SNCO "Der Spiess" tunic

[oberhaig]

Good afternoon chaps
I have a really stupid question, but it is one that has stumped me for some time. We all know an aspiring officer candidate would often be a SNCO and denoted his "worthyness" by having the 2 strips of tress sewn to each arm --BUT

Would it be possible for a SNCO lets say an Oberfeldwebel.......... to have NO tress sewn to the collar and no tress sewn to the arms- also denoting an officer candidate? I read somewhere this is a possible combination

I'm hoping someone with the regs can answer this question for me.
Thanks in advance

[oberhaig]

No one? 85 hits and nothing

[oberhaig]

no one?

[oberhaig]

200 odd views and no comments?

[GlennAgain]

The Spiess is not an officer candidate...In the US Army, he's a "First Sergeant"...

[TWS]

The twin rings of Tresse sewn to the sleeves of a Hauptfeldwebel denote his duty position as Kompaniefeldwebel or "Spiess" as the nickname went. Equivalent to company First Sergeant as Glenn pointed ouit. There was even a nickname for the twin rings of Tresse - "Kolbenringe" or piston rings. On the parade dress Waffenrock, a Spiess was denoted by one single band of wide Tresse.

An officer candidate wore a double row of Tresse on the shoulder straps, not the sleeves.

[TWS]

Various Spiess tunics from my collection showing an HBT field tunic, a piped walking out, and a parade Waffenrock.

Office candidate shoulder straps are the pair on the far right in the riker mount.

[oberhaig]

Thanks. But referring to my question. Must an SNCO have tress sewn around the collar?

[TWS]

Thanks. But referring to my question. Must an SNCO have tress sewn around the collar?

Your question in the original post was a bit unclear and going in a couple different directions. That's probably why you didn't receive replies and when Glenn and I replied, it didn't hit on what you wanted to know due to the vagueness of your post.

Specifically, about collar Tresse: Yes. Heer NCO's, per regulation, were supposed to have collar Tresse. That having been said, there was a war going on. Period photos exist of NCO's having their rank denoted only by their shoulder straps and lacking Tresse around the collar. Typically, these photos are from areas at or near the Front and reflect a lack of materials or time to apply collar Tresse to a tunic that was likely very recently issued to the NCO at the Front. An exception is M44 tunics. Those no longer required collar Tresse for NCO's, although some NCO's took it upon themselves to apply it. As far as earlier tunics, the catch-all applies: for every regulation, there is an exception.

[oberhaig]

Thank you. That clears it up perfectly...... as the saying goes......don't tell me they wouldn't have done that ������