A very unusual Svazarm Officers Club membership pin. The badge is made of gold coloured metal and the badge face is 1.6cm high and in excellent condition. To the rear is a long, stick pin style fastener. The KDPZ initials represent the Klubu dustojníku a praporcíku v zaloze which is the Non Commisioned Officers Club.
This particular pin is a Svazarm, military reservist pin badge.
Historical Background
The svazarm were formed in 1951 in former Czechoslovakia to train the population in military based disciplines. The svazarm was a copy of the Soviet DOSAAF paramilitary group. The activities the Svazarm provided were extremely diverse, ranging from medical training to dog training. Dog lovers would be instructed in the training and breeding of dogs suitable for military purposes, especially German Shepherds. Shortwave radio operation was another popular activity, and was also useful for creating future radio operators in the army.
A more specialised branch of the Svazarm, based at Košice, trained pilots for the air force. Training included at least twenty flight hours of glider training and forty hours of basic training on motorised aeroplanes, as well as the necessary aviation theory. There ware also sections: Model airplanes and gliding (formally DOSLET), motor sport section (motorcycles and cars) and all sort of shooting sports. (rifle, pistol)
