History

Armbands were usually used to identify a soldier’s special duty position or function. It would normally only be worn in the carrying out of said duty or function. It could also be used to identify a civilian as an official employee of the army.

Most armbands were worn on the left upper sleeve, but there were exceptions to this rule.

Civilian Members of the Armed Forces (Sonstige Wehrmachtangehörige), those that didn’t wear a (full) uniform, wore a yellow armband with two lines of black Gothic letters. There usually is a stamp of issue on it as well. Many variations of this armband are known to exist. It was introduced on March 12, 1937.