Original Item: Only One Available. The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf AH. 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 the NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe. When WWII began in earnest, the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) (SS Dispositional Troops) became the Waffen-SS ("Armed SS"), an official military branch of the SS organization. Its formations included men from NSDAP ruled Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

This is a lovely cut out left sleeve section from a Waffen SS Feldgrau wool uniform, measuring approximately 7"W x 9"H, removed in the field by a USGI and brought home. The edges are quite rough and uneven, suggesting that it was cut off by a combat knife or something similar. It has a lovely Waffen SS Enlisted Sleeve Eagle, which is machine stitched to the fabric in the correct fashion, using black thread on the outside and olive thread on the interior. Below this is a single enlisted rank chevron, made from black wool felt with a single diamond pattern tresse chevron, indicating the Waffen SS enlisted rank of SS-Sturmmann (SS-Assault man/Storm trooper). This is a rank equivalent to a Heer Army Gefreiter, equivalent to a U.S. Army "Acting Corpora".

Condition of the cut out and attached insignia is very good, but they do definitely show wear and staining from use. This was not cut off from a uniform kept in a depot, but one that saw actual use in the field. There is a bit if stitching degradation on the eagle, which is stained from use, and the chevron has some more advanced stitch pulling on the exterior.

A great Waffen SS cut off insignia set, ready to display!

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. In 1944 the SS developed a single piece of cap insignia which incorporated both the skull and eagle on a one piece trapezoid base for wear on the M43 field cap. Originally these trapezoidal pieces of insignia were produced in a machine woven version until a final, embroidered version was introduced in late 1944. The first versions of the trapezoidal cap insignia featured dual rows of teeth in the skull while later versions only had a single row of teeth. Panzer personnel’s cap trapezoids were produced with a black base to match the color of the cap it was to be worn on.