History

Hitler Youth membership armbands indicated the affiliation to the HJ, hence they were worn by all HJ members. Their designated place was on the left arm, 5 cm above the elbow.

The earliest armband, worn by the “Jungsturm Adolf Hitler”, the pre-HJ organisation, established January 28, 1923, was black, white, and red (the German national colours) with a black swastika on a white square.

In 1926, the armband was introduced that was to become the standard HJ armband. It was red, white, and red with a black swastika on a white circle. However, the armband that is predominantly found today shows the swastika on a white diamond.

Some armbands were worn during special events and would slightly differ from the regular armband.

Certain foreign organisations wore slightly altered versions of the HJ armband, for example the Nederlandsche Hitlerjeugd (Dutch Hitler Youth).

Some HJ members have been observed wearing the armband of the “Freikorps Roßbach” (Volunteer Corps Roßbach) below their HJ armband, as they were veterans of that Freikorps. It had been founded by Gerhard Roßbach shortly after the end of the First World War and had ties to the HJ, since Roßbach was also the founder of the “Schilljugend” (Schill Youth), another German nationalist youth movement, most of whose members eventually joined the HJ after the Schilljugend was dissolved.
The armband of the Freikorps Roßbach shows a white “R” on black, with two white stripes overlapping the letter and crossing the entire width of the armband.

The attributes and sizes of individual armbands will vary due to manufacturing. Many armbands were privately fabricated and do not conform to regulations in one way or another.