S011579 LUFTSCHUTZ-FEUERSCHUTZPOLIZEI NCO'S SLEEVE EAGLE. (Ärmelhoheitsabzeichen)

BACKGROUND: On June 17TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern, (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany. As a result of this appointment and the restructuring of all the separate German state police into a single national police force new regulations were instituted to bring about uniformity in dress for all police through-out the country. One of the new uniform regulations was the introduction of an identifying sleeve insignia. The SHD, Sicherheits und Hilfs Dienst, (Security and Assistance Service), was formed in 1935 as a uniformed civilian organization under control of the RLM, Reichsluftfahrtministerium, (National Air Travel Ministry). The SHD worked hand in hand with the RLB and LSW in the civil air defence network with its primary functions being decontamination, fire fighting, rescue and repair and assisting civilian personnel and securing buildings following an air raid. In 1939 the SHD began conscripting personnel and in March 1942 the organization was renamed Luftschutz-Polizei, (Air Protection Police), and came under control of the Ordnungspolizei, (Order Police). Originally LS-Polizei personnel continued to wear their SHD uniforms with police insignia until late 1942 when police uniforms began to be issued. This pattern insignia was worn on the upper left sleeve of the service uniform by ranks of Unterwachtmeister to Hauptwachtmeister, (equivalent to the army ranks of Unteroffizier to Oberfeldwebel, respectively). Originally the police sleeve eagles worn by NCO’s included the name of the location where they were stationed but regulations of November 10TH 1941 abolished the name for all but the Freiwillingen Feuerwehren, (Volunteer Fire Brigades), and the Pflichtfeuerwehren, (Compulsory Fire Brigades), personnel.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Post-November 1941 pattern, machine embroidered, police eagle encompassed by a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath in carmine cotton truppenfarbe threads, with black eye and swastika detailing, mounted on a cut-out green/grey wool base. Removed from a uniform.