Superb thread !
Superb thread !
ditto!by Bob Lyons
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
Thank you Silberkreuz for your kind words. Timing is everything, for example, when I started collecting there were tons of original artifacts so you could get a great education. Back in the day, you could go to a nice size militaria show and have a handful of original SS items. Today, go to the SOS or the MAX and you can outfit a battalion; there is so much reproduction. Even though the fakes weren't as sophisticated as they are now, we still got caught once in awhile. We all paid our dues. I started collecting in 1973 but really didn't get going till 1979, when I decided to focus on uniforms and headgear of the Waffen-SS. Anything and everything that I had collected that wasn't Waffen-SS got sold or traded. I spent about 15 years just trading up, getting better stuff until I had a core collection, that I wanted to keep what I had. Then I changed up to buying and adding. I have 36 Waffen-SS tunics. That doesn't sound like a lot until you realize how difficult it is to find and acquire a single tunic. This is all in collections now and the really good stuff goes from one collector to the next and you'll never notice. They don't put things on eBay; they just make a few phone calls.
Here is a Waffen-SS enlisted tropical field cap. Actually, it's a Kriegsmarine tropical field cap that has been commandeered by a Waffen-SS trooper and had SS insignia put on. As far as I can tell, the only insignia on this cap is what you see.
Unbelivable to see these treasures... Some would maybe be jealus, but im just being happy- let me refrase that: VERY happy of knowing these items exist for the future.
Thank you again for sharing your very rare items, i do not collect WSS anymore but i truly adore to study details on rare militaria no matter what it is.
Just seeing these photos and study the details on old rags from a ancient war makes me smile the rest of the day.
Im truly weird....
@Panzer Crewman: Thank you for posting this pic,
I was trying to find out if any crushers were made in this shade. This pic answers that question. Do you happen to have any more pics of it or more information on its date and place of manufacture?
This is not officially the 'crusher' cap. It is the Old Style Service Cap. These were around early. I don't know if they manufactured them during the war.
There is the basic regulation on color; however, not all cloth will take the dye of the color you want. Many times a tailor has used the last of a bolt of material and he brings out the next and the color is slightly different so you end up with a sleeve a little off from the rest of the tunic. There is no absolute correct color other than gray-green for WH and WSS. Luftwaffe used a blue-gray.
Let me illustrate with this SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer tunic from the Estonian Division. Now the tailor didn't do this. It was done by a collector who didn't like the original damaged sleeve, but it happened many times during the period. The collector found a sleeve made of the same material, but it is of a different shade. You probably need to talk to a chemist or somebody in the textile business as to why the same material absorbs the dye, etc. to get the different shades.
Was the chin strap removed? I can't see if it had been in these two pics.
I don't have it in front of me. I don't believe it had a chin strap.
Let's do a little Kriegsmarine headgear. This cap belonged to Richard Becker, commanding officer of U-218 and recipient of the German Cross in Gold. If you want more information about U-218 or Becker, refer to the U-boat.net website.
And a WH Cavalry Officer Service Cap. If I remember correctly, this is an Erel. It has all bullion insignia. Back in the day, most of your nice headgear had bullion insignia.
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