WWII Nazi German armband lot to include 1) NSDAP MEMBER'S ARMBAND. A red cotton armband, upon which is sewn an approximately 9cm diameter white disk, with a black printed mobile swastika. Probably one of the most recognizable pieces of insignia associated with the Nazi regime is the swastika armband. Utilized by pretty much by all the organization of the Third Reich in one form or another. The swastika, (a Sanskrit word meaning "well being"), is an ancient symbol that was utilized in numerous diverse cultures and signified both the cycle of life and the sun. The swastika was also a Nordic rune and the pagan Germanic symbol for Thor, God of Adventurers. During WWI the swastika began to represent national and anti-Semitic leanings in such organizations as the Thule society and other German nationalistic movements and later, assorted Freikorps groups. In the midsummer of 1920 Hitler adopted the swastika as the premier symbol of the NSDAP. In "Mein Kampf", Hitler states that although numerous party members had proposed the swastika and red, black and white as the party emblem and colors it was he himself who came up with the final design. 2) SA MILITARY DEFENSE/TEAM SPORTS ARMBAND. The approximately 10cm x 45cm red cotton armband has a 9cm diameter white field sewn to it, upon which is the SA sports badge machine woven in copper-colored threads. The SA sports badge is in the form of an upright short sword against a mobile swastika surrounded by an oak leaf wreath. The armband's vertical seam is to the reverse. The "SA -Wehrmannschaft" (SA -Military-defense-training-groups) were formed in January 1939 as a response to Hitler's decree for the SA to provide pre- and post-military defense training to all civilian males aged from 18 to 65 years old. Effectively a Home Guard comprised of those deemed unfit for regular military service due to age or partial infirmity, they wore a distinctive armband which incorporated the "SA -Wehrabzeichen" (SA Sports-badge) which, after July 1942, was restricted to wear on civilian clothing.