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S012457 SS "NORDSEE" DISTRICT OFFICER'S CUFFTITLE. (Ärmelstreiffen)
BACKGROUND: The command structure of the SS, Schutz Staffel, (Protection Squad), was highly complex and had many different levels and offices with numerous functions. The basic regional organizational infrastructure of the Allgemeine-SS began with the SS-Oberabschnitte, (SS Districts), which corresponded roughly to the German Armed Forces, Wehrkreis, (Military District). Each SS-Oberabschnitte contained two or three SS-Abschnitte, (SS Sub-Districts), and each SS-Abschnitte was comprised of two to four SS-Fuss-Standarten, (SS Foot Regiments), and additional subordinate units. The SS-Oberabschnitte, were allotted the topographical name of the region in which they were situated and beginning in 1932 personnel serving on the Staff of a SS-Oberabschnitte were bestowed a cufftitle with the regions name. The SS-Oberabschnitte cufftitles were produced with silver/aluminum embroidery for Officer ranks and in silver/grey threads for EM/NCO ranks. In 1932 there were only five SS-Oberabschnitte but by 1945 that had expanded to twenty-three SS-Oberabschnitte. Of Note: Personnel serving with a SS-Abschnitte wore a cufftitle with the Roman numeral of the sub-district they were employed in and personnel serving in a SS-Fuss-Standarten were allotted a cufftitle with a Arabic numeral designation. 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. Also Of Note: This cufftitle would have been issued to an Officer serving on the staff of SS-Oberabschnitte Nordsee which was headquartered in Hamburg/Altona and controlled the region that roughly corresponded to the Wehrkreis X.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 1 1/8" tall, 19 1/2" long, full length, RZM pattern, machine woven, black rayon construction cufftitle featuring the hand embroidered, SS-Oberabschnitte, (SS District), location name, "Nordsee", in bright silver/aluminum wire threads. The cufftitle is bordered at both the top and bottom edges in seven strand, horizontally woven, bright, silver/aluminum wire threads. The full length cufftitle has folded over, machine stitched ends and the reverse has dual, white, paper RZM/SS tags with black printed script and the purple inkstamped manufacturer’s numerical code. The printed script to the tags includes both the RZM logo and the SS runes within circular borders. Of Note: One of the RZM/SS tags would indicate the cufftitle manufacturer while the other tag would indicate the embroiderer. Interestingly, one of the RZM/SS tags has a glued on paper label with unknown, typed numerals, "185e 1.80", which obscure almost all of the RZM/SS tag. The reverse of the embroidery also has a glued on, protective black fabric backing. The cufftitle is in overall excellent, unissued condition with minimal age toning.
GRADE ****1/2 PRICE $3,489.00
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