Max Sella, Div. Totenkopf

[Friedrich-Berthold]

For those afficiandos of SSTV collar patches of the jeune ecole of Theodor Eicke, here is an image of the Ritterkreuztraeger ca. 1942 or so.

[Bob Hritz]

A tunic normally only seen in my dreams....a wonderful image of a rare set of insignia, displayed as they were meant.

Bob Hritz

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Since it is Christmas, here is more of this man and his clothing...at some other point, presumably earlier than the first image I posted.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi FB, very nice images. The early style tunic is great to see. This man has a very striking face. I always tend to think of him with his well known goatee beard.

Cheers, Ade.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

I think he rather looks like Eichmann, in fact. But you notice with all of the Rittekreuztraeger photos of SS men in the years 1942 and 1943, they look quite different than in the years before. The photos themselves are not as good; and the expression in the eyes mirrors the destruction and carnage of the eastern front, surely. How could it have been otherwise?

[peter]

Seela had a long career in both the SS and SA, joining the SA on 1 March 1929, and moving on to the SS on 28th March 1935, as a staff officer of a Pioneer Battalion, transferring to the T.V in November 1939. his SS number was 3,947 however, which is quite low for 1935, suggesting he was an enlisted member of the SS much earlier.
Peter.

[peter]

PS; very interesting that in the first picture, as an SS Captain, circa1941, he is wearing wartime collar patches on an early converted open neck jacket, whilst in the second as an SS major, post Sept 1943, he has reverted to the pre-war style of verticle collar patches.
Peter.

[Paul D]

Nice early photos Peter

His awards were

EK II 31/5/1940

EK I 22/6/1940

DKiG 26/12/1941

RK 3/5/1942 as SS Hauptsturmfuhrer and Chef of 3 / SS Pionier Btl 3 Totenkopf.

regards

Paul

[Friedrich-Berthold]

A warm holiday welcome to colleague Peter with his important additions, to say nothing of other colleagues Our website attracts the most formidable talent in this little demimonde.
Sella seems to have maintained the proper national socialist stare throughout his career. It is also interesting that he joined the SSTV from the Allgemeine SS at a time of the latter mobilization of the former.

Thanks for all for their additions to my berserk posting of the nice images from the Bundesarchiv.

[Anders S]

Hi FB, very nice images. The early style tunic is great to see. This man has a very striking face. I always tend to think of him with his well known goatee beard.

Cheers, Ade.

Me too, here he is together with Theodor Eicke and Standartenführer Hermann Prieß.