German American Bund Amerikadeutscher Volksbund Fritz Kuhn leadership WWII German armband

Fritz Julius Kuhn German American Bund Amerikadeutscher Volksbund WWII armband. Extremely rare, this is the first time i have been able to offer a American Bund leadership armband, featuring gold thread and gold braid.

The German American Bund, or German American Federation (Amerikadeutscher Bund; Amerikadeutscher Volksbund, AV), was a German-American pro-Nazi organization established in 1936 to succeed Friends of New Germany (FoNG), the new name being chosen to emphasize the group’s American credentials after press criticism that the organization was unpatriotic. The Bund was to consist only of American citizens of German descent. Its main goal was to promote a favorable view of Nazi Germany.

On March 19, 1936, the German American Bund was established as a follow-up organization for the Friends of New Germany in Buffalo, New York. The Bund elected a German-born American citizen Fritz Julius Kuhn as its leader (Bundesführer).  Kuhn was a veteran of the Bavarian infantry during World War I and an Alter Kämpfer (old fighter) of the Nazi Party who, in 1934, was granted American citizenship. Kuhn was initially effective as a leader and was able to unite the organization and expand its membership.