German WW2 Luftschutzpolizei (Air Raid Protection Police) armband
Armband used by the "LS PO"Luftschutzpolizei (Air Raid Protection Police) in the occupied town of Jitschin (Jičín), located within the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
It was worn by a service man of Jitschin who had been assigned or volunteered for the Luftschutzpolizei (Air Raid Protection Police) under the authority of the local town hall's police department.
By 1942, as the war intensified, the German war machine suffered from severe fabric and uniform shortages. Rather than issuing expensive, full police uniforms to local auxiliary personnel, the Reich authorized white identification armbands.
The armband is constructed of a woven off-white linen or coarse cotton fabric.
The bold, serif letters "LS. PO." are stenciled in a distinct gold ink.
Overlapping the letters is a crisp, black ink stamp reading *"Kommando der uniformierten Gemeindevollzugspolizei * Jitschin ".
The center of the stamp features the traditional double-tailed Bohemian lion.
The armband is in excellent condition with some light soiling.
It is easy to look at Jitschin (Jičín) today and see a quiet, picturesque Czech town. During the war, however, its status under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was highly significant:
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The Oberlandrat seat: Jitschin was not just a local municipality; it was the capital of a major regional administrative district—the Oberlandratsbezirk Jitschin. This meant it housed the high-level German civilian administration (Oberlandrat), a regional court, a Gestapo presence, and a centralized police command.
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A Vital Railway Hub: Jitschin was a crucial railway junction connecting Northern Bohemia, Prague, and the industrial centers of the Sudetenland. If the Allies chose to bomb the rail lines to disrupt German military transport, Jitschin would be a prime target.
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The Luftwaffe Presence: The German Air Force actually operated a dedicated air-defense training institute in the area (Reichsanstalt der Luftwaffe für Luftschutz). Consequently, air raid drills and preparation were taken incredibly seriously in Jitschin.
