Signals unit, SSVT

[Friedrich-Berthold]

further data in this connection. This image is from the Derek Chapman archives.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

In this second graph, notice the down ward trend of the end strength of these units. This trend reflected the scaling back of these units in view of the build up of the more strategic (if you will...) para military armed units, as well as difficulties with the NSDAP over finances.

This fact also accounts for why the insignia posted by our friends here is so rare, as these units were numerically less of a force by the start of the war.

Derek Chapman has done yeoman service with his archival research and the extraordinary expense and time involved in such an effort.

[Dimas]

Another example

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks. Is this gem from your Soviet/Russian film find? If so, then you did very well. A very rare piece of regalia, which plainly never made it to a collar on which to patch.

Bravo. I think Toncar has a signals uniform for an officer which is in the Beaver book.

The book on all of this over and above Mollo's vol. 3 is Bernd Wegner's book on the Waffen SS.

Greetings to the Baltic.

[Dimas]

This one was got from the guy who don't tell me the source ( but I think it's from the studio, because mostly of the items in his collection are from the studio)- I've gave for a trade a SD M40 SS helmet in near mint condition, that was good deal for about 10 years ago...

[Friedrich-Berthold]

This one was got from the guy who don't tell me the source ( but I think it's from the studio, because mostly of the items in his collection are from the studio)- I've gave for a trade a SD M40 SS helmet in near mint condition, that was good deal for about 10 years ago...

Thank you for the detail. It is very interesting to us from outside the Baltic. A mint single decal SS helmet is now a very costly item, surely.

However, the prices are secondary actually to have and hold early SS material, especially SS Verfuegungstruppe, which is always of great interest to all of us.

I wonder where in Germany or elsewhere this regalia was originally found and made its way to the USSR?

Once more, thanks so much.

[Bob Hritz]

These are the predessor Allgemeine-SS insignae, from which such units the cadre of SS-Nachtrichtensturmbann personnel were taken.

Bob Hritz

[Dimas]

Thank you for the detail. It is very interesting to us from outside the Baltic. A mint single decal SS helmet is now a very costly item, surely.

However, the prices are secondary actually to have and hold early SS material, especially SS Verfuegungstruppe, which is always of great interest to all of us.

I wonder where in Germany or elsewhere this regalia was originally found and made its way to the USSR?

Once more, thanks so much.

The most of the items was trophees of the Red army, and a lot of them was sent to the theaters and filmstudios / or most of them was just destroyed in the fire or in garbage. I was visited Artillery museum stocks in the end of 80's with my church father ( he had a great collection of SS uniforms in the past, but today he prefer photography and all of the collection was sold at the beginning-mid of 90's- his name is Alekseev Oleg Borisovich)
there was a lot of closed boxes with inscription- Property of the Soviet peoples- open in 1961 year or something like that- inside of that boxes was different stuff being taken in a different areas of the Germany and battlefields- sometimes junk, sometimes bloody uniforms and loaded weapons. Must of this boxes was destroyed in the Gorbachew's time, and as from a words, a lot of that stuff was thrown in the river near the museum in the mid of 70's, due of "global cleaning from the junk", there was a lot of "divers" who dive to the river to get a weapon and prevent this action all of the river was closed with concret pannels, which is clarly visible today. The same "artifacts" was found in the Moscow theater- Malyi Teater, there was more than 300 steel helmets which came to the theater from a Museum of Soviet Army as this helmet https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/germa...m40-qwist.html
I think a lot of the items came to the USSR from the different German military units, museums, and other places such a Bunker etc...

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The most of the items was trophees of the Red army, and a lot of them was sent to the theaters and filmstudios / or most of them was just destroyed in the fire or in garbage. I was visited Artillery museum stocks in the end of 80's with my church father ( he had a great collection of SS uniforms in the past, but today he prefer photography and all of the collection was sold at the beginning-mid of 90's- his name is Alekseev Oleg Borisovich)
there was a lot of closed boxes with inscription- Property of the Soviet peoples- open in 1961 year or something like that- inside of that boxes was different stuff being taken in a different areas of the Germany and battlefields- sometimes junk, sometimes bloody uniforms and loaded weapons. Must of this boxes was destroyed in the Gorbachew's time, and as from a words, a lot of that stuff was thrown in the river near the museum in the mid of 70's, due of "global cleaning from the junk", there was a lot of "divers" who dive to the river to get a weapon and prevent this action all of the river was closed with concret pannels, which is clarly visible today. The same "artifacts" was found in the Moscow theater- Malyi Teater, there was more than 300 steel helmets which came to the theater from a Museum of Soviet Army as this helmet https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/germa...m40-qwist.html
I think a lot of the items came to the USSR from the different German military units, museums, and other places such a Bunker etc...

Many thanks for this intriguing and astonishing account. My stomach turns at the description of the wanton destruction, but I am surely not surprised. I should think especially if a person had direct experience of the war (and was that not the majority...?) then naturally they would eradicate it. Think of all the material in Germany that was destroyed in the decades after the 1940s, too. Many considered this material dangerous junk.

Many thanks.