Original German WWII RAD National Labor Service Obertruppführer NCO Field Uniform Tunic with Armband - dated 1939

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a high quality depot issued RAD Labor Service NCOs Field Uniform Tunic, with an earth brown wool outer shell. It features a five button front closure with a chocolate brown collar, which has a hook and loop closure. The tunic very much resembles early Heer Army M36 tunics, with two pleated breast pockets with scalloped flaps, and two larger pleated waist pockets, also with scalloped flaps. All of the buttons are the pebbled aluminum variety, maker marked and dated on the back and sewn directly to the fabric. The tunic's reverse features a short vertical tail skirt vent.

The interior is mostly lined in brown light canvas, and the sleeves are unlined. There are ventilation holes in the lining that look like they are chest slash pockets, but they are not. The only interior pocket is the bandage pocket on the lower right by the front closure. There are also holes for belt clips, with the two front aluminum clips installed, while the rear clips are missing. The maker and size markings were originally stamped onto the inside of the left front closure lining, however they are now worn and impossible to read. The issue information however is still legible, and reads:-

[ 2  39 ]
R.A.D.B.A.Br.

We assume these markings at the bottom indicate that it was processed February 1939 through "RADBABr.", which we have not been able to identify, and is most likely some division of the RAD, or possibly a clothing depot.

The collar is wrapped with chocolate brown wool, and has matching RAD Kragenspiegel collar tabs, somewhat similar to Heer Litzen. During the course of its existence, the collar insignia changed multiple times, and these look to be the final pattern seen. These are BeVo embroidered, and this style with large white polygons with a gray central stripe corresponds to the NCO ranks of Untertruppführer (Junior Troop Leader) up to Obertruppführer (Senior Trooper Leader).

The "sew-in" style schulterklappen (shoulder straps) are constructed of brown fabric with a row of wide silver tresse with a black stripe down the middle going around the entire outside of the straps. There is a single silver rank "pip" present, indicating the RAD NCO rank of Obertruppführer (Senior Troop Leader), equivalent to a Heer Army Feldwebel or U.S. Army Technical Sergeant. The tabs and shoulder boards have a black background, the branch of service color for "General Service" in the RAD.

The left sleeve has a unit assignment shield hand stitched on (original stitching), which shows a machine embroidered white RAD inverted shovel with red numbers 131 / 2 in the center. Below this is an early war multi-piece wool and cotton NSDAP armelbinde (armband) with an embroidered black swas insignia. This has been stitched to the sleeve with red thread tack stitches on both the top and bottom edges. It shows some wear from service, with overall age toning and light staining. There is also a medal ribbon pin for the Western Wall / Siegfried Line medal, which the RAD was extensively involved in the construction of.

Overall condition is very good, showing moderate wear from service, and there are some repairs, such as a stitched repair to the left shoulder by the shoulder strap. There is also some moth damage and holes, as well as some that may have been worn through the fabric. This definitely looks like a uniform that saw a good amount of use in the field during the war.

A lovely unit marked RAD Labor Service Obertruppführer's field uniform tunic, complete with insignia and armband! Ready to add to your collection!

The West Wall Medal (Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) was a decoration of NSDAP Germany. It was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was given to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany's western borders, known as the Westwall or, in English, the Siegfried Line, between 15 June 1938 to 31 March 1939. On 13 November 1939 eligibility was extended to include servicemen of the Wehrmacht who served on the Westwall for at least ten weeks. In all 622,064 medals were awarded until 31 January 1941, when awards of the medal ceased. This early version was made of solid bronze. The back has the statement FÜR ARBEIT ZUM SCHUTZE DEUTSCHLANDS - "For Work to Protect Germany."

The basis of the RAD, Reichsarbeitsdienst, (National Labor Service), dates back, at least, to 1929 with the formation of the AAD (Anhalt Arbeitsdienst) and the FAD-B (Freiwillingen Arbeitsdienst-Bayern).  Shortly after AH’s appointment as Chancellor in Jan 1933, the NSDAP consolidated all labor organizations into the NSAD (Nationalsozialist Arbeitsdienst), a national labor service, under the control of Reichsarbeitsführer Konstatin Hierl. It served as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarize the workforce and indoctrinate it with NSDAP ideology. It was the official state labor service, divided into separate sections for men and women.

On June 26 1935 the NSAD was officially re-designated RAD, and from then onward, men aged between 18 and 25 may have served six months before their military service. During World War II compulsory service also included young women and the RAD developed to an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht armed forces.

In April 1934 Hierl had developed a uniform, including the distinctive "Robin Hood" style service cap. The design of the cap was based on a cross between a traditional style peasant cap and the traditional hunters cap. Originally the caps were issued with rank distinction piping with black piping for the EM/NCO ranks of Arbeitsmann to Truppführer, silver piping for company and field grade Officer’s ranks of Obertruppführer to Oberstarbeitsführer and gold piping for General Officer’s ranks of Generalarbeitsführer to Reichsarbeitsführer. In 1940 the use of the black piping for the EM/NCO ranks was discontinued but the silver and gold Officer’s piping remained in use until the end of the war.