Reich Labour Service
The Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst; RAD) was a major labour organization established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with Nazi ideology. It was the official state labour service, divided into separate sections for men and women.
| Reichsarbeitsdienst – RAD | |
House flag with RAD symbol | |
A RAD squad in 1940 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 26 June 1935 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Dissolved | 8 May 1945 |
| Type | Labour Army |
| Jurisdiction | Nazi Germany Occupied Europe |
| Headquarters | Berlin–Grunewald 52°29′31″N 13°17′6″E |
| Employees | 200,000 (1935) 350,000 (October 1939) |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | |
From June 1935 onward, men aged between 18 and 25 may have served six months before their military service. During World War II, compulsory service also included young women, and the RAD developed to an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht armed forces.
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