Original Item: Only One Available. The DAF (Deutsche Arbeitsfront or German Labor Front) was a National Socialist trade union that supplanted independent unions once the NSDAP had come to power in Germany. As with other party-affiliated organizations, the DAF had armbands that were worn at events and meetings. This example features a red cotton band with a printed 14 tooth "cogwheel" around a "mobile" swas (hook cross), the emblem of the DAF. Measures approximately 14 1/4" x 3 3/4", and is sewn together in the back.

The armband shows light to moderate wear from service, with small stains and holes in the red fabric, and there is overall wear to the exterior. The emblem is a bit faint, however we do not know if this is from wear or whether the original printing was always this way. A lovely example of a hard to find armband, ready to add to your collection!

With the dissolution of all Free Trade Unions in Germany in May 1933 the Deutsche Arbeitsfront, (German Labor Front), was established to replace the unions and to educate the workers in industry and commerce for smooth and efficient operation of all labor in the Third Reich. In October 1934 the DAF was given official status as a sub-section of the NSDAP and in March 1936 it was recognized as an independent NSDAP affiliated association and granted control of its own monetary budget. With this money it was able to procure its own signs and other insignia.

Theoretically, DAF existed to act as a medium through which workers and owners could mutually represent their interests. Wages were set by the 12 DAF trustees. The employees were given relatively high set wages and security of employment, and dismissal was increasingly made difficult. Social security and leisure programs were started, canteens, breaks, and regular working times were established, and German workers were generally satisfied by what the DAF gave them in repayment for their absolute loyalty. Employment contracts created under the Weimar Republic were abolished and renewed under new circumstances in the DAF. Employers could demand more of their workers, while at the same time workers were given increased security of work and increasingly enrolled into social security programs for workers. The organization, by its own definition, combated capitalism and liberalism, but also revolution against the factory owners and the National Socialist state. The DAF, however, did openly prefer to have large companies nationalized by the German state, instead of privately owned companies.