Female strassenbahn workers

[Wilhelm Saris]

Claudia: see also Wartime Civil Headgear Pics. : Strassenbahn / Omnibus
in the cloth headgear-section.

[HPL2008]

Welcome to the forum. Some nice photographs there; looking forward to seeing more.

By the way, the second photo shows one of the many young ladies who worked in public transportation during their wartime RADwJ Kriegshilfsdienst tour: Notice the Kriegshilfsdienstabzeichen*) worn prominently on the coat. The armband also seems to have somthing to do with this duty (unfortunately, it's only partially legible), and she has dedicated this photo to one of her KHD comrades named Alice.

*) For an example of the badge, see: https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/non-c...ml#post1146038

[Wilhelm Saris]

In the "Verordnungsblatt für den Reichsarbeitsdienst", issue A 334-337 from September 8, 1941
orders were published for females for service during the war. With an order from August 15, 1941
Reichsarbeitsführer Hierl announced the introduction for the special badge (see 335).



Further the order noted the first samples to be supplied (to whom and what amount). Every female
would get two badges each. When leaving the service the badges had to be returned. It was noted
the ladies had to wear civil, but with many occasions it meant he young ladies did wear the badge
with the uniform for the organization they served for. Often tramways and so (see image).



(photo credit: Bertrand Franquez, published in the 1980-book: "Les Coiffures Militaires du Troisieme Reich"
from Richard de Filippi)

[harryamb2]

welcome.

[Claudia]

I was curious. The reason: in 40 years of research about uniforms in general, which included also Deutsche Reichsbahn, Privat- und Kleinbahnen, as well as Strassenbahnunternehmungen and so-called Nahverkehrsmittel, I have hardly found any published regulation. Just some announcements about by tramways personnel worn uniforms and colors to be worn, or colors not to be worn at all! Comparing many photographs you would see that often there are quite some differences. Even the wearing of an eagle at the left side of a field cap styled headdress or other styled symbols. Also other forms of headgear were worn by ladies, as visored caps, berets etc.
At the moment I am writing volume 6 for "Headgear of Hitler's Germany" and withing the chapter about Reichsbahn, there will be a section about headgear and insignia, worn by tramways. For the Reichsbahn there was a specific positon for wearing the eagle and/or cockade. For tramways this could be different, while the municipal-council decided what to wear, or the company made this decision!

Mr Saris,I concur entirely with what you have said.The Reichsbahn,That is how I got started collecting.I was in an antique shop many years ago and found a HVD Brussels Directorate eagle and that lit the fire.It is an enigma why something hasn't surfaced yet besides the scant few period references we have all seen over and over.Was there just a basic verbal dress code?Three weeks ago I bought a medium to large Reichsbahn collection.This collector had collected anything Reichsbahn,including a great deal of period paper/books items.If I run across anything pertaining to dress regulations I will be most happy to share them with you.

[Wilhelm Saris]

To your other photograph shown in another thread I gave an answer also.

Official regulations for the German Reichsbahn do exist in many ways and for many years.
I own practically from all a copy (also I do own correspondence). There is also quite some
information one can find in the well-known magazine "Uniformen-Markt".
Note that all about DRB-insignia and uniforms was put down and arranged in a regulation.
Just common for the German system!

See two samples of orders: Dienstkleidungsordnung, one from 1926, the other one from 1937.

[HPL2008]

Nothing beats period sources, of course, and it is probably safe to say that Wim Saris has studied those more thoroughly than just anybody else around here.

However, when it comes to secondary literature, I would like to recommend the German publication "Das Kleid des Eisenbahners. Sammlung historischer Dienstkleidungsvorschriften deutscher Eisenbahnen 1842 - 1993" by Jürgen Hartmann & Klaus Thiede.

As the title tells, it is primarily a collection of selected historical uniform/insignia regulations by the various German railways (spanning 150 years and covering Imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the immediate post-war period, the FRG & the GDR up to unification), illustrated with numerous insignia tables and a few photographs.

(No doubt that Vol. VI of Wim's "Headgear..." series will also be a must-have!)

[Wilhelm Saris]

HPL2008: Jürgen was many years ago the man who provided me with lots of uniform-regulations.
We corresponded for many, many years.
Also of interest are the publications for another German person I know quite well: Hartmut Schöttge.
He published smaller booklets about Railway-uniforms and insignia with a specific period of time:
1850-1852, 1853-1865, 1866-1873, 1874-1881, 1882-1889 (will be released soon). Further 1924-1934,
1935-1940, 1941-1943, 1944-1945 (so covering the TR-period), but also after the war: 1946-1956, 1957-1967,
1968-1978, 1979-1989 and finally 1990-1993. Hartmut also cooperated with material for my book.

For the chapter about Reichsbahn/Bahnschutz, Strassenbahn, Nahverkehr or whatever related to rails for volume 6 from
"Headgear of Hitler's Germany" I do have available over 650 photographs from headgear and its wearing, from which I can
make my choices. About 250-300 finally will be chosen from that amount.

To return the subject about uniforms. Many collectors, who never have seen proper regulations, think one could wear what one wanted. This
is officially not correct. Practically in most regulations something or likewise is said about correct wearing. On the other hand we all know
that orders and regulations were not always followed and so one can see the wearing of "own input"! Shown one line from a Reichsbahn-regulation,
which specifies one should wear a correct uniform and no changes were to be made not being according to the orders.

[Gunny Hartmann]

In the "Verordnungsblatt für den Reichsarbeitsdienst", issue A 334-337 from September 8, 1941
orders were published for females for service during the war. With an order from August 15, 1941
Reichsarbeitsführer Hierl announced the introduction for the special badge (see 335).



Further the order noted the first samples to be supplied (to whom and what amount). Every female
would get two badges each. When leaving the service the badges had to be returned. It was noted
the ladies had to wear civil, but with many occasions it meant he young ladies did wear the badge
with the uniform for the organization they served for. Often tramways and so (see image).

Welcome to the forum Claudia. I have just bought an example of that very badge!...
RAD and RADwJ

[Wilhelm Saris]

I would like to include two more photographs I once did use. First a photograph, shown in volume 5
from "Headgear of Hitler's Germany" from a girl, serving for the BVG, the Berliner Verkehrs-Gesellschaft,
also known as Berliner Verkehrs-Betriebe. Note also the indication "Kriegshilfsdienst des Arbeitsdienstes".
This is visible with the arm band. She surely will have worn the specific RAD badge, but is here covered by her arm
(photo credit: Peter Klubert)




Further shown a girl, serving for the "Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen". Visibly worn the specific badge.
This photograph was used in an article for the "Military Advisor", number 1 from volume 15 from
winter 2003/2004: The Cap Badge with Combined DAF Emblem. This is the badge as worn upon the
front for the cap and is known as "Abzeichen für Strassenbahnen (mit Blitzen)", which is known as
type A (photo credit: "Bildarchiv" Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen AG).

The article in the MA was totally dedicated to the wearing of this special badge and explained when such
badge was allowed to be worn. It is interesting to mention with this badge goes a document (Verleihungsurkunde),
which was handed over to the company and not to the employees. This subject will be dealt with also in the
later volume 6 for the headgear-series, where such document will be shown of course! Maybe this typical
badge is the only official badge with a document for a state organization. Badges for headgear, handed over
with a document, also existed for the army and RAD.