Original Item: Only One Available. This is a German WWII Sicherheitsdienst (SD) personnel sleeve diamond, or SD-Raute, constructed from black wool with the distinctive intertwined “SD” machine embroidered in light silver-gray thread. This style is commonly identified by collectors as the “Dachau-made” type, a term applied to a group of largely unissued S.S. cloth insignia associated with stocks recovered from S.S. clothing facilities in the Dachau area at the end of the war.

The diamond remains in very good overall condition, retaining a deep black wool field and clearly defined silver-gray embroidered lettering. The embroidery shows only mild age toning and remains quite attractive. There is scattered surface lint and light storage wear, along with some minor irregularity and small losses or notches around the raw-cut edges of the wool.

The Sicherheitsdienst, or SD, began in 1931 as the intelligence service of the S.S. and developed under Reinhard Heydrich into one of the Third Reich's principal political intelligence organizations. Initially concerned with gathering information on political opponents and perceived enemies of the N.S. movement, the SD expanded enormously after 1933. In 1939 it was incorporated with the Security Police into the newly organized Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), where the SD ultimately operated both domestic and foreign intelligence branches.

Uniformed SD personnel wore the distinctive diamond on the lower left sleeve, making it an organizational identifier rather than a rank badge. The SD was also deeply involved in political repression and persecution, and Security Police and SD personnel formed a major component of the Einsatzgruppen that carried out mass murder in German-occupied Europe. This gives the otherwise simple “SD” diamond considerable historical importance as an artifact connected to the intelligence and security apparatus of the Third Reich.

Due to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.