Stammabteilung Officer's Tunic

[BOB COLEMAN]

This uniform was discovered by a picker in Munich a number of years ago. It was found with a pair of dress trousers. The collar tabs indicate that the Obersturmfuhrer was a member of S S Standarte 1, Munich. The blank cufftitle would indicate that this man was attached to the Standarte's Staff.

[Robert H]

Super and Wunderbar in every detail!

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Another fabulous piece. I posted the images of a Stammabteilung piece in Texas of great note. In the vein of my earlier posts, this is also a so. German piece, though apparently not found by a GI but by subsequent generations. A wonderful addition to the gallery of remarkable SS items on this website that one shall not find elsewhere. One never ceases to wonder at what a complicated organization was the SS. Since Colleague Coleman is more an expert than I in the SA (or maybe Mr. von Benndorff can report in here...?) I assume there was a like structure in the SA. All of this complicated set of reserves was a knock off of the Landwehr (with its many echelons and gradations), of course, as well as veterans organizations in a way; that is, I mean to say the older veterans organizations of the 19th century (formed in the wake of the 1854, 1866 and 1870 wars) which formed an indirect basis for the SA in a wider sense. In any case, thanks. And Himmler was a twisted master of rank, privilege and this formation of elite piece in a remarkable way, considering how briefly the SS even existed, a little bit more than 20 years in time.

[BOB COLEMAN]

S A Reserve units were quite numerous in comparison to their S S counterparts. During the mobilization, many S A Sturms were depleted of manpower and absorbed in to other Sturms. Their old unit number or their Sturmfahne corner patch would then be added to their new unit flag. In some cases, Reserve units became activated. My earliest Sturmfahne from Niederrhein was originally a Reserve unit and had it's corner patch altered with black cloth sewn over the " R ."

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks so much. All these things require context and elucidation. Surely after 1939 most of these units were depleted, but granted the age of these in the reserves, one imagines that they soldiered on in these reserve echelons. Or, as in the case of the SSTV, it was Allgemeine SS reservists who backfilled the units called up to front line duty. All wonderful details. Thanks to the picker in Bavaria.

Once more, our respect for your wonderful collection.

[Robin Lumsden]

What a great tunic.

Very rare.

Here's a similar one....................

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Mr. Lumsden's image is from one of these Arndt books on the 1939 Reichskriegertag in Kassel. It is a wonderful image.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Another, in a certain way. This from the famous Delich treasures...

[Friedrich-Berthold]

This is a wonderful uniform in Texas.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

From the Hassler magic finds. One of course had a Reserve Sturmbann as well as the Stammabteilung....Happy regalia and thanks to our gentle colleagues for their images.