RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst) Oberstfeldmeister Albert Hayn – Personal Name Plates

An interesting matching pair of period personal name plates belonging to Albert Hayn, who held the rank of Oberstfeldmeister in the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD).
The most impressive piece is the white enamelled metal sign, clearly marked:
“Albert Hayn
Oberstfeldmeister”
The sign is professionally manufactured in white enamel with black lettering and a fine black border. Two mounting holes indicate that it was intended to be permanently fixed, most likely to the door of Hayn's office, service room or quarters within an RAD installation.
Oberstfeldmeister was a senior RAD leadership rank. This makes the plate considerably more interesting than an ordinary civilian name sign, as both the owner and his official RAD rank are identified.
Accompanying it is a second, more simply constructed metal plate marked “A. Hayn”. It has four mounting holes and may have been attached to a locker, cabinet, equipment chest, room or another item assigned personally to Hayn. The exact original application cannot be established, but the matching name strongly suggests that the two plates belonged together.

Interestingly, period documentation also records an RAD officer named Hayn serving in the Netherlands during the final months of the war. A surviving account concerning RAD Gruppe K 205 mentions an “Oberarbeitsführer Hayn” at Herkenbosch in the Netherlands on 28 September 1944. At present, however, there is insufficient evidence to confirm that this was the same Albert Hayn, so this should be regarded as an interesting research lead rather than a confirmed identification.
Both plates show genuine age and traces of their former mounting and use. Particularly attractive is the enamelled “Albert Hayn – Oberstfeldmeister” plate, which represents an unusual surviving piece of named RAD material.
A very interesting and uncommon matching pair of personalized RAD name plates, worthy of further research into Oberstfeldmeister Albert Hayn and his wartime service.