Help with identifying an SS uniform

[Luther1985]

Hello good people,

I know it is a long shot but i would like some help. I have a sole remaining picture of my grandfather wearing an SS uniform, i am trying to trace his origins as my father is dead and would like to know more about them. My father and his mother came to the UK as refugees believing my grandfather was dead (he spent 10 years in a prisoner of war camp apparently), and they never saw him again.

Im not the most experienced with SS cuff titles but i was wondering if anyone can recognise anything from this rather small picture below...



Like i said, a long shot!

Thanks in advance

[Luther1985]

Heres a zoom in of the picture

[HPL2008]

Im not the most experienced with SS cuff titles but i was wondering if anyone can recognise anything from this rather small picture below...

It's near impossible to be 100 % certain from this photograph, but in my opinion, it's the "Adolf Hitler" cuff title for the 1st W-SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.

[Luther1985]

Hi HPL2008, that was my initial hunch as well because of the gap between the words. The only SS divisions with a gap on the cuff title that i know are "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", Das Reich... not sure of any others that are likely for a ethnic German (excluding foreign volunteer divisions such as Wallonie etc).

Once again thanks for your input, im interested in any other viewpoints that people may have too. Finally, what is the best way to trace former Wehrmacht/SS personnel? Again, id be happy for suggestions

With regards

[HPL2008]

Hi HPL2008, that was my initial hunch as well because of the gap between the words. The only SS divisions with a gap on the cuff title that i know are "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", Das Reich... not sure of any others that are likely for a ethnic German (excluding foreign volunteer divisions such as Wallonie etc).

Once again thanks for your input, im interested in any other viewpoints that people may have too. Finally, what is the best way to trace former Wehrmacht/SS personnel? Again, id be happy for suggestions

There are a quite a number of other W-SS cuff titles composed of two or more non-hyphenated words, but this one clearly has two separate words of roughly equal length, both of which are rather short, although the first word is clearly too long to be just a definite article.

That narrows down the possibilities considerably. It leaves us with:

• Adolf Hitler
• Florian Geyer
• Horst Wessel
• Kurt Eggers
• Prinz Eugen

Out of those five, "Adolf Hitler" is the best match for what little we can make out of the cuff title (especially the proportions of the first word's last letters).

As for researching your grandfather's military history, you will have to contact the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt):

Home | Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)

[Luther1985]

Thank you again sir, i really appreciate the help with this!

[Luther1985]

After looking again the cuff titles, i agree with you in that it does look like Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler as opposed to the other "2 word" titles. Unfortunately the chest medals are also to blurred to make out.

As he spent 10 years in captivity, and was in the Leibstandarte in wonder where he was a POW? Russia or under the western allies?

[HPL2008]

The Western Allies released all remaining German POWs by 31 December 1948; the last POWs in Soviet captivity only returned in 1955. So, if he really spent 10 years as a POW, it would have been in the Soviet Union.

[Luther1985]

Great information, you have helped no end thanks!

[MAP]

Wonderful research Andreas!