Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptional and rare German WWII Schutzstaffel (SS) Streifendienst Patrol Duty Gorget with chain, attributed to Wilhelm Schröder & Co. of Lüdenscheid. It was recovered from the Führerbau in Munich during May 1945 by Captain Abraham Epstein, a Jewish American dentist serving with the U.S. Army’s 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion.

This gorget come from a remarkable collection of dozens of pieces of silver, tableware, linens, and related objects retained by Captain Epstein following the capture of Munich. Its history is supported by Epstein’s wartime correspondence, photographs, military records, and a notarized statement signed by his daughter, Sandy.

Captain Abraham N. Epstein was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 17, 1915. He entered active service on July 31, 1943, and served as a Dental Officer with the rank of Captain. His Separation Qualification Record documents 33 months of active service and assignments to the 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion, 421st Field Artillery Group, 1123rd Engineer Combat Group, 1161st Engineer Combat Group, 317th Station Hospital, and several stateside medical units. He was separated from active service on June 30, 1946.

Epstein referred specifically to the captured silver in two wartime letters sent home to his family. The first, dated May 8, 1945, VE Day, states:

“I have acquired a set of Adolph's personal silver-ware which I am mailing home as a souvenir”.

A second letter, dated May 17, 1945, from Augsburg, Germany, concludes:

“I have sent home many packages + I hope they do not take out the good things from it if the Custom Authorities open them up. The most valuable thing I have is a complete set of 6 silverware of Adolph.”

Photocopies of both letters are included with the purchase.

The provenance also includes 15 original wartime photographs dating from March through August 1945. The purchaser will receive high resolution color copies showing the fronts and backs of all 15 photographs. One especially important photograph was taken outside the Führerbau in Munich during May 1945. It shows Epstein in a truck with headquarters vehicles positioned in front of the building. Additional photographs taken at Berchtesgaden in June 1945 show the destroyed residences of Martin Bormann and Hermann Göring, as well as Epstein standing at the arched lower entrance to the Eagle’s Nest. Other photographs taken in Berlin during 1945 document the devastated city, including the destroyed Reich Chancellery. Epstein wrote on the reverse of the photograph:

“Muinch, Germay May 1945, The Brown House (Memorial to the beer hall) Our HQ trucks in front of it. GOT Adolph Silver here”.

The group is further supported by a notarized family statement signed by Epstein’s daughter, Sandy, on October 5, 2026. A photocopy of the notarized statement and its attached inventory is included with the gorget. The statement and inventory are reproduced as supplied:

Statement Regarding Abraham Epstein and the Braunes Haus Collection

Family declaration with attached itemized inventory

My father, Abraham Epstein, was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 17, 1915. He was the son of immigrants and became a dentist because his mother told him that an education and a professional career were the ways to succeed in the United States.

Abraham Epstein enlisted in the US Army in 1943 in order to be part of the fighting force in World War 2. He was accepted into service on July 31, 1943, and performed as a dentist in the medical corps in all his assignments. His initial assignments were in the United States in Maryland, Illinois, and Texas. He was then assigned to the 7th Army of the European Theater of Operations. He left for England on October 29, 1944, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean via boat, and arrived in England on November 10, 1944. During his time in England, my father was part of a training battalion.

The 1269 Engineering Combat Battalion was already in France by the beginning of 1945, and it appears my father’s unit was assigned to join this battalion. He entered Germany with Company C of the 1269 Engineering Battalion in March of 1945. He remained with this group until it was disbanded, and the troops deployed to various other locations. My father was eventually transferred to the 317th Station Hospital in Weisbaden, Germany on September 23, 1945, before being transferred back to the United States on December 31, 1945, and relieved from active service. He was discharged from the US Army on June 30, 1946.

One of the functions of his engineering battalion was to de-booby trap German positions as they were captured towards the end of the war. One such site was one of Hiter’s main houses-The Brown House (Braunes Haus) in Munich. He and his unit were sent to evaluate the residence, and to ensure its safety. When the men searched the house, they came upon what appeared to be a wall closet, but outfitted as a safe. When his men asked what to do with it, he instructed them to blow it open. What they found was a collection of Hilter’s personal silverware, including flatware, along with various serving pieces, boxes, teapots, bowls, as well as linens and other items, all personalized with Hilter’s monogram. My father radioed his commanding officer, asking what should be done with the items, and was told to bring it back to their headquarters. There, the commander declared it legal loot, and proceeded to split it between his men. Over time, my father sent his share of the collection, piece by piece, to his sister’s home, where he had been residing.

My father was always very proud of his service to his country. Unlike many in the “The Greatest Generation”, my father spoke of the war frequently. He cherished his role in defeating what he saw as evil in the world. When we were teenagers, we took a family trip to Europe, which included stops in Germany. But when we got to visit the Dachau Camp, he insisted that we get back into the car at once, asking in a rhetorical manner if we could not smell the stench in the air. You see, he was at the camp when it was being liberated, and his olfactory senses were now wreaking havoc with his vivid memories of that time. I did get to visit the camp later with my husband, and could only imagine the horrors he experienced at that time.

He passed along his collection to his children throughout his lifetime, asking us to hold onto it until both he and my mother had passed away. It is our hope that this collection serves as a reminder of the horrors and evils of a tyrannical period in our collective history.

Sandy M

The statement is followed by Sandy's signed family certification, dated October 5, 2026, and a New York notary acknowledgment. Its attached four page inventory is headed Munich Führerbau Inventory Recovered by Abraham Epstein in 1945. The inventory records one SS Gorget / Breast Plate - 8 ½ x 4, one of the few non-silverware items that were acquired.

According to the family, Captain Epstein attempted to sell the silver from the collection to a New York City jeweler several years after the war. The jeweler reportedly told him that no one would want it and that its only value was as silver for melting. Epstein understood its historical importance and refused. He concealed the collection beneath a pull out kitchen wall stove in his Long Island home, where it remained protected for decades. He ultimately left the collection to his children with the intention that it benefit the lives and education of his children and grandchildren.

This particular piece is a very good example of a VERY rare German Schutzstaffel (SS) Streifendienst Patrol Duty Gorget. Many of the gorgets used by the NSDAP were for standard bearers and ceremonial positions, however these are more of an indicator of the wearer's role in the organization. The SS "Patrol Duty" was first raised 1934-35, and served various functions during the third reich period. Detachments assumed cordoning and organizational functions at major events like Reich Party Day, führer visits and the Olympic Games. However the patrol units were also used to ensure that SS behaved themselves, were in proper uniform, and were not seen in the streets in their uniforms after midnight. Patrols consisted of two-three men under the command of a senior non-commissioned officer.

This SS Patrol Duty gorget measures 8 1/4"W x 4 7/8"H, and is completely non-magnetic, looking to be made from nickel plated aluminum alloy, which is still bright and shiny. It features a central round ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) insignia of the SS, over a gold washed brass banner reading STREIFENDIENST (Patrol Duty). The reverse has a black wool cloth covering, and the upper right corner has a loop where the 23" long chain is installed, while the center and upper left corner have two attachment hooks for the chain, so it could be worn one of two ways. The center hook bears the SS maker code (ᛋᛋ) (140) (RZM), which has attributed to Wilhelm Schröder & Co. of Lüdenscheid, a German city known for its clothing accessories industry. There is unfortunately no real list of the SS RZM contractors, so there is no way to verify this.

Overall condition of this gorget is very good, with the plating on the body very well retained, and the gilding on the banner insignia also still partly retained. There is a bend in the body of the gorget from pressure on the lower right, which has also bent the banner as well, causing the edge to "flatten" in places. It can be seen easily from the back, as the black wool covering has had the adhesive fail, and is now mostly detached from the back, though still held in place fully by the hooks. The central SS insignia is also a bit loose due to the tabs on the bac bending a bit.

Included with the gorget are:

- A photocopy of the notarized family statement signed by Captain Epstein’s daughter, Sandy.

- A photocopy of the attached itemized inventory documenting the Munich collection recovered by Abraham Epstein in 1945.

- A copy of Captain Epstein’s U.S. Army Separation Qualification Record documenting his rank, service dates, and assignments.

- Photocopies of Epstein’s May 8 and May 17, 1945 wartime letters specifically discussing the captured AH silver and the packages he mailed home.

- High resolution color prints showing the fronts and backs of all 15 original wartime photographs dating from March through August 1945 including:

- Photographic documentation of Epstein at the Führerbau in Munich, with his handwritten notation: “GOT Hilter Silver here.”

- Photographs taken at Berchtesgaden showing the destroyed residences of Martin Bormann and Hermann Göring, as well as Epstein at the arched lower entrance to the Eagle’s Nest.

- Photographs taken in Berlin during 1945 showing the devastated city and destroyed Reich Chancellery.

SS organization gorgets are the hardest to find examples of German World War Two Gorgets, and this only the second that we have ever had of an SS Streifendienst Patrol Duty Gorget. This gorget is particularly important because its history is supported by Captain Epstein’s wartime letters, his handwritten May 1945 photograph, his military record, the family’s notarized statement, and the detailed inventory listing it. Together, these documents establish an unusually complete chain of family provenance extending from Munich in May 1945 through Captain Epstein and directly to his children.

Gorgets hold an interesting place in history, as they are a throw-back to the days of knights, when suits of armor included a neck protection device called a Gorget. They have been used since that time to identify membership or function in various military and police organizations, and Gorgets were thoroughly used during the Third Reich.

The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf H. Under the direction of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe.

The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 as the Stosstrupp Adolf AH, (Shock Troops Adolf AH), and was redesignated Schutzstaffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich "Beer-Hall" Putsch on November 9TH 1925. On January 6TH 1929 Heinrich Himmler was appointed as Reichsführer-SS, (National Leader {of the} SS), and on July 20TH 1934 shortly after the, June 30TH 1934, purge of the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm Troopers) on the "Night of the Long Knives", the SS was rewarded by AH by being granted the status of an independent organization under direct control of the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party). The SS developed the distinctive SS style cap skull and cross bones on October 6TH 1934 and introduced the SS pattern national cap eagle in February 1936. After their introductions the skull and eagle were to be worn on all forms of SS headgear.