BACKGROUND: Although considered extremely radical and impetuous by some, Theodor Eicke was to play an influential role in the SS right up until his death in February 1943. Eicke had originally joined the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), and the SA, Sturmabteilung, (Storm Troops), on December 1^ST 1928, transferring to the SS, Schutz Staffel, (Protection Squad), on July 29^TH 1930 and quickly gained promotions and increasingly important positions within the organization. On June 26^TH 1933, with the rank of SS-Oberführer, Eicke was assigned as commandant of the Dachau concentration camp and with strict disciplinary measures was able to transformed the guard units into an elite force. On July 4^TH 1934 Eicke was appointed as Inspector of all concentration camps and guard units and seven days later he was promoted to the rank of SS-Gruppenführer. In March 1936 as Inspector of concentration camps, the SS-Wachverbände, (SS-Guard units), fell under Eicke’s command, were given independent status from the Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), and were renamed, SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units). These SS-Totenkopfverbände personnel would eventually become the cadre of the 3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf" on its formation in October 1939 with Eicke as its first commander. On April 20^TH 1942, while leading the Totenkopf division Eicke was promoted to the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS and was awarded the Oak-leaves to his Knight’s Cross. On February 26^TH 1943 Eicke was killed near Michailowka Russia when his observation plane was shot down. As a result of his death the personnel of the SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 6, of the 3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf", were allotted a cufftitle in his honor on March 15^TH 1943, (Retroactive to March 2^ND). 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 3/16" tall, 19 1/8" long, full length, machine woven, black rayon construction cufftitle with BeVo, machine woven, Latin script, "Theodor Eicke" in silvery/white silk threads. The cufftitle is bordered at both the top and bottom edges with interwoven, vertically stitched, silvery/white silk threads. The full length cufftitle has folded over, machine stitched, ends and the typical "salt & pepper" pattern reverse. One of the folded over ends has the machine woven manufacturers trade name, "Bevo-Wuppertal", also in silvery/white silk threads indicating manufacture by Bandfabrik Ewald Vorsteher in Wuppertal. The cufftitle is in overall excellent, unissued condition with minor age toning.

GRADE ****1/4                             PRICE $2,445.00