The Fallschirmjager Helmet

Fallschirmjager in German is actually three words. They mean, "fall, umbrella and hunter". Combine it and you have a "fighter from the skies".

The Fallschirmjager or Paratrooper wore a different uniform and insignia than the regular ground troops. His helmet also was one of unusual design. It is apparent that it was copied from the standard M35 helmet with the probability of having parts ommitted. The visor and earguards were removed to enable the headgear to be more compact and thus avoiding much of the protrusive parts in air maneuvering.

The necessity of a different strap assembly was provided to prevent the loss of the helmet in the air and also giving more safety to the chin and neck regions from jolts and pressures. This is known as a "chin harness". There were four variations:

1. Early issue was grey leather, backed by chamois on the side that touched the face. It had a quick release buckle of two positions with snaps.

2. A wider but thinner material, grey leather with ersatz (fake) chamois backing and a standard slide buckle.

3. Late issue, very hard leather and instead of the slide straps being sewn, they were riveted on. The harness was much thicker than the first two.

4. Remade harness: After the paratroopers were taken off jump status and used as infantrymen for the duration of the war their helmets were refitted with a D-ring and a standard buckle as the standard German army helmet. These were not as heavy or bulky as the jump issue.

For shock more padding was necessary and special allowances were used in the dome with the support of a rubber lining that ran almost the extent of the interior.This was covered with a leather lining and contained twelve holes for ventilation. The helmets were issued in the following metric sizes; 54, 55,56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61.

Instead of the regular type rivets for securing the liner to the shell, a bolt and nut system was used. This again was for prevention of breakage that could occur in the air. Some examples are known, and some "raw edges" were produced, but otherwise all paratrooper helmets had a "rolled edge". Paratrooper helmets had the silver Luftwaffe insignia on the left side (few examples were produced at the beginning of the war with Wehrmacht insignia) and national colors on the right.

Helmet Covers

1. Cloth helmet cover, blue grey with slots for camouflaging. These were first used on Crete.

2. Two different patterns of camouflage covers being a early issue and late issue. These were the same type as the camoflage smocks (jump suit) held on by clips with slots etc.

3. Chicken wire cover. These were of heavier steel than normal chicken wire. They were sized to the helmet and held on by two clips, one on each side.

4. Net type cover.Large holes in the netting. Liner was removed then net put over the helmet and liner replaced.

5. Mud Covering. Helmets were covered with mud and allowed to dry. This gave the blue-grey helmet more of an earth color.

The 2nd. Fallschirmjager Division that saw service in North Africa, used the standard paratrooper helmet with Luftwaffe decal-insignia. All were painted an Africa Korps tan, by the parachute riggers and personal equipment men of each Regt. They brushed on two or three coats of standard paint that was used on trucks etc. In doing this they covered up the flying eagle insignia. The paint jobs ran from excellent to poor, depending on how rushed they were and the craft-ability of the artist.

Floyd R. Tubbs, "Stahlhelm, Evolution of the German Steel Helmet", Author Published, 1971

Duane Pfister

Early SA Headgear

The official date of the SA's founding was August 3, 1921, and due to a government ban on paramilitary organizations, it was called a "Turnund Sportabteilungs" a gymnastic and sport detachment. It was also known as the "Schutz-und Propaganda truppe der NSDAP," a protection and propaganda unit. This early SA was led by a retired navy lieutenant, Hans Ulrich Klintzsch, until March 1923. He had been placed at Hitler's disposal by Ehrhardt of the free corps "Marine Brigade Ehrhardt'' which had been created in 1919. Klintzsch had to organize the SA, but left this unit in May 1923.

Throughout its existence, the SA was led by the following persons: Hermann Goring, Walter Buch, Franz Felix von Pfeffer von Salomon, Adolf Hitler, Adolf Wagener, Ernst Rohm, Viktor Lutze and finally by Wilhelm Schepmann.

On September 17, 1921 this "sports group" became known as the "Sturmabteilung" or storm detachment, a term officially sanctioned by Hitler after the meeting of November 4, 1921 at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. Hitler bestowed this name in honor and admiration in recognition of their baptism in fire and also considered this title which had already been used as fitting well for his propaganda. The further history in regards to the SA is well-known and is outlined in several references.

There initially was no standard dress during the early stage of the development of the SA, but soon, a form of dress was introduced and called by the German public, "Rauberzivil" or "highwaymen clothings" The first serious attempts regarding the creation of a distinctive headdress for the SA were made shortly after the "battle of Coburg" in October 1922. The precursor of the later SA kepi was a grey ski cap (designed after the form worn in Austria), which was not universally worn in the SA.

The first unit to wear the ski cap was the 11. Hundertschaft from Munich, commanded by Rudolf Hess. This headdress was worn during the first Party Day (Reichsparteitag), held at Munich from January 27 until 29, 1923. Slowly but surely the grey ski cap became the official SA headdress, until it was replaced in 1924 by the well known brown kepi. This occurred during the reorganization of the SA and the re-establishment of the NSDAP, then called the "Frontbann," created by Rohm as a substitute for the forbidden NSDAP.

Due to the intricacy of this organization, especially during the years 1931-1934, the reader is provided with a number of summaries of the color lists for SA Groups. The number of lists may seem somewhat exaggerated, but are necessary due to the constant changes of districts within the SA. At times a subject will be repeated due to its importance.

In addition, a difference is made between enlisted ranks and SA leaders. The piping or Tresse (tresse) lists are to be found in the section for SA leaders,a nd also for the lowest ranked leaders (Unterfuhrer), to avoid misunderstanding. Note that the colors for the top are discussed in the section for SA leaders until 1933. Until 1933 the colored tops were solely worn by SA leaders. The schedules which describe the cap top color for enlisted ranks begins in July 1933. During the periods that the government banned the wearing of uniforms by NSDAP formations (and other groups as well) the dark blue civilian visored cap without insignia was the highly favored headdress. This "Zivilmutze'' is describedfully within the chapter, Deutsche Arbeitsfront, or in Volume 2, chapter 3: Air Organizations of Germany, pp.150-151.

Wilhelm P.B.R. Saria and Jill Halcomb Smith with Otto Spronk, "Headgear of Hitler's Gemany" Vol. 3, Bender Publishing, 1998

Bender-Publishing.com

The "Chase" for Veteran War Booty

"Whoever serves his county well has no need of ancestor's" -voltaire

A very interesting form of collecting militaria is to assemble as many items as possible which belonged to the same individual. The Germans label this grouping a Konvolut.

An excellent source of military memorabilia groupings is the families of the original combatants. While the families of the Allied officers and enlisted men who participated in World War II provide current-day researchers and collectors with a plethora of material, an often overlooked source of German military artifacts is surviving Wehrmacht soldiers and their families. It has been the author's experience that nearly every German family has something tucked away in their house that was left over from World War II. Needless to say, articles acquired directly from a German family do not constitute "war booty,'' per se, since the items do not represent ''spoils taken from an enemy in war".etc. Also, worthy of mention is the fact that many German family members are reluctant to admit any family connection to World War II and the Nazi regime.

Obviously, for sentimental reasons, many German families desire to keep what they have available within their own family structure. However, in many cases, the combatant is long since dead, and his surviving family members prefer the money to the sentimentality.

One such family was the descendants of Luftwaffe Knight's Cross Winner Oberleutnant Willi Dous of Passenheim/ostpr. This example was selected for inclusion in this reference, as the Dous Konvolut vividly represents the magnitude of how much material belonging to a single individual may still be acquired. All of the items listed below belonged to Oberleutnant Dous and were purchased from the family who now lives in the vicinity of Koln, Germany. Leutnant Dous, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, was awarded the Knight's Cross on 6 July 1941 and was declared killed in action on 17 August 1941; all items remained in the family's possession until purchased by Johnson Reference Books (JRB) in 1998. The grouping consists of the following items and will represent what is, undoubtedly, one of the most complete Knight's Cross recipient groupings available on the collector's market today. The research possibilities with a nice, complete grouping like this are endless.

Personalized 2nd Model Luftwaffe Dagger Belonging to Lt.Dous.

Rich. Plumacher Sohn (triangle inside double oval) trademark. Aluminum hilt filings show dark age patina with excellent detail to oakleaf pommel and eagle crossguard. Pinned to the obverse crossguard is a beautiful miniature Spanish Cross in Gold with swords. It is interesting to note that the miniature medal is moveable until the dagger isinserted in the scabbard, at which time the medal is locked in place. Dagger is complete with near MINT set of deluxe hangers with leather tabs as well as the original 23cm portepee. Also included with the dagger are a set of Oberleutnant Dous' collar tabs, slip-on shoulder boards both with yellow backing, and an early bullion droop-tail breast eagle which has been attached to a uniform.

Thomas M. Johnson, "World War II German War Booty, Vol.III", Author Published, 1998

Johnsonreferencebooks.com

Forgotten Soldier

In October 1943, 17 year old Hitler Youth member Heinz Nebel was drafted into service with the Reich Arbeits Dienst. He had no idea then, that a year and a half later,he would be lying, severly wounded, in a hospital. In mid-May of 1944, Nebel was released from the Arbeits Dienst with the rank of Arbeitsmann and reported a month later to Wilhelmshaven for Kriegsmarine training. At the same time hundreds of miles away, the 272 Infantry Division was sustaining heavy losses battling the invading Americans and British in Caen, Normandy.

The Allied Invasion of France had begun. Nebel never suspected that his Kriegsmarine training would have anything to do with the 272 Infantry Division.

Between Normandy and the backwards march of the 272 Infantry Division to the Falaise Pocket, the 272 was virtually obliterated. The remaining veterans of the 272 were pulled back to Doberitz at the start of September 1944. Together with the remnants of the 575 Volks Grenadier Division and newly trained draftees, the 272 Volks Grenadier Division was formed officially in October 1944, Berlin Falkensee.

Heinz Nebel's Kriegsmarine career was abruptly ended September 19,1944, and on October 8, 1944, he was officially a Grenadier in the 5th Company of the newly formed ArtilleryRegiment 272, 272 Volks Grenadier Division. He, along with at least 44 of his fellow Kriegsmarine members from 2 Admiral Nordsee Station, Stamm Ersatz Abteilung 2 Marine Ersatz Abteilung, Wilhelshaven, were transferred to the 272 Volks Grenadier Division to fill the ranks. They were shocked to find themselves in infantry and artillery regiments and going to the front. Of them, a handful survived the war and those who did survive were badly wounded.

Nebel said they received only short training with the newly formed Artillery Regiment 272 and were then shipped to the West Front, October 24,1944. The Division was transported from Berlin-Falkensee to the Eifel-Ardennes area. Nebel remembers being transported to a small town, Herhahn in the Eifel. In November 1944, the Division took position along the West Wall, Monschau area. On December 6, 1944, two regiments and artillery counter attacked units of the 28 U.S. Infantry Division during the Battle ofthe Hurtgen Forest. By December 15, they rejoined the Division near Monschau and prepared to attack nearby U.S. units. As the tides of war changed, the 272 V.G.D., along with the 6 SS pander Army were forced to defend against the 78 U.S. Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. Again, they suffered heavy losses and most elements of the 272 V.G.D. were withdrawn to Kesternich, a small town in the Eifel.

They were again attacked January 4and 5, 1945. A heavy battle ensued. The 272 V.G.D. was positioned in a bunker complex along the Siegfried Line near Kesternich. A detailed combat report from that engagement states that an American tank stuck its barrel into the bunkers and blasted away. The Verlustmeldung (casualty reports) describe the men as being badly burned, dismembered and some even as "unidentifiable". Inside a single bunker, Bunker 24, were 20-24 German soldiers, including a lieutenant, badly wounded or killed -all the result of a single U.S. tank's action. Nebel was wounded by shrapnel January 4, 1945, (or thereabouts as he remembers), and on January 5, 1945, the entire 5th Company of Artillery Regiment 272 formed the 5th Company of Feld Ersatz Battalion 272.

On February 5, 1945, the 272 V.G.D.was down to 6000 soldiers in the Eifel. The soldier's cemetery in Gemund contains the remains of 583 men killed in the Eifel, November 1944 to February 1945. At some point, Nebel had been promoted to Gefreiten, thought he did not know when and there was no date of the promotion in his records. They simply listed him as"Gefreiten". Nebel said they threw everything they had at the advancing Americans: all elements of the 272V.G.D. including his Feld Ersatz Battalion and even the Division Kampf Schule attempted to hold back the advancing U.S. forces. Even snipers from the 272 V.G.D. could not halt the U.S. tacks and U.S. infantry's advance. A round had badly mangled his right leg and knee. Nebel was evacuated from schwandnaule in the Eifel to Einruhrand then on to Heilbronn. It was there his right leg was amputated. He lay in the hospital for five weeks. He said, at the time, he was told he had been promoted to Unteroffizier because of his severe wounds, but no records of the promotion exist. He was also told he was being awarded the EKII and the Silver Wound Badge for the same severe wounds, but no paperwork or medals ever came his way.

He was transferred from the hospital at Heilbronn to one in Badmerkenheim, and later to Darmstadt and again to Bergedorf by Hamburg, where he was officially released from the military at just 18 years of age. The war had ended in defeat for Germany by then. He began his journey home to the Russian Zone. He knew what awaited him, but he just wanted to go home. So, in the night, he went secretly over the Russian Zone Border and was shortly thereafter taken into custody by the Russians. However, the Russians kept his discharge papers, so he had no chance to escape from the Russian Sector and no record of his military service. He finally arrived at his home in Zens, a small village with 102 inhabitants, about 30 kilometers south of Magdeburg, where he continues to live today.

Living in East Germany, he received a monthly pension of $200, and additional $25 for being handicapped. He could not prove to the DDR government that he had ever been a soldier; no photos in uniform, no uniform, no papers. When Germany unified in October 1990, he wrote to the Bundes Archives to attempt to obtain his service record, but again with no success. It was as if he had never served in the military, and yet he had given a leg defending Germany.

In September 1991, a moldy suitcase was discovered in a cellar in the little Harz mountain village of Wernigerode, where the remnants of the III. Artillery Regiment 272 had surrendered to the Americans in April 1945. This silicase contained divisional records, over 160 Wehrpasses, Soldbuchs, correspondence, reports - all from various battalions and companies of the 272 V.G.D.

I bought that suitcase. Using addresses from 1944/45, I wrote over 70 letters, to all the soldiers from the 272 V.G.D., that I thought could possibly be alive. I received 13 replies. Nebel's letter was among the replies. With many corrections, it was badly typed on a typewriter he had borrowed from his son who lives in some small village an hour or more away from his father. He wrote that he had never received either a military pension or a militry disability pension because the government had never been able to locate any records of his military service or combat injury. I made copies of his entire file, (Wehrpass, numerous papers, Kriegsstmmroll Buch listing, etc.), got them notarized and sent them to him. Due to his handicap, Nebel is confined to his house, so his wife attempted to submit the copies. They do not own acar, so she made 11 bus trips to various government offices until she finally found the correct office to submit the papers. As of February 1994, Nebel is still waiting to get a reply from the German Government.

In February 1994, I visited Heinz Nebel and his family. I wanted to personally return his Wehrpass and military service records. He still lives in that same village. The roads remain much the same as they were in the war years: all cobblestone and narrow with little maintenance. Nebel's house, on the main street of the village , was his mother's house. At some point it was renovated, but today remains without much modern convenience. A television is his only contact with the outside world. His ill-fitting prosthesis causes his stump to blister, so basically, he is confined to his three and a half room house. The"yard" is filled with livestock. His wife raises rabbits (76 hutches), chickens, dogs and at one time ponies, all to survive. Before the wall came down, their little side livestock business did well, as Frau Nebel said, locals came to them for eggs and they sold several rabbits a week for roughly $5 each. Now, most locals choose to shop at newly built supermarkets.

He has no telephone, so it's not possible to simply phone and check on the status of the paperwork. As stated before, he has no auto, so he cannot easily visit government offices to make inquiries. When I left Nebel's home,tears welled up in his eyes as hec lutched the papers. He is left to survive on $200 a month in a country where soldiers cannot be proud of their service. Heinz Nebel, with his remaining two teeth and ill-fitting prosthesis,s its in his chair and hopes for a better future.

Emilie CaldwellStewart is a dealer and collector of German Third Reich documents and paper items. She is well known throughout the hobby and is always willing to share her knowledge with other collectors.

Emilie Caldwell Stewart, Forgotten Soldier", Der Gauleiter, 1994

RAD Belt and Buckles

The main subject of this article is the development of belts and brocade belts for the male lower-level (Untere fairer: Vormann through and including Unterfeldmeister), middle-class (Mittlere fairer: Feldmeister through and including Oberstfeldmeister) and higher ranked officers (Hoherefuhrer: Arbeitsfuhrer through and including Reichsarbeitsfuhrer) from the Reichsarbeitsdienst (further referred to as RAD) between 1934 and 1945 (see note for explanation). The subject of females is not included, but one specific female uniform is mentioned.

Dozens of Arbeitsdienst organizations (further referred to as AD: labor organizations) were formed by left and rightwing political organizations, sports clubs and religious groups from 1931. In 1933 most of them were dissolved or absorbed into the most important labor organizations: the Staatlicher Anhaltischer Arbeitsdienst; the Stahlhelm-Arbeitsdienstand the Verein zur Umschulung freiwilliger Arbeitskrufte (VzU), the earliest true Nazi labor organization. The last two were the embryo of the registered Nat. Soz. Arbeitsdienstthat (NSAD) which was an NSDAP organization from May 3, 1934. The NSAD was short-lived. On June 26,1935 the Reichsarbeitsdienstgesetz (National Labor Service Law) was proclaimed and the AD was renamed Reichsarbeitsdienst. On September 12,1935 the "old AD'' marched for the last time during the NSDAP Party Day rally at Nurnberg. In a speech, Adolf Hitler officially said "farewell'' to the Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst (FAD).

Because of the many organizations, a wide variety of labor uniforms was worn as well as many buckles and one or double-claw pattern buckles. In early 1933 plans were begun to standardize the color and style of the AD uniforms. In September the color for the new uniform, referred to as Einheitstracht, was officially announced. It was intended to be worn by all members, to include the enlisted ranks as well as officers. Reichsarbeitsfuhrer Konstantin Hierl was the first person to wear the new uniform during the 1933 NSDAP PartyDay rally, the Reichsparteitag des Glaubens. The further introduction of the various uniform parts was scheduled for late 1933, to be worn from 1934.

Many buckle types (and belts) from the dominant Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst are known to the collecting world. These various forms will not be discussed in this article. Also not discussed will be those worn by the Staatlicher Anhaltischer Arbeitsdienst, the Stahlhelm-Arbeitsdienst or the VzU. Later, the author may return to these interesting subjects.

AD Buckle Description, 1933:

The only official AD belt buckle from 1933 is mentioned as this was worn by lower class officers as well. This rectangular one-piece buckle, worn with a brown belt, is approximately 4.7 x6.3cm and is made of Neusilber (for explanation, see article "Hitler Youth, Belts and Brocades," part 1 "TheMilitary Advisor" Vol. 12, No. 1). In dull silver, it was meant for the walking out dress. The field of the buckle is pebbled and features a flat-edged spade, flanked by wheat at a 45 degree angle on each side. This motif is surrounded by a circle with an approximately 4.3cm diameter. The inner field of the circle is pebbled also. This pattern was manufactured by various firms. The main manufacturers including the designer of this pattern - the F.W. Assmann & Sohne concern (article#21766); Wilhelm Schroeder (article #7021); Steinhauer & Luck (article # K9479) Berg & Nolte A.G.; Overhoff & Cie and Paulmann & Crone, all from Ludenscheid. Additionally, other firms manufactured this official pattern.

The iron one-piece buckle with the same motif, but not having a pebbled field outside the ring, was painted field grey and was the buckle to be worn with the service or working dress (note: the field-grey version was manufactured with a pebbled outer field also). The main manufacturers of this type of buckle were: F.W. Assmann concern, and also Friedrich Linden (article # 4779). It should be stressed that the above buckles were the only official versions. Persons of a lower ranked function wore a brown belt with a shoulder belt. Higher ranked officers were ordered to wear the brown belt and shoulder belt, but with an open double-claw buckle instead of the rectangular one. Many photographs show that enlisted ranks also wore a shoulder belt. This was due to the fact that within many organizations, for example, the Stahlhelm-Arbeisdienst, the Staatlicher Anhaltischer Arbeitsdienst, as well as the VzU (the Nazi AD organization), such belts were commonly worn.

1933-1936:

Details for the new AD uniforms were published in orders dated October 16 and November 2, 1933. In these orders the belt, shoulder belt and the belt and shoulder belt trim set (see note) were mentioned. This was soon followed by detailed descriptions and samples which were supplied to all Gauleitungen, to be kept at the Musterkammer (the Chamberof Samples). The above mentioned rectangular buckles were officially abolished with an order dated December 14,1933. The new items had to be worn in early 1934. Supplying, however, was a step by step process, and thus the rectangular buckle continued to be worn for some time, even into 1935.

AD Belt and Buckle, 1934:

It is not this author's intention to burden the readers of "Military Advisor" with another listing of procedures and details, as all this information is given in the 1936 specifications. The 4.5cm wide belt was a darker brown for enlisted ranks and a lighter brown for higher ranked officers. Enlisted ranks, as well as lower and higher ranked officers,were ordered to wear the same matte, silver pebbled (wildmatt) claw buckle with an approximate 4.6 x 6.2cm size. Two official patterns exist: one having the inner-claw which cannot be moved; the other has a movable inner-claw. The main manufacturers again were F.W. Assmann & Sohne and Overhoff & Cie from Ludenscheid. Period photographs indicate that higher ranked officers wore larger open-claw buckles. This was basically contrary to the new regulations.

Persons with a lower ranked function (Unterfuhrer), as well as higher ranked officers (Fuhrer), persons with the ranks of Unterfeldmeister and upwards, as well as musicians (Musik-and Obermusikmeister, as well as Musikinspizient),were authorized to wear the belt with shoulder belt. They had to obtain this set of items at their own expense. The wear of the belt with claw buckle and shoulder strap was also permitted by those who were granted to wear a uniform, for example, on most occasions by honorary ranked individuals and doctors. Enlisted ranks were supplied from RAD (and earlier FAD) stocks.

RAD members, attending the 1935 Party Day rally, were ordered to wear the brown belt, with the new belt buckle pattern, which would be officially introduced for all in early 1936. This buckle, designed by the well-known Egon Jantke from Berlin, was produced quickly and stocks kept at an Arbeitsgau. The formerly used materials such as Neusilber were officially forbidden to be used after April 1935 for a number of products. Manufacturers scurried to find a cheap and simple production process,and came up with the use of aluminum and other light-weight metals. These materials were commonly used from early 1936 for the manufacture of many kinds of products. The RAD was one of the first organizations to use buckles made from these materials. An order dated December 19, 1935, ordered the ranks of Generalarbeitsfuhrer, Obergeneralarbeitsfuhrer and the Reichsarbeitsfuhrer to wear a gold double-claw buckle and gold trim set. Continued....

If you wish to read the rest of this article and many other interesting articles, you can subscribe to the MILITARY ADVISOR. Subscriptions are available at: bender-publishing.com

Wilhelm P.B.R. Saris, "Reicharbeitsdienst Belts and Brocade Belts", "The Military Advisor", 2004

Third Reich Edged Weapon Accouterments

"It is proverbial that well dressed soldiers are usually well be haved soldiers."

- John A. Lejeune, Reminiscences of a Marine

If one segment of the field of collecting the edged weapons of the Third Reich has been grossly ignored, it is the minute amount of research devoted to the subject of accouterments. A dictionary definition of the term "accouterment" is "equipage; trappings; the equipment, excluding arms and clothing of a soldier." The word has an alternate American spelling of "accouterment" and a primary British spelling of "accoutrement." In the edged weapon collector/researcher vernacular, the term usually connotes the hangers (straps), frogs, portepees (knots) and belt loops associated with the various edged weapon sidearms.

With the exception of a paperback reference published by the author in 1978, the sum total of what has been compiled and printed to date on Third Reich edged weapon accouterments would hardly fill a shot pamphlet. Thus, a few years ago the author began an extensive research effort to overcome this deficiency. Due to the nature of the subject, i.e. accouterments were considered to be mere inexpensive trappings for the basic sidearm, information proved to be extremely sketchy, even in the original source documents. This noticeable lack of source information obviously played a major influence on the subsequent abbreviated effort devoted to the subject. Given the inclination and time, the serious collector/researcher can uncover countless sales catalogs, advertisements, magazine articles (appearing in various trade publications)which cover in detail the myriad of edged weapon designs, but, alas, much of this tome of literature is sans any mention of the accompanying accouterments. In fact, the corresponding data on the type, dimensions, and colors of the numerous organizational accouterments are practically nonexistent. However, where there is a will, there is a way. Many serious collectors/researchers recognizing the major void on this subject in the available reference works, began an accumulation of their own, consisting of copious notes and detailed sketches, which were subsequently utilized to identify an unknown accouterment. This chapter draws heavily upon these private studies, as well as upon the the few original source documents on the subject.

The purpose of an edged weapon hanger is basic - a means is required to attach the sidearm to the body of the wearer. However, the use of the (now) decorative portepee or knot bears an interesting history which dates back to the days of horse-mounted combat, when the portepee served an import and utilitarian purpose. When the sword was the primary combat weapon of the mounted cavalryman, the sword knot was wrapped around the rider's wrist with the acorn (ball) grasped tightly in the hand. If the "jostler" had the sword knocked from his hand, all was not lost. The rider could rapidly regain control of the sword and continue his attack. When the requiem was finally sounded for the horse-mounted cavalry as a viable means of combat, the role of the sidearm portepee evolved into a strictly decorative one, to wit, one modern dictionary definition of the term ''knot'' is "a piece of ribbon or similar material tied or folded upon itself and used or worn as an ornament."

One exception to the lack of detailed source material on accouterments surrounds the detailed descriptions of some of the presentation type accouterments. For example, an ample description of the hangers designed to accompany the famed Hermann Goring Reichsmarshal dagger can be found on page 7 of the Publishing House "Die Ordenssammlung" Pamphlet Number 16. A complete English translation of this description follows:

At the end of October 1940 the special manufacture of the dagger hanger for the Reichs Marshal has completed. It consists of, as is customary, two slightly angled hanging white cloth straps - with 2mm thick edging - which are covered with 20mm wide stripes. These stripes are interwoven with two 5mm wide gold stripes. The straps are attached above, next to one another on the gold plated snap attachment. The individual straps are identical, except that the front one is somewhat shorter to accomplish the angular position of the dagger. The straps are about 20mm wide and have gold plated spring-hooks at the lower end attached in the middle of a simple rectangle. A gold-plated buckle to adjust the length, and a gold plated slide which presses the straps together in the area of the spring hook are similarly ornamented. In the middle of the front side the rectangular surfaces are decorated with two oak leaves which emerge to the left and to the right to form a bead. The slide has only one such surface, however, the buckle has two which are connected by two lateral, grooved straps which form a kind of frame.

The edged weapon accouterments were generally manufactured by specialty firms and not by the major Waffenfabriken (arms factories). Even in the cases where the Waffenfabriken sales catalogs reflect various hangers and portepees offered for sale, these items were normally purchased from a subcontractor. As with everything else associated with this business, a few exceptions did exist. When (then) Major James P. Atwood inspected the Solingen weapon factories in the early 1960's (the subject of Chapter 2, COLLECTING THE EDGED WEAPONS OF THE THIRD REICH VOLUMEN II), the Carl Eickhorn firm's remaining wartime stock included several boxes of hardware and rolls of cloth material for the assembly of Second Model Luftwaffe dagger hangers.

Today, many a collector has realized, and often to his chagrin, that the accompanying accouterments for a particular edged weapon may be just as difficult (and in some cases, more difficult) to aquire than the sidearm itself. For example, compare the availability of the Government Official/Diplomatic daggers to the availability of their respective accouterments (ditto the HitlerYouth Leader and the Water Protection Police dagger). Since each dress sidearm required a set of a hangers for wear, the reader may wonder why this is the case. The most probable answer is that during World War II, and immediately thereafter, very little monetary value was assigned to the edged weapons themselves much less the accouterments. Original leather and fabric dress hangers that sell today for premium prices were considered to be"worthless straps" and '"extra baggage" and were promptly discarded. Thus, with a very limited number of accouterments being "liberated" and saved from eventual destruction after the war, the law of supply and demand has produced a major escalation of accouterment values to the collector.

Thomas M. Johnson, "Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich, Vol. III", Author published, 1978.
johnsonreferencebooks.com

Repros are Big Business

May. 16, 1983

A Bull Market in Phony Naziana

Ever the dictator the last days of Hitler in April 1945, when the defeated dictator wrote his will, married his mistress Eva Braun and put a bullet through his brain the a 7.65-mm Walther pistol, phony Hitleriana —including the will, the marriage certificate and the pistol—have flooded the worldwide market for Nazi memorabilia. In 1981, for example, an avid collector asked the noted West German historian Werner Maser to authenticate what he claimed was the suicide pistol of Maser last week: "I told him there existed a whole suitcase full of Hitler of firearms, all forged with Hitler's initials and the correct number of Hitler's pistol permit." The "collector" was Stern Reporter Gerd Heidemann.

Though Heidemann's Hitler diaries have proved to be the most audacious of all the Third Reich forgeries so far, other major scams have often bemused or confounded the experts. The first large-scale postwar forgery surfaced in 1947: a diary allegedly kept by Eva Braun during her affair with Hitler. According to Maser, Trenker, of the authors turned out to be a prominent film actor, Luis Trenker, who had known Braun. Right-wing Author David Irving ruefully recalls that in 1973 he nearly bought diaries purportedly written by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, Nazi Germany's chief of military intelligence until 1944. On the scent of sensational revelations, Irving and the British publishers William Collins Sons deposited $120,000 in a West German bank for the privilege of examining a twelve-page extract from the typewritten documents, which bore a signature that was allegedly Canaris'. When tested by a London laboratory, the signature proved to have been written with a ball point pen, an instrument that came into use in Germany after Canaris was executed on Hitler's orders in 1945.

A former archivist of the Nazi Party, August Priesack, last year offered Irving 800 photostats of Nazi documents, including parts of a diary supposedly kept by Hitler and a letter from Rudolf Hess to Hitler about his projected 1941 flight to Scotland. Irving brought 400 pages to Britain, but after scrutinizing them pronounced them forgeries. Irving now believes that the Stern 1930s and those he studied last year came from the same source, though he had earlier considered the Stern material to be authentic.

Maser and other specialists believe that a network of fanatic German Nazis in Latin America have conspired to spread forged documents designed to white wash their Führer and revive interest in the Nazi period. According to Maser, there is close cooperation between the Nazis in Latin America and forgers in Communist East Germany who are producing Hitler-era material that is intended to create bad feelings among the NATO partners while it brings in much needed dollars and other hard currency.

Charles Hamilton, the U.S.'s largest dealer in Nazi mementos, spots one or two fakes a month among the thousands of Third Reich items he handles every year. Many are signed photos of Hitler, which, if genuine, are worth from $350 to $ 1,000 to collectors. Such photo forgeries are often simple to detect because Hitler rarely signed a picture unless it had been taken by his personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, who stamped a distinctive seal on his photos.

Even more common are forged Hitler inscriptions in books, usually Mein Kampf. Careless forgers occasionally fail to research the relationship between Hitler and the alleged recipients of the books, thus committing detectable errors like using inappropriately flowery language. For the forgers, potential rewards are high. A genuinely inscribed two-volume first edition of Mein Kampf sells for $10,000. A handwritten letter from Hitler to a top Nazi leader can fetch as much as $25,000.

Will the exposure of the phony Hitler diaries and other forgeries of Nazi mementos deter buyers? Hamilton thinks not. "Evil seems sexy," he observes. The world's estimated 50,000 collectors of Naziana, he says, find "the monstrosity and evil of Nazism to be strangely exciting.

January 3, 2001

Sickos and forgers

While the interest of many collectors is harmless, however, there remains a distinctly unsavoury side to the whole Third Reich souvenir industry.

"Unfortunately there are an awful lot of sickos around," says Quarrie. "People who collect the stuff because they feel an ideological affinity with it."

Dutch army surplus supplier Willem, 36 -- he refuses to give his surname for fear of reprisals -- has first hand experience of such characters.

Three months ago, while at a militaria fair in Belgium, he remonstrated with a man walking around in full SS regalia only to be beaten up by four of the man's friends.

"A lot of these people are pretty nasty," he says. "It can be an extremely aggressive scene. Not everyone who collects this sort of thing is a Nazi, but many of them definitely have leanings that way.

"And even if they don't, it still seems indecent to want to own something associated with a regime that slaughtered so many innocent people, and so recently."

There is also a problem with forgeries, with most experts agreeing that a substantial proportion of the items on the market are fake.

"The industry is dominated by fake stuff," says Nigel Hay of Milweb.com, a portal for militaria collectors and dealers. "During the 1950s people in East Germany started forging Nazi memorabilia and it's been flooding the market ever since."

"You have to be careful," agrees Quarrie. "Unsuspecting people can spend a lot of money on something that was knocked up in someone's shed last week."

Despite this, however, and the efforts of certain governments to clamp down on the trade in such materials, the interest in all things Nazi remains undiminished, especially in Britain and the U.S.

"There is a genuine historical interest in this sort of thing," says Michael Whine, of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, "And to that extent we have no real objection to people buying and selling it.

"Where we do object, however, is when it is used to promote or glorify Nazism and the ideals of the Third Reich. That's when it becomes dangerous."

October 14, 2006

Polish firms carve out niche with Nazi uniforms

Andrzej Frankowski runs one of handful of companies in Poland that make copies of Nazi uniforms. Firm sells mainly to film companies and history buffs, but some fear uniforms he offers via internet may be falling into hands of far-right extremists.

Andrzej Frankowski holds up a Nazi-era German army jacket and says the officer who wore it must have fought in the hot deserts of North Africa.

"You can tell by the thin fabric it has been made from," Frankowski says, running his hand over the faded olive green jacket.

It's an original that he uses as a model for the replicas meticulously crafted in his cramped workshop.

Frankowski runs one of a handful of companies in Poland that make copies of Nazi uniforms - for many Poles a surprising business in a country subjected to six years of brutal Nazi occupation that cost millions of lives during World War II.

His firm sells mainly to film companies and history buffs, although some people fear that uniforms he offers via the internet may be falling into the hands of far-right extremists.

On one recent day, a few women in his workshop in the western city of Poznan hovered over sewing machines making copies of the uniforms worn by Poland's despised wartime occupiers. They also make related paraphernalia, including Nazi cuffbands saying "Der Fuehrer."

"This is my idea for business and for offering jobs to people," said Frankowski, 36. "I could also make Chinese uniforms, no problem, if only there were a demand for them."

The German invasion of Poland in 1939 started World War II, during which Poland lost more than 6 million citizens - half of them Jews. Today, bitterness toward Germany still resonates in day-to-day politics and among older Pole. Complete uniform sells for USD 820

Frankowski insists there is no ideology behind what he produces in his little work space, squeezed into an attic above a car repair shop that his family owns in a neighborhood of warehouses and empty lots.

He said the uniforms he makes - some 5,000 annually - include replicas of British, Polish, Russian and American army uniforms and are used in films and historical re-enactments, a popular activity for history buffs.

He says his clients come from Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Britain and the Czech Republic. A complete uniform sells for about USD 820, he said.

Officially, there is no market in Germany since displaying Nazi regalia is illegal there, but Frankowski said he buys originals at armaments fairs in the German cities of Bremen, Stuttgart and Kassel.

Boguslaw Woloszanski, a popular script writer of state-produced TV documentaries about the war, said businesses like Frankowski's help reconstruct history faithfully.

"You could not make a historic film or a re-enactment scene without them," said Woloszanski, who has bought historical uniforms from Hero Collection, another producer in Poznan.

Perhaps reflecting the sometimes strongly negative reaction to the work, Hero Collection declined to talk about its products. The company's Web sites says it has supplied uniforms for such movies as the Oscar-winning "The Pianist," the TV film "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" and the Italian movie "Karol, the Man Who Became the Pope."

To make uniforms requires great historic knowledge and accuracy, Woloszanski said.

Sept. 3, 2008

Polish Firm Investigated for Producing Nazi Memorabilia

Prosecutors in Poland have opened an investigation of a firm producing Nazi-era memorabilia for a buyer in Germany.

Polish prosecutors said Tuesday, Sept 2, that they have started investigating a jewelry firm producing Nazi memorabilia. The Internal Security Agency searched the company's headquarters, spokeswoman for the Polish prosecutor, Malgorzata Klaus, told the PAP news agency. The firm's headquarters was searched by the Internal Security Agency.

Among the items found in the raid were Nazi replicas including swastikas, military insignia and rings with skulls like those worn by Nazi Germany's SS troops. According to the Polska newspaper, the items were produced for a German citizen from the former East Germany. The distribution or wearing of Nazi-era symbols is banned in Germany.

"It is legal to produce such items for the needs of film producers or collectors," Klaus said.

Poland is Europe's biggest producer and exporter of Nazi memorabilia. Most of the items are sold to neo-Nazis in Germany or Scandinavia, Polska said. Buying Nazi symbols is illegal in those countries, but allowed in Poland. SS emblems and swastika armbands can be purchased at markets in Poland's larger cities.

Business is also booming on the Internet, with one Polish auction Web site offering some 600 items. A complete SS officer's uniform goes for 3,000 zloty ($1,400 or 890 euros), while iron crosses cost 15 zloty and are often sold in bulk, Polska said.

Polish law forbids promoting Nazi ideology, said Klaus, but not selling historic mementos or reproductions.

"But it is illegal to publicly promote a fascist state system," she said, adding that those convicted of publicly promoting fascism face a prison term up to two years.

April 27, 2008

Czech sales of Nazi memorabilia growing

Czech auction Web sites are offering thousands of Nazi-related items that have been growing in popularity.

For instance, Aukro.cz had 1,335 items in its “Germany 1933-1945” section on Wednesday.

“We have recently sold a Nazi dagger of the National Socialist Motor Corps for 80,000 crowns,” or $3,188, auction operator Oto Obdrzalek told the daily newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes Thursday.

Klara Kalibova, from the nongovernmental organization Tolerance and Civic Society, said neo-Nazis are among the buyers of the memorabilia.

“A Hitlerian wing has recently won in the extremist National Resistance movement and its members buy these items to strengthen their identity,” Kalibova said, referring to an extreme-right movement.

Some buyers indicate their support for neo-Nazi ideas with their nicknames, such as Fritz88 and Pavel88, using the two numbers symbolizing the Heil Hitler salute.

Oto Lustig, who runs the auction site Odklepnuto.cz , told Mlada fronta Dnes that Holocaust survivors often send him letters complaining about the sale of Nazi-related items.

A police officer specializing in right-wing extremism said the Czech police monitor the auction sites.

January 6, 2008

Collectors can find Iron Cross or uniform, but watch out for fake relics

The Nazi war medal looked so authentic it could fool an obedient soldier of the Third Reich. But the gimlet eye of F. Patt Anthony suspected a forgery.

Anthony, a Greensboro vendor of military relics, rotated the Iron Cross against the light, critically rubbing the metal underside with his thumb. He announced his verdict with a scowl.

"When you see this swiveling pin, always be suspicious. That's just typical of India and Pakistan and what they make today," Anthony declared Saturday. "I'm a doubting Thomas, and you need to be in this business."

Anthony is holding court at the State Fairgrounds this weekend, selling military memorabilia and dispensing friendly counsel at the Old North State Antique Gun and Military Antiques Show. The traveling flea market features enough uniforms, canteens, compasses, lighters, lanterns, watches, medals, helmets, bayonets and firearms to stock a military museum and outfit a unit to defend it.

"There is a buyer and collector for everything," said vendor George Walls Jr., a retired Marine general from Cary. "The hardest thing is getting the buyer and the item in the same place and the same time. When you can do that, it's magic." Or flim-flam, if you're not careful.

In the world of antiques, replicas and forgeries abound, especially as demand drives up prices. Fellow vendors defer to Anthony as the high priest of military memorabilia, and collectors pass his table frequently to ask whether they've been bamboozled.

The Civil War is all the rage now, Anthony said, pricing artifacts out of reach for many collectors. Many are switching to more affordable items from World War II. Most collectors are former members of the military and history buffs, the vendors say.

The memorabilia sale, in its 21st year, is held three times a year in North Carolina, said promoter Richard Shields. Some vendors travel from city to city every weekend; others are occasional traders.

Tony Beasley of Raleigh dropped by to sell a Boy Scout tin canteen and mess kit from the early 1970s, for which he got $10. Beasley also brought a 1972 double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun for sale, hoping to attract a buyer by carrying the gun around with two index cards affixed that proclaimed: "For sale." But timing is all, and Beasley did not cross paths with anyone looking to invest $250 in his 36-year-old shotgun.

Each artifact has a story, some revealed only by a trained eye. One of Anthony's cases displayed Nazi combat medals, apparently identical. But, he explained, earlier editions were nickel-plated iron, gleaming with the might and confidence of the fascist war machine. Toward the end of the war, with metal in short supply, the limping Nazi regime was forced to hand out forlorn-looking versions made of cheap, dull zinc.

Collectors stopped frequently among tables strewn with patches and armbands and other colorful markers of military merit. Racks of freshly polished guns released the rich scent of linseed oil. Uniforms hung motionless not far from a wicked display of Japanese swords.

John Austin of Raleigh came looking for the communications squadron patches he wore during his six years in the U.S. Air Force. After leaving the service in 1992, Austin lost his patches somewhere between his moves to California, Texas, New Jersey, Delaware and Raleigh. For $6, Austin found two of the three patches he was seeking.

"They've got some pretty good stuff here," he said, noting the selection of Hitler Youth knives and other World War II artifacts.

Each new military campaign yields a new batch of memorabilia. Amid Anthony's vast assortment of 10,000 pieces: Iraqi military shoulder patches from Operation Desert Storm, brought back by some unknown soldier.

"Soldiers bring this stuff back as souvenirs," Anthony said. "Some of it is trash, and some of it is treasure."

November 4, 2008

Hitler wine is a £4,000 fake, say historians

The £4,000 bottle of wine that Adolf Hitler allegedly presented to senior officers to mark his 54th birthday is almost certainly a fake, say leading historians.

The red "FÅhrerwein' attracted bids from around the world when it was sold at auction eight days ago.

It was billed as a rare piece of wartime memorabilia - a fascinating relic of the Third Reich which reflected a previously unknown side of Hitler's character.

And with its portrait of the Nazi leader on the label, the Schwarzer Tafelwein certainly looked authentic.

It was allegedly discovered in a garage in France and sold to an anonymous buyer in Ivybridge, Devon, who then decided to sell it on.

Few expected it to fetch more than £500 when it went under the hammer at the auction in Plymouth, so there was some surprise when it went for £3,400 - or £3,995 including the buyer's premium.

The purchaser, who bid by telephone, was a collector who did not want to be identified.

But now it turns out he may have made an expensive misjudgment.

Sir Ian Kershaw, Professor of Modern History at Sheffield University and author of an award-winning two-volume biography of Hitler, said he had been 'immediately sceptical' when reading reports of the sale.

"For one thing, a Tafelwein, a low-class table wine, was, even in 1943, not a particularly dignified present, even allowing for Hitler's scant knowledge of wines," he said.

"Beyond this, an earlier wine bottle carrying a picture of Hitler - or at least a Nazi emblem - had been banned as kitsch.

"I doubt that Hitler, with his strong sense of prestige, would have wanted his mugshot on a wine bottle. In any case, whoever paid £4,000 for this must be mad."

Historian Felix Pryor, who catalogues historical manuscripts for major auction houses, said: "The idea that Hitler went around giving soldiers bottles of wine is utterly farcical.

"He wasn't teetotal - he liked to sip the occasional glass of champagne with his mistress Eva Braun - but he hardly ever drank."

Another specialist, Frank Litz, who has studied Nazi memorabilia, said: "On his 54th birthday in 1943 Hitler was trying to come to terms with the catastrophic loss of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, the bombing war on Germany and the rout of the Afrika Korps.

"Handing out carpetings was more the order of the day than handing out wine."