Why Robert Ley wore the Volkssturm armband?

[billy2961]

Why Robert Ley wore the Volkssturm armband?

[coburg22]

Nice photo but my answer is just a guess, was it because he was Reich Organization Leader? It makes me wonder who had real control of the Volkssturm? Himmler was C-in-C of the Replacement Army which may have incorporated the Volkssturm or was the Volkssturm under the control of Goebbels as Reich Pleipotentiary of Total War and/or Reichsleiter Martin Bormann?

Best,

James

[billy2961]

Nice photo but my answer is just a guess, was it because he was Reich Organization Leader? It makes me wonder who had real control of the Volkssturm? Himmler was C-in-C of the Replacement Army which may have incorporated the Volkssturm or was the Volkssturm under the control of Goebbels as Reich Pleipotentiary of Total War and/or Reichsleiter Martin Bormann?

Best,

James

Thanks James.Maybe Robert Ley was Volkssturm member?

[Mark Costa]

Almost all of the active Reichsleiters were members of the VS in one sense or another. As Reichsorganisationleiter he certainly would have been eligible to wear the armband. Ley went out on many VS inspection tours during the last few months of the war and can be seen wearing this uniform. The "new" unadorned uniform was a way for the high leaders top shed their previous nicknames of "Golden Pheasants". That term was used by the populace to denote their very colorful and heavily decorated uniforms. The late uniform had just the standand armband less the ornate oakleaves etc.

Mark Costa

[coburg22]

Hello Mark,

Thank you for the clarification.

Best,

James

[jeffhan373]

Same thing would have applied to the Gauleiters as well - I've seen Erich Koch wearing the VS armband, as well as one of the Western Gauleiters (can't remember exactly which one now, though...)

[coburg22]

Hello Jeff, I think you might be thinking of Albert Hoffmann?

Best,

James

[Freiherr von Graff]

Helo there!

I would guess the Gauleiters had to wear this armband since they were in charge of organizing the VS in the respectively regions.

Best
Graff

[Michael Miller]

Wien, November 1944: Another shot of Ley wearing the Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht armband (NARA photo - see http://elektra.bsb-muenchen.de/servlet/ ... 6EC8FB7F50 for details).

~ Mike

[jeffhan373]

Mike, nice shot of Ley on one of his tours. He travelled around western Germany extensively at the end of 1944/beginning of 1945, and is usually seen wearing this uniform, or a greatcoat with the two armbands.

Still unexplained: why he no longer wore the Blood Order ribbon during this period....

[Igor Karpov]

Wien, November 1944: Another shot of Ley wearing the Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht armband (NARA photo - see http://elektra.bsb-muenchen.de/servlet/ ... 6EC8FB7F50 for details).

~ Mike

In the center - Oberdienstleiter der NSDAP, SA-Oberführer and HJ-Gebietsführer Hartmut Stegemann, Leiter of the Hauptorganisationsamt der NSDAP.

Regards,
Igor

[Michael Miller]

Thanks very much for an outstanding ID job. "Karpov" and "reliable" are synonymous in my mind.

~ Mike

[Igor Karpov]

Thanks very much for an outstanding ID job. "Karpov" and "reliable" are synonymous in my mind.

~ Mike

Thanks, Mike. It's always nice to hear such words, especially from you.

Regards,
Igor