SS armband

The SS armband was made in 2 versions, a wool and an cotton type,and was worn on the left arm. The wool armband was worn on the black uniform while the cotton one was worn on the brown shirt. Normally both types were made of 5 pieces, the red base, 2 black silk borders (± 9 mm), the white circle and the folded black silk swastika. The early wool armbands had a black silk RZM label while the later types had a paper RZM label inside the armband. The white roundell should have vertical lines (see detailed picture). A lot of fakes have been made that lack the detail of an original one. So look at the white roundell, folded black silk swastika, thin black borders and the overall age and quality.

A special type was made for the SS overcoat that was similar to the wool version but lacks the 2 black silk borders.