On page three of the March 15. 1944 issue of the Deutche Uniformen-Zeitschrift“ a small article reads: “The Germanic Proficiency Runes badge was awarded for the first time by Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler during his visit to the Netherlands. This honour is awarded in Bronze and Silver”
The above translated caption is in reference to Heinrich Himmler’s visit to the SS School Avegoor, near Arnhem in the Netherlands on February 1st 1944. Himmler personally presented 95 Germaansche Leistungsrune, the Dutch name of the award, to Dutch and German SS men.
Up until this time there were no badges available for sports and ideological proficiency across the whole Germanic SS and Himmler wanted an award made available to the German and the greater Germanic SS, a badge that would show the recipient had attained a high standard of sports proficiency and National Socialist ideology. The responsiblity for drawing up the rules and regulations for this badge was given to SS-Obergruppenführer and his SS-Hauptamt—SS-HA (SS Central Department), in particular Group ‘C’ which was responsible for propaganda, education, and physical training.