BACKGROUND: The SS-SD, Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei, (SS Security Service and Security Police), was originally instituted in June 1931 as the national, German, counter-espionage agency and was entrusted with control of internal national security under the auspices of the Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführer-SS, (Security Service of the National Leader of the SS). On June 17^TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern, (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany and the power and influence of the SD grew proportionally. Originally SD personnel wore the same shoulder straps as the Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), personnel that were introduced on May 26^TH 1933 at the same time as the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm/Assault Detachment), shoulder straps were introduced. In January 1942 new collar and shoulder insignia was introduced for all SD personnel that conformed more to Police style insignia then SS insignia in order to differentiate them from the Allgemeine and Waffen-SS, (Armed-SS), personnel. SD personnel were allocated a specific identifying, police green truppenfarbe, (Troop/Branch of Service Color), that was displayed as piping on the shoulder boards/straps. This example consists of the 1942 pattern shoulder boards representing the SD rank of SD-Sturmscharführer which would be the equivalent of the army rank of Stabsfeldwebel.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Second pattern, (Circa 1942-1945), sew on shoulder boards featuring dual, outer edge, bright, silver/aluminum Russian braid with evenly spaced, interwoven black "V"s, encompassing dual, interwoven, inner, black and silver/aluminum braids, with evenly spaced, interwoven black "V"s, all mounted on green rayon truppenfarbe bases. The shoulder boards are in overall very good, unissued condition with minimal age toning.