Reichs Level Gala Bullion Armbands

[Erich B.]

The upside down armband probably explains the Führer's 'Ley, I can't take you anywhere!' expression.
Erich

[Br. James]

Right you are, Erich! But in fairness, this is not the only example of a very high-level personage wearing one of these over-the-top PL brassards upside-down...though I had not seen this one previously. There are pix of Baldur von Schirach wearing this generation of armband upside-down, as well, and these two cannot be the only two whose tailors failed to understand the detail of the direction of the oakleaves running from lower left to upper right!

Cheers,

Br. James

[Br. James]

One further comment: Ley really looks like he's had a snoot-full in this photo...which apparently wasn't unusual for him!

Br. James

[sjl]

Which is why you often see the printed black arrow inside them with "Oben" (Up") pointing the right way up.

[Jeff Clark]

One further comment: Ley really looks like he's had a snoot-full in this photo...which apparently wasn't unusual for him!

Br. James

Do you really think he would go to Hitler with a "snoot-full", let alone be received by Hitler in that condition

[Erich B.]

Ley did have a minor speech impediment that sounded similar to the slurred speech of someone with a 'snootful'. He may or may not have had an alcohol problem, but he did sound like someone with one.
Erich

[Jeff Clark]

Yes he did stutter and had a lisp, it was hereditary in his family; sister or brother had this too. He sustained a brain injury during WWI when his planed crashed too.
Allied propaganda named him the Reich drunk master, Hitler was a carpet chewer, Goebbels some name to do with his leg handicap, etc

The Axis propaganda made fun of Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin too.

[Bob Clark]

Reichsleiter Ley, for whatever the reason (injury, alcoholism or both) provided a great deal of amusement to AH and other leaders in the Reich... one of the more famous tales is when Ley was speaking to a Kraft durch Freude (KdF) gathering and stated, "I am becoming more beautiful and Germany is so excited!" Of course, he had inverted the phrase. Upon hearing the faux pas, Hitler, with tears in his eyes, is said to have doubled over in laughter.

[Br. James]

"Which is why you often see the printed black arrow inside them with "Oben" (Up") pointing the right way up."

A very good point, Stephen, and I have often seen the use of an arrow printed in white ink on the reverse of the 1939-style PL brassards, as well. These arrows were printed onto one end of the reverse, and someone observed that since these armbands were produced with longer length in order to accommodate a greater degree of sleeve circumferences, a tailor would first cut the armband to the exact size and then fit it to the sleeve, and by that time some tailors had forgotten (or had paid no attention to) the direction provided by the arrow and thereby mounted the brassard upside-down. Apparently there was no 'instruction sheet' provided with each armband which informed the tailor or the recipient that the oakleaves were supposed to flow from the lower left toward the upper right!

Ikea would not be pleased!!

Cheers,

Br. James

[rebeldevil89]

Ley did have a minor speech impediment that sounded similar to the slurred speech of someone with a 'snootful'. He may or may not have had an alcohol problem, but he did sound like someone with one.

Erich

I remember watching a documentary where a former HJ member recalled Ley giving a speech drunk, and at some point stammered and then due to his mistakes in the speech said "boys you can be anything you want, just don't be a drunk".
Sobering words if true.



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[kyles bullets]

Salesman sample gala Ortsgruppe Leiter einer Stelle armband for sale on a dealer's website.

[ironfist]

nice

Nice ..Love the detail of these .

[all1knew]

does anyone know exactly what the event was in Italy that these were worn at in 1939?

William Kramer

[Jeff Clark]

3/26/39 German delegation in Rome on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Italian Facist Party founding. 3/28/39 still in Rome for 16th anniversary of the Italian Air Force.