Wilfried Kunstmann, Handschar

[BOB COLEMAN]

For some interesting non regulaation uniform features, check the latest on posts on this thread. The Internet is an amazing place!

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/non-c...grouping-1852/

[Adrian Stevenson]

This is an outstanding thread and well worth looking at.

Cheers, Ade.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks for the nice material and the miraculous accidents of the internet. We are also glad to see you here again.

[Bob Hritz]

The combination of insignia, on the pictured Handschar tunic, is worth a thread of it's own. The wearing of the Nord cuff title, intended for Allgemeine-SS Oberabschnitt Nord, was also unofficially used by SS Mountain Division Nord, against Himmler's orders.

Bob Hritz

[HPL2008]

The combination of insignia, on the pictured Handschar tunic, is worth a thread of it's own. The wearing of the Nord cuff title, intended for Allgemeine-SS Oberabschnitt Nord, was also unofficially used by SS Mountain Division Nord, against Himmler's orders.

Indeed; those portraits are excellent uniform- and insignia studies with lots to look at. Apart from the unoffical use of the "Nord" cufftitle, they also illustrate nicely:

- the practice of wearing the cufftitle of a previous duty assignment after transfer to a new unit not authorized a cuff title of its own (although in this case, technically the old unit did not have one either...!)
- the unofficial, but quite common practice of wearing metal cap badges on field caps
- the practice of wearing Army-pattern instead of SS-pattern trade badges (in this case, a Signals Blitz) by Army-trained personnel
- the breast runes worn by German SS cadre personnel in non-German Waffen-SS formations
- the insignia worn by NCO candidates
- the insignia for Handschar and SS mountain troopers in general

[Bob Hritz]

The photos, from the famous Bob Coleman collection.

Bob Hritz

[Aldo]

Fascinating thread ! Thanks for posting this wealth of information and images.

[BOB COLEMAN]

Also note that Wilfried is wearing the SS runes patch on his uniform worn in the studio portrait with his father.

[Bob Hritz]

I forgot to post Bob Coleman's photo of Kunstmann and his father.

Bob Hritz