German Forces

Reich Labour Front steps out ...

?Bundesarchiv.

A fine body of men of the Reicharbeitsdienst march towards the nearest autobahn site, (?) 1934/'35. The RAD was, effectively, a paramilitary force organized by Dr. Fritz Todt in this period. Its mission was to provide direct labour for public works projects; it was also useful in "kick starting" the Nazi "economic miracle" by providing employment for a large number of men. A third purpose was to provide the still-insecure Nazi régime with a major good news story, quickly - which turned out to be the autobahn building programme. Conveniently, Todt was an expert road engineer whose doctorate had addressed problems in motorway building. His skills, combined with the mass mobilization of hitherto unemployed men in the RAD, resulted in rapid progress which, by mid-1934, already gave the Nazis something to crow about. This explains the very prominent role given to the Labour Service and its leaders at the 1934 Reich Party Day Rally at Nuremberg - theirs was the first major, tangible, positive achievement of the Third Reich. Not sure why, looking at this photo, I am a little tempted to laugh ... JR.