RAD Officer's collar tab
Roughly 36mm high by 73mm wide tab.
The base is made of black velvet.
The hand embroidered aluminum bar, also known as ‘double filling’, is approximately 30mm wide and 60mm long.
The black velvet and aluminum type of collar tab was used by ranks Unterfeldmeister through Obersfeldmeister.
The basis of the RAD, "Reichs Arbeitsdienst" (National Labor-service), dates back, at least, to 1929 with the formation of the AAD, "Anhalt Arbeitsdienst" (Anhalt Labor-service), and the FAD-B, "Freiwillingen Arbeitsdienst-Bayern" (Volunteer Labor-service [of]-Bavaria). Shortly after Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor, on January 30th, 1933, the NSDAP consolidated these, and other labor organizations, into the NSAD, "Nationalsozialist Arbeitsdienst" (National-socialist Labor-service); a national labor service. In June of 1935 the NSAD was re-designated RAD. In July of the same year RAD service became compulsory, with all German citizens between 19 and 25 years of age required to enlist for a six month term. This law also decreed that all military conscripts serve a nine month term.
