Black SS uniform in wear, 1943

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Dear Colleague, in contrast, here is an Austrian Allgemeine SS man, but I think of a higher echelon of command. I think colleague d'alquen originally furnished us this image. My wild guess is that this man had a full time billet and was entitled to this kind of uniform, not unlike the image of the Umsiedlungskdo. from the Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt, which was the lead agent, I think, in the ethnic cleansing actions in what is today Moldova, that is the repatriation of Volksdeutsche in the ex-Danubian principalities/Bessarabia/Black Sea area that was part of the Hitler-Stalin pact. There were a series of illustrated works published by Volk & Reich Verlag on these actions. I believe d'alquen's nice image is from one of these picture books. It is a nice image, seldom seen.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is more of the above image of this man with Waffen SS personnel.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is an example of the black uniform in wear during the Polish campaign in the arrest of Jews under the eyes of some unpleasant looking Sipo/SD creep. Maybe colleague d'alquen has an idea as to which unit is depicted here. I have the sense these are SS Bewerber or SS Anwaerter granted the asbsence of collar piping, plus the ill fitting uniforms. This image is from a series of photos of the SD/Sipo cracking down on the Poles. Happy collecting.

[BOB COLEMAN]

Goebbels congratulates SS officer who has received war service cross ca. 1943.

I believe colleague Lumsden found this interesting image. The scene is before the Sportpalast, one of the favorite locales for Goebbels' mass meetings for the Berlin party organizations.

The individual receiving the K V K w/o Swords is Kurt Zschirnt. A veteran of the First World War and the Freikorp, this individual held the rank of Untersturmfuhrer in the Allgemeine S S and a senior post with the Reichsnahrstand. The award was conveyed for his contribution to the production of grain for bread to feed the German people.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The individual receiving the K V K w/o Swords is Kurt Zschirnt. A veteran of the First World War and the Freikorp, this individual held the rank of Untersturmfuhrer in the Allgemeine S S and a senior post with the Reichsnahrstand. The award was conveyed for his contribution to the production of grain for bread to feed the German people.

Thank you, I could not recall his name.

[HPL2008]

Here is an example of the black uniform in wear during the Polish campaign in the arrest of Jews under the eyes of some unpleasant looking Sipo/SD creep. Maybe colleague d'alquen has an idea as to which unit is depicted here.

The two numbered collar patches visible in the photograph appear to be for the 112th Standarte, which would make sense for a picture taken in Poland, as that unit was headquartered in Litzmannstadt, i.e. Lodz.

[michal]

Thank you. Do you know the date of said image? These are incorrectly dated in the Timepix site.

Unfortunately I dont know the date of this event.
Michal

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks for the above. Others should not feel shy about the posting of additional data of merit. D'alquen gave us this picture awhile ago of a certain SS officer at an art exhibition in 1942.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

For those who care about such trivial things: here is a blow up of the man's cap, and a contemporary image of a similar object.

[HPL2008]

The two numbered collar patches visible in the photograph appear to be for the 112th Standarte, which would make sense for a picture taken in Poland, as that unit was headquartered in Litzmannstadt, i.e. Lodz.

Allow me to add a postscript to my earlier post.

The "Ghetto Fighter's House" picture archive (from where the image originates) identifies it as showing "Jewish women from the Lodz ghetto boarding a train".
This confirms the 112th Standarte and also means that the photo was taken no earlier than 1940, when the Lodz Ghetto was established.
The SD man is still wearing the Army-style shoulder boards and collar braid which were ordered to be replaced by police-style rank insignia in January 1942. (Although, of course, they may have been worn for some time after that date.) I would place the period in the 1940-1942 time frame.

Here is another image from the Lodz Ghetto of an Allgemeine SS candidate in black:
http://www.infocenters.co.il/gfh_mul...0371_1_web.jpg
(Note the pleated lower pockets normally found on early black tunics!)