Partisan Badge

[ELVTARS]

First pattern Partisan Badge issued in late 1945 to aproximately 1000 members of the Hungarian Partisans. These members were drawn from the individuals who were captured POWs and under a program devised by Matyas Rakosi given the opportunity for freedom (and better treatment) by swearing alliegance to the Soviets and entering political and practical training in one of the ten Hungarian partisan schools. The first school opened in May of 1943 with 40 students. Uppon graduation each member was given an NKVD identity and status within the Red Army. Many were placed in front line positions facing former Hungarian comrades with the duties of reconnisance (slipping back into the Hungarian lines and gahtering infomration), sabatoge (of the rear areas) or propoganda with the intention of drawing out fellow countrymen to come over to the Soviets. By the end of the war there were over 20 various Hungarian Partisan units operating as sinlge individuals or as small plattoons. Some of the Hungarian Partisan units were paratrooper trained and dropped into the Hungarian nation to operate radios and to form or support internal partisan groups.
These badges are extremely rare as they were superceeded in 1954 by a second design, but membership who were authoirsed to wear these first type of badges is just over 1000 individulas. After 1954 partisan membership became more political than of actual partisan activity. Even though the second pattern was distributed to less than 7000 individuals.