BACKGROUND: The evolution of the SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units), can be traced back to March 1933 with the formation of the SS-Wachverbände, (SS-Guard Units), as an integral component of the Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), who were assigned as guards at the Dachau concentration camp. On March 29^TH 1936 the SS-Wachverbände were redesignated SS-Totenkopfverbände. Originally the SS-Wachverbände, consisted of five Sturmbanne, (Battalions), until a restructuring on July 1^ST 1937 reorganized it into three Standarte (Regiments), which included the SS-Totenkopfstandarte 3 Thüringen who were assigned to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. In mid-1937 personnel of SS-Totenkopfstandarte 3 and personnel serving on the Commandants staff of the Hottelstedt concentration camp were allotted an identifying cufftitle with Gothic scripted honor title, Thüringen. Of Note: The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was officially founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), 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. Of Note: 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 3/4" long, full length, machine woven, black rayon construction cufftitle featuring the hand embroidered, Gothic script, "Thüringen" in bright silver/aluminum flat-wire threads. The cufftitle is bordered at both top and bottom edges in horizontally woven, six strand, bright silver/aluminum flat-wire threads. The full length cufftitle has folded over, machine stitched ends. The cufftitle has the typical "salt & pepper" patterned reverse with a woven, ribbed, protective black fabric backing handstitched to the reverse of the embroidery. The reverse also has a glued on, white paper RZM/SS tag with black printed script and the faint, purple inkstamped manufacturer’s numerical code. The tag features both the printed RZM logo and SS runes within circular borders. The cufftitle is in overall excellent, unissua0107ed condition with minimal age toning.

GRADE ****3/4                             PRICE $2,380.00