Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original German WWII second pattern Reichsluftschutzbund, or RLB, cotton armband. The RLB was the National Air Raid Protection League and played a major role in organizing and training the German civilian population for air raid precautions and civil defense.

The armband is constructed from blue cotton, which remains soft and retains strong original color. The central organizational emblem is machine embroidered and consists of the RLB starburst design with a swastika at the center. The embroidery remains in excellent condition with strong definition and little apparent loss.

The armband measures approximately:

15 inches long
3 7/8 inches wide

It is sewn together at the rear with a French seam.

Overall condition is very good. There are some areas of age-related staining and light wear, but no major damage. A single stitch is present on the reverse, possibly a period tack stitch used to secure the armband temporarily to a uniform sleeve.

The Reichsluftschutzbund was organized under Hermann Göring in 1933 as a voluntary air raid protection organization. Existing civilian air raid precaution groups were subsequently absorbed into the RLB as the organization expanded.

Its primary function was to educate and train ordinary German civilians in measures intended to reduce the effects of aerial bombing. Instruction included firefighting, protection against chemical weapons, communications procedures, and the preparation of homes and apartment buildings for air raids.

At the local level, RLB organization centered around air raid wardens and small first-response groups responsible for immediate action following an attack.

In 1939, the RLB became a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts, giving it formal public-law status, and in 1944 it became affiliated with the NSDAP.

This is a particularly attractive example of the second pattern RLB armband, retaining strong color, crisp embroidery, and only light honest age wear.