Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting German WWII Waffen-SS sleeve diamond, or Ärmelraute, identified as the pattern worn by former members of the Ordnungspolizei, or Order Police, serving within the Waffen-SS. The black diamond-shaped insignia features the distinctive police-pattern eagle and wreath worked in contrasting silver-gray thread, with the small central swas. below the eagle.

This particular design is important to distinguish from the superficially similar SS and Police specialist diamond associated with the Fachgruppe SS- und Polizeiwesen. That later specialist insignia incorporated SS runes above the police eagle. The present example has the police emblem alone, known as the Ärmelraute für ehemalige Polizeiangehörige, or sleeve diamond for former police personnel.

The face is constructed from black cloth with the police device woven in light gray thread. The eagle is positioned within the characteristic oval wreath, producing a compact version of the familiar German police national emblem. The black material has been folded around a tan stiffened buckram center, which remains exposed, while black reinforcing material and machine stitching secure the folded edges.

The condition is very good overall. The silver-gray woven design remains crisp and easily recognizable, while the black cloth retains strong color. There is mild wear and minor fraying around portions of the perimeter. The reverse buckram and folded backing remain intact, with the original construction readily visible.

The SS used a surprisingly extensive system of Ärmelrauten to indicate specialized duties, organizational assignments, professional qualifications, and, in certain cases, previous organizational service. Specialist reference works classify the police-eagle diamond as identifying former Ordnungspolizei personnel serving in the Waffen-SS. The same system included separate designs for medical, veterinary, technical, administrative, signals, cavalry, and other personnel.

The police connection represented by this insignia is particularly significant because the German police and SS became increasingly intertwined during the 1930s. On June 17, 1936, Heinrich Himmler was appointed Chief of German Police. Nine days later the uniformed police forces were centralized under the newly created Hauptamt Ordnungspolizei, or Order Police Main Office, headed by Kurt Daluege. The Order Police included the Schutzpolizei in the larger cities, the Gendarmerie in rural areas, and various additional uniformed police services.

The organizations remained administratively distinct in many respects, but the centralized SS-police system created considerable movement and overlap between police and SS personnel. A specialized former-police sleeve diamond provided a visible means of acknowledging that previous service after an individual entered Waffen-SS service.