Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is a high quality depot issued RAD Labor Service Enlisted Man's 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 partially lined in olive 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 4 aluminum clips installed. The maker, size, and issue markings are stamped onto the inside of the left front closure, which read:
Marte
43 43
96
71 62
139
2 39
RADBAF
We assume that "Marte" is the maker, and the other numbers give the various sizes. The markings at the bottom indicate that it was processed February 1939 through "RADBAF", which we have not been able to identify, and is most likely some division of the RAD.
The collar is wrapped with chocolate brown wool, and has matching RAD Kragenspiegel collar tabs, somewhat similar to Heer Litzen. These are BeVo embroidered, and this style corresponds to the rank of Vormann (Foreman), an enlisted rank equivalent to a Heer Gefreiter or U.S. Army "Acting Corporal". The tabs have a black background, the branch of service color for "General Service" in the RAD. There are no shoulder strap insignia installed on the tunic, and it does not look like it was set up for them.
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 210 / 1 in the center. Below this is an early war multi-piece cotton NSDAP armelbinde (armband) with a sewn on black swas. 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 War Merit Cross 2nd Class Medal Ribbon sewn into second button hole from the top, most likely awarded for services not related to combat.
Overall condition is very good, showing only light wear from service, and no major tears or staining. There is however some moth damage, particularly on the rear shoulders, as well as on the rear of the right sleeve. There are also a few small moth nips on the collar.
A lovely unit marked RAD Labor Service Vormann's field uniform tunic, complete with insignia and armband! Ready to add to your collection!
Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 24”
Shoulder to shoulder: 16”
Chest width: 19.5”
Waist width: 18"
Hip width: 21”
Front length: 30.5"
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.
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