flag" issue). Erich Mielke's signature is stamped.

[Greg Collins]

Thanks, Ralph. Still trying to add to it, although things are a bit on the "dry" side at present.

[Taz]

Dynamomeister der SG Dynamo Hohenschönhausen-MfS

[Taz]

Dynamo-Staatsicherheit -Dzierzynskisportler-MUSTER