You're right; nothing to add, really.
So it's a mystery... Perhaps some prototype? Anyway, thanks for asking on my behalf!
EDIT: Going through my files, I have an idea about its possible nature, although it is admittedly pure speculation:
In an earlier exchange, d'alquen had mentioned to me finding period references about a proposed sleeve diamond for members of the
Turnier- und Renngemeinschaft [Tournament- and Racing Community] of the SS.
I wonder... Could this be it?
It's probably just a typo, but that would be the 105th
Standarte (Memel) whose personnel wore the elk antlers on the right hand collar patch. Mollo writes that officers of that regiment "
with the rank of Standartenführer and above wore them on the arm badge, although only the commander SS-Oberführer Neumann did so."
(Of course, these high ranks wore their rank insignia on both collar patches, so for them, the elk antlers sleeve diamond would have "replaced" the collar patch device, in the same way the
Edelweiß sleeve diamond "replaced" the collar patch symbol for officers ranked
Standartenführer or higher of the 87th
Standarte.)
However, I wonder whether that is correct... A 1939 order by Himmler individually authorized
SS-Oberführer Dr. Ernst Neumann, leader of the Memel Germans, to wear the "elk antlers" sleeve diamond (interestingly, on the right sleeve), making no reference to other authorized officers and not even to that
Standarte:
"SS-Oberführer Neumann erhält in Anerkennung seines vorbildlichen Kampfes als Führer der Memeldeutschen die Berechtigung, auf dem rechten Ärmel auf einer Raute die Elchschaufel, das Heimatabzeichen der Memeldeutschen zu tragen."
Also, as I understand it, Dr. Neumann was never the commander of that
Standarte. As far as I know, its first commander was
SS-Standartenführer Hermann Dethof.
So, was
only Neumann authorized to wear this badge or was he, perhaps, individually authorized
in addition to others? Perhaps d'alquen has some documentation on that.
I must say I find these minutiae endlessly interesting.
On the risk of digressing even further...:
The "elk antlers" device is the symbol of the Memel Germans and a carryover from the cap badges worn by the
Memeldeutscher Ordnungsdienst, which was absorbed into the SS as the 105th
Standarte after the annexation of the Memelland in 1939.
For all practical purposes, this organization was the
Allgemeine SS in the
Memelland in everything but name and even prior to its full integration into the SS proper, wore a uniform that was remarkably close to the black SS service dress (with some HJ influences), but lacked any SS/NSDAP insignia; They wore blank collar patches, blank cuff titles and even black-edged
Kampfbinden without the white disc with the Swastika. Interesting photographs can be found on:
Bilder, die Geschichte erzählen
(Just search for "
Memeldeutscher".)
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