Overview
- Brief Narrative
- German Labor Service plaque that belonged to Mark C. Levy, a US soldier with the 4th Armored Division and with the Intelligence Corps. The RAD [Reich Labor Service], was a labor organization established by the NSDAP (Nazi Party) in 1935. RAD service was compulsory for all citizens of Germany, age 19-25, for a minimum of 6 months. The RAD provided ideological and paramilitary training and instilled in its members the ideal of sacrifice and service for the glory of the Third Reich. This plaque is accompanied by a booklet where the member can record his personal informaton and activities. Most of the 14 interior pages have handwritten entries. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander, 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
- Date
-
issue:
approximately 1940
- Geography
-
manufacture:
Germany
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Mark C. Levy
- Markings
- a. front, beneath eagle and swastika, embossed : Arbeit adelt [Work Ennobles]
b. front, inside printed square outline for photograph, black ink : Passbild [Passport Picture]
b. front, black ink : Zur Erinnerung / an meine Arbeitsdienstzeit [In Memory of My Service at Work]
b. back, black ink : Arbeit adelt [Work Ennobles] - Contributor
-
Issuer:
Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD)
Subject: Mark C. Levy
- Biography
-
Mark C. Levy was born on January 1, 1926, to Esther and Nathan Levy in Pittsburgh, PA. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941. After his graduation from high school, Mark enlisted in the United States Army. Lieutenant Levy served as a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division which spearheaded the advance through to Germany of the Third Army under General George S. Patton. The division was deployed in France on July 13, 1944. On December 26, it relieved the 101st Airborne which had been trapped for days in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The division crossed the Rhine into Germany in late March 1945. On April 4, they liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp, a subcamp of Buchenwald and the first concentration camp freed by US troops. The unit was in Czechoslovakia when the war ended in May. Mark then was transferred to the Intelligence Corps and was present at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.
Upon his return to the US, he entered UCLA. He married Peachy in 1949 and the couple would have three children. Mark had a successful career as a builder/developer. He was recalled to the army for the Korean War, 1950-1953. After his discharge, he re-entered the building business. He later collaborated on film projects, including a WWII film, Where Eagles Dare. Mark and Peachy were very involved with their synagogue, Leo Baeck Temple, where Mark was president, as well as the wider Jewish community where they were involved with multiple charities. He was a founder and member of Markon, a Jewish aid organization. Mark, 88, died on February 18, 2014.
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Classification
-
Awards
- Category
-
Commemorative awards
- Object Type
-
Plaques, plaquettes (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- a. Rectangular, silver colored metal plaque nailed to a black painted wooden base with a beveled edge. The plaque has a beveled edge and an embossed image of a left facing Reichsadler [Imperial Eagle], with spread wings, clutching a swastika in its talons. In the center of the swastika is a ring; inside the ring is a shovel flanked by 2 wheat buds, the symbol for the RAD. Below the swastika is German text, then a band of oak leaves with a center cinched ring. The back has a metal frame with a rectangular, yellowed piece of plastic to cover and hold the pamphlet (b.). On the top is a triangular metal loop hanger
b. Rectangular, white paper pamphlet with graphics in black ink. The cover has German text and an outlined space for a passport picture. The back cover has German text. There are 14 interior pages for pictures and a form to enter personal information, which is filled out in handwritten script. The notes pages are completed and there are a few blank pages to paste in photographs. It is bound with 2 staples. - Dimensions
- a: Height: 6.625 inches (16.827 cm) | Width: 4.125 inches (10.477 cm)
b: Height: 5.875 inches (14.923 cm) | Width: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm) - Materials
- a : wood, metal, plastic
b : paper, ink, metal
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The plaque was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2006 by Mark C. Levy.
- Record last modified:
- 2024-10-02 14:48:14
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn518507
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Also in Mark C. Levy collection
The collection consists of artifacts, books, and documents relating to the experiences of Mark C. Levy as a tank commander in the United States Army 4th Armored Division, 3rd Army, and as a military intelligence officer in Germany during and immediately after World War II.
Date: 1944-1945
Adolf Hitler bas-relief commemorative plaque aquired by a US soldier
Object
Officially sanctioned plaque of Adolf Hitler that belonged to Mark C. Levy, a US soldier with the 4th Armored Division and the Intelligence Corps. The plaque was commissioned and sold by Adolf Trumpf of Hannover, Germany, during the era of the Third Reich, 1933-1945. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander, 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Mark C. Levy papers
Document
Papers consist of a soldbuch that belonged to Ernst Wolfgang Dahmen; in German. Light brown paper covers with black image of eagle and swastika and "Soldbuch." Black and white photograph stapled inside front cover. Printed text with handwritten and stamped entries.
Book
Object
Nazi propaganda book that belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
Miniature "button book" issued for charitable contributions by the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes
Object
Miniature "button book" printed by the Nazi German government and given as a token gift to those who had donated to the Winter-hilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes. The booklet could be worn on coat buttons as a sign that the wearer had donated to the charity. The book belonged to Mark C. Levy. Lieutenant Levy was a tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, Third Army, under General George S. Patton. This unit liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany on April 4, 1945, the first camp liberated by US troops. The war ended in May 1945 and around this time Levy transferred to the Intelligence Corps.
