Between the Covers

Hardcover. Small quarto. Measuring 7.5" x 10". String-tied gray cloth with a Nazi patch and swastika and "Zur Erinnerung an Meine Dienftzeit" stamped in silver on the front board. Contains 92 black and white or sepia toned gelatin silver photographs measuring between 2" x 2" and 4.5" x 6", with occasional captions in German. Near fine album with near fine photographs.

A photo album compiled by a young German man while stationed with the Reich Labor Service, Reichsarbeitsdienst, or R.A.D., in Nazi Germany shortly before World War II. The Labor Service was the German equivalent of the American Civilian Conservation Corps. It was started in the summer of 1935 and continued through the war until 1945. The album begins with a portrait of the young man in full uniform complete with swastika armband and R.A.D. patches on either side of the photo. The R.A.D. logo is featured throughout the album and was often referred to as “the coffee bean.” The barracks are shown with images of buildings, men playing with a dog, and men in full uniform posed at attention with shovels. One photo shows the men marching through the grounds giving the Nazi salute. Another shows a large group of men marching through a city with guns on their shoulders, a harbinger of days to come. The men are pictured repairing roads, laying rails, and moving stone. Two group photos show the men in track and field uniforms. The camp was visited by a higher ranking official seen here, who greeted the men and inspected their work and living quarters. During their leisure time the men can be seen exploring the nearby towns and swimming. One photo shows a group of men in their bathing shorts posed together lying in the grass.

Once Germany declared war the R.A.D. recruits were considered Wehrmachtgefolge which translates to “Defence Force Following.” They were considered an axillary unit but many were militarized. According to historian, Kiran Klaus Patel, “they were in charge of supplying frontline troops with food and ammunition, repairing damaged roads and constructing and repairing airstrips.” They were also involved in projects which involved coastal fortifications, laying minefields, manning fortifications, and guarding locations and prisoners.

An interesting collection of photographs depicting a Nazi labor initiative and its increasing militarization in the years leading up to World War II.

Item #409034