BACKGROUND: The, SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe Standarte 2, (SS-Special Purpose Troops 2^ND Regiment), originally evolved from the PBH, Politische Bereitschaft Hamburg, (Political Readiness Detachment Hamburg), which had been formed in August 1934. By the spring of 1935 the PBH had evolved into the SS-Standarte 2/VT and at the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), Nürnberg rally in September 1936 the SS-Standarte 2/VT was allotted the honorary title, "Germania", (Germany), and its personnel were authorized wear of a cufftitle with the Gothic scripted title. In December 1939 the Gothic style script was changed to Latin style script and remained that way for the duration of the war. The early Gothic scripted cufftitles came in a hand embroidered version for Officers and a machine embroidered version for EM/NCO’s until a machine woven flat-wire version was introduced for all ranks in 1939. Of Note: SS-Standarte 2 "Germania" served with the first Division to be formed completely by SS personnel, the SS-Verfügungstruppe Division (mot.), formed in October 1939. The SS-V.T.-Division (mot.), would eventually evolve into the 2.SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich". Personnel of the SS-Standarte 2 "Germania", were transferred out of the V.T.-Division to form the nucleus of the SS-Division (mot.) "Germania" in November 1940. In December 1940 the SS-Division (mot.) "Germania", was renamed SS-Division (mot.) "Wiking", which would eventually evolve into 5.SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking". The SS-Standarte 2 "Germania" would also eventually be renamed as SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 9 "Germania" and personnel retained the right to wear the cufftitle. Also Of Note: The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was official founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster’s Department. The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and were marked by a cloth RZM/SS approval tag. The dimensions and design of these cloth tags was altered in 1935 and this second pattern tag remained in use until early 1938, when it was replaced by a paper tag. In 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 1 1/8" tall, 18 1/4" long, full length, post-December 1939 pattern, machine woven, black rayon construction cufftitle featuring machine embroidered, Latin script, "Germania" in bright, silver/aluminum, flat-wire threads. The cufftitle is bordered at both the top and bottom edges in six strand, horizontally woven, silvery/grey rayon threads. The full length cufftitle has folded over, machine stitched ends and the reverse has the typical "salt & pepper" patterned reverse with a woven, ribbed, protective, black fabric backing handstitched to the reverse of the embroidery. The cufftitle is in overall very good, unissued condition with minimal age toning, a few small picks and pulls to the top and bottom edges and some unusual scarring to the reverse with faint bleed through to the obverse.

GRADE ***1/2                             PRICE $3,995.00