Unidentified Unknown, WWII, Arabic sleeve badge. ?

[grantsmil]

I have an unknown cotton jacket with a cotton badge on the left upper sleeve. My initial impression was the jacket may have been from a German Ost-battalion, or some working group associated with the German army of the Second World War.

I can not identify the badge. A friend unsuccessfully attempted a translation.
The flag appears to be similar to the Libyan flag from 1950, but there are some important differences.

Can anyone assist? I would be very appreciative if anyone could give me a translation of the Arabic script.

Edited March 23, 2013 by grantsmil

[oamotme]

Dear Grant, Possibly "Fezan Police" - Libya. Regards, Owain

[Paul R]

I have honestly never seen anything like it.

[grantsmil]

Dear Grant, Possibly "Fezan Police" - Libya. Regards, Owain

Thank you very much.

This is very interesting, if the date stamp in the jacket is correct this was issued during or after 1941 & was made in Germany.

Perhaps I am looking at a German raised or supported local protection force? More research is required.

[Ulsterman]

There recently was a DAK album for sale by Historical media that clearly showed some sort of locally raised and partially German uniformed group of men. I assumed they were Libyan HiWis but they were too rag tag to be regular military.

It might still be on his website.

[grantsmil]

Ulsterman,

Thanks for the help. I had a look at www.historical-media.com, and browsed the albums but without success. It may be that the album was taken down or I just failed to find the images. It is certainly a good place to watch regulary.

[josemann57]

Hi

It is Libian. Reading Police of Fezzan. However, the Libian crescent and star are reversed, that is the typical is the crescent on the left and star on the right. Could be amateur locally made insignia and added to the uniform.

Regards

[grantsmil]

Thank you Josemann57,

To know the correct translation is very useful. The variation between the 1951 Libyan flag and the representation seen in this badge is quite pronounces. The badge is professionally made and looks to be a Bevo construction. It was suggested that this badge was the fore runner to to flag adopted in 1951, designed by Omar Faiek Shennib, and even that it was the inspiration of the later flag, however, that is conjecture & speculation.

I suspect Ulsterman was very close to the mark with his suggetion it is a locally worn jacket for locals, possibly under control of the Axis powers.

Still hunting for images.

[grantsmil]

[grantsmil]

I am not much further into being able to definitely say what this jacket's intended use was. Several helpful people have pointed me toward accepting this was made for locally raised police in the Fezzan region of Libya (a southern & western region).

The suggestion is the jacket was intended for native volunteer troops raised as police or police auxiliary by the Germans in North Africa during the WW2 campaign. The reason it does not appeared to have been issued or used much at all, may be that by the time this jacket was made the Fezzan region was mainly lost to the allies and not really considered as significant as other more vital areas. The axis base police and other volunteers slowly dissipated.

With no organisation to be supplied this jacket remained in transit stores in Czechoslovakia never to be sent to North Africa.

I have found some images of native troops in Libya with what might be this jacket, but the images are so poor and grainy that any positive identification cannot be made.

[Paul R]

Interesting that it has the US style of plastic buttons. Reminds me of the post war US fatigue uniform buttons.

[grantsmil]

One of the buttons, (the same as I have seen on the Windbluse) I agree is it a similar appearance to some US types

[Jock Auld]

Which buttond are on the shoulders and have you a picture of the jacket markings, I have seen similar buttons on Luftwaffe stuff, but they are a glass/ceramic type of button. Perhaps it has been put together just after the war from stock remaining from both sides?

Jock