S009695 DUTCH "LANDWACHT" EM/NCO'S CUFFTITLE. (Ärmelstreiffen) 

BACKGROUND: The Dutch, NSB, Nationaal Socialistische Beweging, (National Socialist Movement), founded on December 13TH 1931 by Anton Mussert, was a nationalistic Dutch fascist political party that had based itself on the German NSDAP. After the German occupation of Holland in May 1940 the NSB readily collaborated with them and made minor political gains by absorbing smaller Dutch fascist political groups. On December 14TH 1941 the Germans officially authorized the NSB as the only legal political party in Holland and all other political parties were forced to merge with the NSB or disband. On March 11TH 1943 Mussert announced the formation of the Landwacht Nederland, (Netherlands Territorial Home Guard), to be formed from all physically fit male NSB party members from the ages of seventeen to fifty years old to provide internal national security. On October 16TH 1943 the Landwacht Nederland was absorbed into the SS and redesignated, Landstorm. As a result of the Landwacht/Landstorm Nederland absorption into the SS a second Landwacht unit was raised in November 1943 with the age limit extended to fifty five years old. Personnel serving in the Landwacht were originally issued black uniforms and were allocated an identifying cufftitle to be worn on the lower left sleeve. Eventually the Landwacht were outfitted in field grey uniforms and continued to wear the identifying cufftitle. Of Note: Although the Landwacht was figuratively under the command of the Dutch Nationale Jeugdstorm, (National Young Storm Troopers), leader Cornelis van Geelkerken in reality it was controlled by SS Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei Hans Albin Rauter in his position of as Höhrer SS und Polizeiführer "Nordwest", (Higher SS and Police Leader "Northwest"), which covered all of Holland. 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. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: RZM pattern, machine woven, black rayon construction cufftitle with silver printed, block Latin script, "Landwacht". The cufftitle is bordered at both the top and bottom edges in seven strand, horizontally woven, bright silver/aluminum wire threads. Scarce cufftitle.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $2,749.00

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