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). The SS-Fuss-Standarten were further divided into four Sturmbann, (Battalions) and a reserve Sturmbann which were again sub-divided into four Sturm, (Companies), per Sturmbann. The SS-Fuss-Standarten were number consecutively from 1 to 125 and starting in August 1929 the SS incorporated the wear of rank collar tabs on the left side of the collar of the service tunic and later, (circa 1933), personnel serving with a SS-Fuss-Standarten began wearing the numerical designation of their unit on the right side collar tab. The SS collar tabs were originally adopted from the earlier rank collar tabs as utilized by the SA, Sturmabteilung, (Storm Troops). The SS collar tabs remained in usage through-out the war with a couple of minor alterations. Officer’s ranks right side unit designation collar tabs generally had the numerals produced in bright silver/aluminum wire threads while EM/NCO ranks numerals were produced in silvery/grey threads. Originally EM/NCO’s collar tabs for the ranks of SS-Schütze to SS-Hauptscharführer inclusively were piped in twisted white cord from their original inception, (Rank tabs, August 1929/Runic tabs, May 1933), until October 24TH 1934 when the piping for EM/NCO’s was modified to alternating twisted black and silver/aluminum cord piping. The final modification, in August 1940, eliminated all piping from EM/NCO’s collar tabs. Officer’s ranks collar tabs from SS-Untersturmführer to SS-Hauptsturmführer utilized alternating twisted black and silver/aluminum cord piping from their inception until October 24TH 1934 and silver/aluminum cord piping from October 1934 until the end of the war while the ranks of SS-Sturmbannführer to SS-Reichsführer utilized the silver/aluminum cord piping from August 1929 to May 1945. 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: Black wool construction left hand side rank collar tab. Collar tab has alternating, twisted, silver/aluminum and black cord piping to the outside edges and is mounted on tan buckram base. Couple of small holes. Nice original tab.