Reichsarbeitsdienst Picture Postcards

[Gwar]

Some of my picture postcards.. Enjoy, post em' if ya got em', G

[jmd62]

Nice collection, thanks for sharing!

[Jack the Collector]

Here is one I just received and I had planned to ask you about in a pm.So what I was assuming is this is a very early photo.However,when I look under 10x magnification that is not FAD insignia on the hats.

[Gwar]

Hello Jame, one of the first things I do when viewing photographs is to look at the headwear, uniforms and their belt buckles, this comes in very handy when trying to date RAD photographs or glean information and clues as to when it may have been taken, based on your recent picture we have an abundance of documentation to sort through.

1.) The Arbeitsmann are wearing the claw type buckles which may or may not have been the replacement for the prior FAD buckle, the official RAD buckle was announced in 1936 and for some reason I want to say March of that year

2.) The RAD cap insignia or ' RAD Mutzenabzeichen' was introduced on Oct. 16th, 1933 and was described in the Verordnungsblatt on Jan. 8th, 1934

3.) The Standarte, it has the number 1/74 which would be for Arbeitsgau VII Schleswig-Holstein, Abt. 1/74 Rendsburg, Honor Name 'Uwe Jens Lorenzen', most if not all Abt.  used honor names of heroic, symbolic and otherwise patriotic persons as a type of mascot if you will.. Uwe Jens Lorenzen ( 18 November 1793 -12 February 1838 ) was 

   a German lawyer and civil servant of the Danish government. Through his work 'Ueber das Verfassungswerk in Schleswigholstein' he became the champion of a united

      and more independent Schleswig-Holstein, which makes sense because of the Abt. they belonged to was part of the Arbeitsgau from Schleswig-Holstein.

     1/74 has been traced to 1933 and up until 1939, which kind of explains the earliness of the picture, I forgot to mention the sleeve spade also has the 1/74 on it as well

      So, in a nutshell, I would say this is a late FAD which is slowly becoming the RAD, the examples I have provided are of the advert of the 'New Claw ' buckle replacing 

     the FAD buckle and a actual example of each, also, the 1/74 Arbeitsdienstlager at a much later time and a young RAD man from 1/74, hope this helps some, if not ask more

      questions, Take care, G, wow, my indents didn't work out so good..

[Jack the Collector]

Thanks Gwar,much appreciated.