German Verband Deustcher Lokomotivbeamten VDL Member Stickpin

Excellent very early VDL (GDL) stickpin, 1933-1936, in silvered Tombac with excellent enamel work. Unmarked on reverse. Measures 15mm diameter with 50mm pin.

The German Lokomotivführer (GDL) is a German trade union for the railway staff of the railway company. She is a member of the and has its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main.

After the National Socialists seized power in Germany, the GDL took place on 1. On July 1, 1933, its original name “Verein Deutscher Lokomotivführer” from 1867, in order to avoid the political stimulating record “Gewerkschaft”. On the 16th In December 1933, the chairman of the VDL resigned due to increasing political pressure, and the organization became a puppet of the Reich. On the 12th In November 1936, the VDL was formally incorporated into the Reich League of German officials. Some leading members of the GDL, such as Otto Scharfschwerdt, were persecuted by the National Socialists, sometimes imprisoned and murdered several times.