SS Shoulder Straps

Officers and men of the SS-Verfiigungstruppe initially wore the shoulder trapS and boards with all uniforms in the identical format and manner of wear as with the Allgemeine-SS. Later, they continued to wear the standard pattern Allgemeine-SS shoulder straps/boards on the black uniform. However, they were distinguished by the wear of cyphers (bronze metal for officers, and silver-colored metal for enlisted ranks), to identify their units. Following the outbreak of the war, officers converted to the army pattern shoulder boards (to be discussed with the chapter dealing with the Waffen-SS).The Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" was the first unit to transition to wearing the army pattern shoulder strap for enlisted personnel. The earth-grey shoulder straps with white cord piping about the edge were worn on both shoulders of the earth-grey/field grey uniforms. The unit cypher was embroidered in silver-grey thread on the face of the shoulder strap.

The short-lived 1st pattern, earth-grey shoulder strap, apparently worn by the LAH only, was replaced by a second pattern of black cloth, rounded ends, and piped with black/aluminum cord. Machine-embroidered on each strap was a 3.5 cm regimental cypher, in silver-grey silk, for the SS-Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" (LAH), SS-Standarte "Deutschland" (D), and SS-Standarte Germania" (G).

The third pattern of shoulder straps was introduced and was of simpler cloth version. It reverted to the pointed ends, was made of black cloth, and had the Cypher embroidered in silver-grey silk thread. This pattern was not piped.

A fourth and final pattern was introduced in late 1938/early 1939. It was made of black cloth with rounded ends, and piped in the branch color (covered in the section dealing with the Waffen-SS Waffenfarbe).From December 1939 the regimental cypher was of the Roman (Antiqua) variety rather than the earlier Gothic form shown above (except for the LAH, which retained its former insignia). When pips and tress were introduced for wear by NCOs, the cypher was silver-colored metal, and slightly smaller than the silver/aluminum cypher worn by officers.

J.R. Angolia: "Cloth Insignia of the SS", 1983.R. James BenderPublishing

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