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Silver flagpole ornament with the NSBO Nazi trade union emblem taken by a US soldier

Object | Accession Number: 2005.561.2
2005.561.2_a-b front Silver flagpole ornament with the NSBO Nazi trade union emblem taken by a US soldier Click to enlarge 2005.561.2_a front Silver flagpole ornament with the NSBO Nazi trade union emblem taken by a US soldier Click to enlarge 2005.561.2_b front Silver flagpole ornament with the NSBO Nazi trade union emblem taken by a US soldier Click to enlarge

NSBO (Nationalsozialistische Betriebszellen-Organisation: National Socialist Industrial Cell Organization) flag pole decoration removed by Paul Carey, 21, an American soldier, from a flag pole with a Nazi flag (2005.561.1) in Nuremberg Stadium around April 20, 1945. NSBO was the Nazi Party organization that took over the trade unions in Germany after they were outlawed on May 2, 1933. Carey was assigned to the 831 Quartermaster Gas Supply Co., attached to the 3rd and 45 Infantry. His unit arrived in Nuremberg, Germany, on April 16, 1945. After four days of fierce fighting, the heavily defended city was captured. Carey was among the first group of soldiers to return home after the war ended on May 7, 1945.

Date
found:  1945 April 16-1945 April 20
Geography
found: Nuremberg Stadium; Nuremberg (Germany)
Classification
Identifying Artifacts
Category
Flags
Object Type
Finials (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Melissa Carey-Lopez

About This Object

Physical Description
Silver colored metal flag topper molded in the shape of a hand and forearm grasping a sledge hammer with a swastika embossed on a black inked background on the the front and the back of the hammer head. Attached to the handle of the hammer above and below the fingers is a semi-circular quarter section of a cogwheel with 5 gear teeth and 2 support shafts. The lower edge of the cogwheel and the forearm act as a base attaching the topper with rivets to a short, hollow tube that would be inserted into the top of a flag pole. German text is engraved on the right side of the hammer head and an acronym is stamped on both sides of the cogwheel rim.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 10.250 inches (26.035 cm) | Width: 5.750 inches (14.605 cm) | Depth: 1.620 inches (4.115 cm)
Materials
overall : metal, ink
Inscription
front, on cogwheel, stamped : NSBO [Nationalsozialistische Betriebszellen-Organisation: National Socialist Industrial Cell Organization]
back, on cogwheel, stamped : NSBO [Nationalsozialistische Betriebszellen-Organisation: National Socialist Industrial Cell Organization]
front, right side of hammer head, trademark, stamped : ARENDT / SULZBACH OP. / ges. gesch [? / ? / legally protected]
Contributor
Subject: Paul M. Carey
Biography
Paul Moseley Carey was born on February 28, 1924, in Washington, DC. After graduating high school, he joined the United States Army. He was assigned to the 831 Quartermaster Gas Supply Co. as a Private First Class and served on the front lines in Europe during World War II. In the spring of 1945, Paul was on detachment with the 3rd US Infantry and the 45th US Infantry divisions, which were assigned to the XV Corps. On April 16, 1945, these and other US Army units reached Nuremberg, Germany. After four days of heavy fighting against a well entrenched and motivated enemy, the city was captured by American forces on April 20th. Germany surrendered on May 7th, 1945. Paul was one of the first 200 US servicemen sent home after the war based on service points. Troop demobilization followed a plan whereby individual soldiers were assigned points for length of service, time overseas, time in combat, number of wounds, and number of children at home. Paul married Sally in 1952 and they settled in Virginia and had four children. Paul passed away, age 84, on September 15, 2008.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The flag pole decoration was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by Melissa Carey-Lopez, the daughter of Paul M. Carey.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use

 
Record last modified: 2023-06-01 07:08:36
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn523389

Also in Paul M. Carey collection

The collection consists of artifacts relating to the experiences of Paul M. Carey in Germany while serving with the United States Army during World War II.

Date: 1945 April 16-1945 April 20

Nazi flag with a swastika and a Galgenhof district patch taken by a US soldier

Object

Nazi flag and flag ring taken by Paul Carey, 21, an American soldier, from a flag pole with an NSBO flag topper (2005.561.2) in Nuremberg Stadium after the city fell to Allied forces on April 20, 1945. The flag represented Galgenhof, a district of Nuremberg. Carey was a member of the 831 Quartermaster Gas Supply Co. on detachment with the 3rd and 45th Infantry. His unit arrived in Nuremberg on April 16, 1945. After four days of fierce fighting, the heavily defended city was captured. Carey was among the first group of soldiers to return home after the war ended on May 7, 1945.

View All 2 Items in the Collection