Original Item: Only One Available. The NSDAP or Nationalsozialistische Deutsche ArbeiterPartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), was originally founded in Munich as the DAP, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (German Worker’s Party), on January 5TH 1919. When Adolf AH joined the DAP in the autumn of 1919 he was to reform what was basically a debating society into an active political party. Appointed as the first chairman of the party on July 29TH 1921, AH was to restructure it along para-military lines in a hierarchy.

This new NSDAP structure consisted of four ascending levels of government: the Ortsgruppenleitung (Local group leadership), the Kreisleitung (District leadership), the Gauleitung (Regional District leadership), and the Reichsleitung (National leadership). Each group was distinguished by a specific color of piping on the collar tabs and visor cap. From 1936 to 1939 in this scheme, light blue was for the Ortsgruppe level, black for Kreis level, burgundy red for Gau level, and gold yellow for the Reich level. After that the Kreis level changed to white piping.

The position of Zellenleiter (Cell Leader) was first created in 1930 as a mid-level political leadership title within the party local group organization. Originally known as Zellenwart, in 1933 after the NSDAP came to power, the rank of Zellenwart was replaced by a new rank known as Stellenleiter. It was the Stellenleiters, on the local level of the NSDAP encompassing German towns and cities, who held the positional title of Zellenleiter, and were often referred to as such in contrast to their actual political rank. Such persons answered to an official known as an Ortsgruppenleiter, considered the chief NSDAP member in a municipal region.

In 1939, the NSDAP completed revamped its political ranking system and created a plethora of new NSDAP political ranks and the title of Zellenleiter was adopted into its final form. Holders of the position now held a standard NSDAP political rank (normally Bereitschaftsleiter or Einsatzleiter) while also displaying a political armband denoting their position as a Zellenleiter.

This lovely armband is constructed of a red wool/cotton blend cloth with a central black swas on a white rayon moire field, all bordered by thick gold bullion twisted thread. To the center is a band of gold bullion wire oak leaves with the top and bottom bordered by a single narrow band of gold bullion wire threads, the outer edges also bear narrow bands of gold bullion wire threads. Gold yellow piping completes the outer edges, pinned into the center of the swas is a single gold washed zinc pip with an NSDAP style German national eagle embossed in the center. Total length is 21 1/4” with a width of 5 3/16”. The armband is in excellent unissued condition, with no signs of ever being attached to a uniform or used.

A really great example of one of these highly decorative armbands! Comes ready to display.

Orts Role in Municipal Government
After the founding of NSDAP Germany, the political rank of Ortsgruppenleiter was held by the chief NSDAP member in a municipal area. In many situations, town and city administration overlapped with the NSDAP political system, meaning that the traditional local government was overshadowed, if not entirely replaced, by NSDAP leadership. Traditional government titles did continue to exist, such as Bürgermeister; however, if these positions were not already held by a corresponding NSDAP official, city government was little more than a rubber stamp to NSDAP designs.

During World War II, the position of Ortsgruppenleiter encompassed a large amount of responsibility and power as it was these NSDAP officials who typically ran the city civil defense systems as well as the allocation of war rations and civil relief efforts. As Germany was invaded and defeat became imminent, NSDAP leaders in major towns and cities also became ad hoc military commanders in charge of mixed-unit German forces and Volksturm units.

Between 1930 and 1932, the political rank of Ortsgruppenleiter was denoted by a braided shoulder cord and a white collar bar worn on a NSDAP Party brown shirt. After 1933, the rank was denoted by two light yellow collar bars. The actual rank of Ortsgruppenleiter was phased out of the Party in 1939, replaced by a large number of expanded paramilitary political titles. The position of Ortsgruppenleiter was after this time typically held by a Party Member with the rank of Abschnittsleiter, paired as well with a political armband denoting the specific position of Ortsgruppenleiter.