Slovakia, Republic. A Hlinka Guard Armband C.1940

Insignia composed of a red cotton cross on a white cotton circle, the insignia sewn in place on the front panel of the steel blue cotton base, stamping in black ink overlying the insignia on one side, additional royal blue panel stitched in place on the reverse to extend the length of the armband, measuring 225 mm (w) x 97 mm (h), lightly soiled, very fine.

Footnote: The Hlinka Guard (HG) was the militia maintained by the Slovak People's Party in the period from 1938 to 1945; it was named after Andrej Hlinka. The Hlinka Guard was preceded by the Rodobrana (Home Defense/Nation's Defense) organization, which existed from 1923 to 1927, when the Czechoslovak authorities ordered its dissolution. During the crisis caused by Hitler's demand for the Sudetenland (in the summer of 1938), the Hlinka Guard emerged spontaneously, and on October 8th of that year, a week after Hitler's demand had been accepted at the Munich conference, the guard was officially set up, with Karol Sidor (1901-1953) as its first commander.