SS Photo Album

[Larry Lipps]

Guys, I have an SS soldier's photo album that I'm trying to reasearch and I need some help. The guy aparently started out in the RAD and ended up in the SS. I would guess that the time span is from around 1934 to 1939 or so. My question is whether or not you guys can make out what division he was in based on the insignia on the collar tabs and sholder boards. The photos in the album are somewhat small and loose resolution when blown up, but maybe some of you SS guys will know at a glance.

Here's the album cover.

[Larry Lipps]

And the soldier,

[Larry Lipps]

One of the better photos showing their insignia.

[Larry Lipps]

And an enlargement of the photo.

[Larry Lipps]

While we're at it, any ideas about the name above the gate?

[besslein]

its look likes SS2 on tabs = SS regiment "Germania" from Hamburg

[peter u]

Indeed like "Besslein" wrote early Germania uniforms.

Any May 1940 action pictures in that album?
That regiment was engaged in some heavy combat with French unit North of Antwerp.

P

[PZIV]

Yes that is deffinetly a "2" on the collar tab.

[Larry Lipps]

Thanks Guys! Maybe I've been headed in the wrong direction with this. Although it looked like a "2" on the tabs, whatever's on the shoulder boards didn't look like Germania. While I've no real idea what the end date of the photos are, I assumed they were in Poland because there are photos of them harassing Jews and a major city that's pretty well beat up.

Here's one of the combat photos.

[Larry Lipps]

Anyone recognize the building in the background?

[sdesember]

Have you got any other clues from the album, eg, writings, more photos? The cypher looks like LAH's, but it could just be the shaky effect when the pic was taken. Have you got Mollo's "Uniforms of the SS"? He has the chronology of the SS-VT's numbering. Find out the year when LAH was taken out of the SS-VT numbering because this might help as the group photo w/ the tent shows M-37 uniforms. You must have meant RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst), not RLB as the first couple photos show. I see swallow nests on both shoulder in the RAD pics, so we know the man is a musician for Arbeitsgau XIV (Halle-Marseburg). I tried mirror-flipped the image to read the name on the gate and searched for landmark names & geography, but no cigar so far. By the way, I see black ink signature on the RAD as well, could we get a close up of the name so we could match up w/ the DALs?

[Larry Lipps]

I've struggled with the ink signature with no success. Since I can't read German, probably to be expected. From the front, it's apparent that many of the photos have writing on the reverse, but I've not been brave enough to try and remove them. Here's the enlarged signiatures in case anyone can make them out.

Brain Fart, yes I meant RAD
.

[sdesember]

It looks to read Werner Paul. In any case, he's not listed in the list. There's a Dr. Paul Werner, but I doubt very much a signature would start w/ the last name and the man in the subject seems to be much of younger Jahrgang than the Dr. Will keep trying and post any new info when found.