{"product_id":"original-german-wwii-crete-campaign-embroidered-cuff-title-with-rbnr-0-6250-2340-kreta-armelstreiffen","title":"Original German WWII Crete Campaign Embroidered Cuff Title with RBNr. 0\/6250\/2340, KRETA Ärmelstreiffen","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII \u003cem\u003eKRETA Ärmelstreifen\u003c\/em\u003e, or Crete Campaign cuff title, awarded for participation in the German campaign on Crete fought from May 20 through June 1, 1941. It is constructed from white cotton with machine embroidered golden yellow lettering and acanthus leaf decoration, and retains a fully legible RBNr. maker marking on the reverse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cuff title measures approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1 1\/4\" x 17 1\/2\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe center is machine embroidered in golden yellow Antiqua style lettering:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKRETA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewith stylized acanthus leaves positioned to either side. The upper and lower edges are finished with golden yellow double piping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse shows the fabric folded over along the long edges, with surviving golden yellow thread used to help secure the edges and limit fraying. The ends retain intact stitching, though the material beyond those stitched points shows some localized fraying. The face shows light staining from age and service, along with traces of old sticker adhesive. No major tears or extensive fabric loss are described.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse carries a clearly legible black ink RBNr. marking:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRBNr. 0\/6250\/2340\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReichsbetriebsnummer\u003c\/em\u003e designations were introduced during the war in 1943 to identify contractors numerically in place of openly displaying the maker's name and address on many government contract items.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall condition is very good. The white cotton body remains structurally sound, the golden yellow embroidery is well defined, the edge piping is largely intact, and the reverse RBNr. marking remains fully readable. The light staining, traces of adhesive, and localized fraying beyond the end stitching are all fully disclosed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its bold KRETA lettering, acanthus leaf embroidery, golden yellow edge piping, white cotton construction, and fully legible RBNr. 0\/6250\/2340 marking, this is a particularly appealing Crete Campaign cuff title. It would display especially well in a German WWII campaign award, Luftwaffe or Heer uniform insignia, Crete campaign, RBNr. marked textile, or advanced cloth insignia collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe KRETA Ärmelstreiffen \u003c\/strong\u003e(Crete cuff title) was the first in a series of four campaign award cuff titles and was introduced on October 16th 1942 It was awarded to personnel who participated in the successful assault on the Greek, Mediterranean island of Crete from May 20th to June 1st 1941. The cuff title was considered a military combat decoration, and as such, was bestowed with a corresponding award possession document and entered into the recipient’s official military service documentation. Bestowal of the award was opened to personnel in all three branches of service who had actively been involved in the invasion of Crete. The \"Kreta\" cuff title was worn on the lower left sleeve of the field blouse, service tunic and greatcoat by all eligible personnel with no differentiation for rank.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \"Kreta\" cuff title utilized acanthus leaves as ornamentation which is a perennial herb or shrub native to the Mediterranean area and has been used through-out ancient history as ornamentation in art and architecture. The acanthus leaves symbolize quality, strength, longevity and creativity. The \"Kreta\" cuff title was manufactured in two slightly different versions with one version having seven acanthus leaf petals and the other with nine. Due to the significant role that the German \u003cem\u003eFallschirmjäger\u003c\/em\u003e (Paratroopers) played in the successful invasion they were awarded a large percentage of the \"Kreta\" cuff titles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Battle of Crete\u003c\/strong\u003e (German: \u003cem\u003eLuftlandeschlacht um Kreta\u003c\/em\u003e, also \u003cem\u003eUnternehmen Merkur\u003c\/em\u003e, \"Operation Mercury,\") was fought during the Second World War on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when NSDAP Germany began an airborne invasion of Crete. Greek and other Allied forces, along with Cretan civilians, defended the island. After one day of fighting, the Germans had suffered heavy casualties and the Allied troops were confident that they would defeat the invasion. The next day, through communication failures, Allied tactical hesitation and German offensive operations, Maleme Airfield in western Crete fell, enabling the Germans to land reinforcements and overwhelm the defensive positions on the north of the island. Allied forces withdrew to the south coast. More than half were evacuated by the British Royal Navy and the remainder surrendered or joined the Cretan resistance. The defense of Crete evolved into a costly naval engagement; by the end of the campaign the Royal Navy's eastern Mediterranean strength had been reduced to only two battleships and three cruisers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Battle of Crete was the first occasion where \u003cem\u003eFallschirmjäger\u003c\/em\u003e (German paratroops) were used en masse, the first mainly airborne invasion in military history, the first time the Allies made significant use of intelligence from decrypted German messages from the Enigma machine, and the first time German troops encountered mass resistance from a civilian population. Due to the number of casualties and the belief that airborne forces no longer had the advantage of surprise, Adolf AH became reluctant to authorize further large airborne operations, preferring instead to employ paratroopers as ground troops. In contrast, the Allies were impressed by the potential of paratroopers and started to form airborne-assault and airfield-defence regiments.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45582450098245,"sku":"ONSV26EMC100","price":695.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/C30F6CE8-00AD-43E0-B56E-FF061523A108_3d1bff10-a6b3-4613-860e-ca045d2df429.jpg?v=1787346708","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-german-wwii-crete-campaign-embroidered-cuff-title-with-rbnr-0-6250-2340-kreta-armelstreiffen","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}