While I consider myself a dedicated collector, I consider myself a dedicated historian first. Because the history is so fascinating, I collect to be able to hold in my hands the things that were actually there. (collecting has never been and never will be, for me, a competition for who has the rarest or most valuable item. I want things that are relevant to my historical interests, and I gauge my success in collecting based on how close I can get to the items that were actually involved in a particular aspect, personality, organization, or story I am interested in, regardless of how mundane or uninteresting it may be to others.)
(as an aside, I know many collectors collect for "investment purposes" which skews the market for people like me who are unable to acquire on their desired scale due to trumped up prices, but thats another story)..
Back in 2008, I picked up a book titled 'The Nazi Seizure of Power' by William Sheridan Allen. (http://www.amazon.com/The-Nazi-Seizu.../dp/0531056333)
This is an academic book focused on the day to day lives of a local town, Northeim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeim) and the impact of the Nazi takeover. If you are looking for a sensationalized book focusing on the bizarre or extreme, this is not for you. You will not find anecdotes of brutality or camps. If, however, you are looking for scholarly information on how you would have been affected if you were the local baker or mayor, you will not find a better book on the subject. This is a book that focuses on the almost day-to-day minutiae on how the Nazi Party infiltrated a small farming town and competed with the communists with a relentless get-out-the-vote campaign until they won their majority.
Reading the book, it was easy to envision what 1930s rural Germany must have been like, and the characters were so well fleshed out, it felt as though I were right there. It was then that the collector part of me was energized, so I wanted to find some piece of material that was actually there. As I read the book and grew to know the participants, a part of me wanted something that was involved in some way and connected me to the very people and events I was reading about.
I immediately ruled out a complete unrestored tunic, because they are rare enough if you arent looking for a specific Sturm. Perhaps a tinnie? Where to begin? Maybe a collar tab? I dont go to enough of the national shows for them to be helpful, and perusing all of the related militaria sites on a consistent basis is like looking for a needle in a haystack. All I had going for me was chance.
I focus more on the subject of Political Leaders than SA, but it was fun reading about the challenge for the town to attain enough membership to generate a local Sturm Unit. Since I have no SA materials, I asked for help here: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtop...?f=45&t=142100 back in 2008.
I took the information that Laurens shared (who is a selfless contributor across the internet) and stored it in my iPhone in the off chance I ever stumbled across something that struck a chord, I could instantly compare and identify..
4 years later on a Saturday morning in 2012 I was on the estand and saw a post for an SA flag, and out of curiosity I clicked on the page. As I opened it up and read the description it almost didnt register for me. Lo and behold it was the SA flag for the very unit I was interested in. Not only was it just any item from this unit, it was likely the very flag that the town marched under!! As I looked at the image on my screen, I thought back to the book and the passages I read, the ones that talked about the relentless SA efforts to get out the vote on the many election days it took to get the Nazis to power and wondered, "could this be the very flag that was carried thru town" those many years ago?
Well, the decision to buy was an easy one. The only thing I had to concern myself with was authenticity, (stated as though it was some distant, non-issue!), so I immediately sought the assistance of the more learned of the community.
PaulJ was the seller, and of course Old Flags Wanted was consulted. In addition, Laurens and Erich, a couple of familiar contributors in the political arena whose SA knowledge I value were also asked to share their thoughts, and none of them saw anything to be alarmed about. OFW said he prefers chain stitched over satin stitched with these flags, but was unwilling to give it a thumbs down. A few other veteran collectors were consulted offline, and with the best information I had available to me at the time, a decision was made to move forward with the purchase.
to quote Erich and the helpful information he shared:
and Laurens' equally as valuable input:
Once in hand, I had it professionally mounted, under UV resistant glass and using the appropriate acid-free materials..
(by the way, if I incorrectly used Unit, Sturme or Standarte feel free to correct me, as I am that unfamiliar with SA terminology)
I dont expect everyone to be as excited as I was, however I do hope you can share in its appreciation of a quest fulfilled. It certainly personifies how I feel about collecting, and represents the connection I look for when I decide to make what I consider an ideal purchase. Hopefully those who read can, for a moment, relate to the history as well.
(as an aside, I know many collectors collect for "investment purposes" which skews the market for people like me who are unable to acquire on their desired scale due to trumped up prices, but thats another story)..
Back in 2008, I picked up a book titled 'The Nazi Seizure of Power' by William Sheridan Allen. (http://www.amazon.com/The-Nazi-Seizu.../dp/0531056333)
This is an academic book focused on the day to day lives of a local town, Northeim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeim) and the impact of the Nazi takeover. If you are looking for a sensationalized book focusing on the bizarre or extreme, this is not for you. You will not find anecdotes of brutality or camps. If, however, you are looking for scholarly information on how you would have been affected if you were the local baker or mayor, you will not find a better book on the subject. This is a book that focuses on the almost day-to-day minutiae on how the Nazi Party infiltrated a small farming town and competed with the communists with a relentless get-out-the-vote campaign until they won their majority.
Reading the book, it was easy to envision what 1930s rural Germany must have been like, and the characters were so well fleshed out, it felt as though I were right there. It was then that the collector part of me was energized, so I wanted to find some piece of material that was actually there. As I read the book and grew to know the participants, a part of me wanted something that was involved in some way and connected me to the very people and events I was reading about.
I immediately ruled out a complete unrestored tunic, because they are rare enough if you arent looking for a specific Sturm. Perhaps a tinnie? Where to begin? Maybe a collar tab? I dont go to enough of the national shows for them to be helpful, and perusing all of the related militaria sites on a consistent basis is like looking for a needle in a haystack. All I had going for me was chance.
I focus more on the subject of Political Leaders than SA, but it was fun reading about the challenge for the town to attain enough membership to generate a local Sturm Unit. Since I have no SA materials, I asked for help here: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtop...?f=45&t=142100 back in 2008.
I took the information that Laurens shared (who is a selfless contributor across the internet) and stored it in my iPhone in the off chance I ever stumbled across something that struck a chord, I could instantly compare and identify..
4 years later on a Saturday morning in 2012 I was on the estand and saw a post for an SA flag, and out of curiosity I clicked on the page. As I opened it up and read the description it almost didnt register for me. Lo and behold it was the SA flag for the very unit I was interested in. Not only was it just any item from this unit, it was likely the very flag that the town marched under!! As I looked at the image on my screen, I thought back to the book and the passages I read, the ones that talked about the relentless SA efforts to get out the vote on the many election days it took to get the Nazis to power and wondered, "could this be the very flag that was carried thru town" those many years ago?
Well, the decision to buy was an easy one. The only thing I had to concern myself with was authenticity, (stated as though it was some distant, non-issue!), so I immediately sought the assistance of the more learned of the community.
PaulJ was the seller, and of course Old Flags Wanted was consulted. In addition, Laurens and Erich, a couple of familiar contributors in the political arena whose SA knowledge I value were also asked to share their thoughts, and none of them saw anything to be alarmed about. OFW said he prefers chain stitched over satin stitched with these flags, but was unwilling to give it a thumbs down. A few other veteran collectors were consulted offline, and with the best information I had available to me at the time, a decision was made to move forward with the purchase.
to quote Erich and the helpful information he shared:
The SA Sturmfahne is, IMO, original and is an example of a Sturmfahne, SA Gruppe Niedersachsen with 'tradition' unit designators. The main patch is dark brown with silver piping, while the tradition patches are either white or silver on red. The unit locations are:
16/136 - The Standarte is based in Northeim and was part of SA Brigade 57, Gottingen
R4/82 - Reserve Sturm 4, Standarte 82, based in Gottingen
R3/165 - Reserve Sturm 3, Standarte 165, based in Osterode
R4/136 - Reserve Sturm 4, Standarte 136, Northeim
36/R91 - Sturm 36, Reserve 91, based in ? This unit doesnt show up in my listings; not a problem as it may have been combined with another early on. It was likely in Oldenburg, which is also in Niedersachsen.
13/R136 - Sturm 14, Reserve Standarte 136, Northeim
So the tradition patches make sense, are geographically close together, and the construction looks fine.
All the best,
Erich
16/136 - The Standarte is based in Northeim and was part of SA Brigade 57, Gottingen
R4/82 - Reserve Sturm 4, Standarte 82, based in Gottingen
R3/165 - Reserve Sturm 3, Standarte 165, based in Osterode
R4/136 - Reserve Sturm 4, Standarte 136, Northeim
36/R91 - Sturm 36, Reserve 91, based in ? This unit doesnt show up in my listings; not a problem as it may have been combined with another early on. It was likely in Oldenburg, which is also in Niedersachsen.
13/R136 - Sturm 14, Reserve Standarte 136, Northeim
So the tradition patches make sense, are geographically close together, and the construction looks fine.
All the best,
Erich
I checked the SA Flag and which is in my opinion 100% correct. All the units which are mentioned on the red tabs are from Niedersachsen just as the brown colored patch. So Sturm 16 of Standarte 136 (Northeim) became an active Sturm as you can see it was a Reserve unit once.
Standarte 136 of Gruppe Niedersachsen was from Northeim.
Best,
Laurens
Standarte 136 of Gruppe Niedersachsen was from Northeim.
Best,
Laurens
(by the way, if I incorrectly used Unit, Sturme or Standarte feel free to correct me, as I am that unfamiliar with SA terminology)
I dont expect everyone to be as excited as I was, however I do hope you can share in its appreciation of a quest fulfilled. It certainly personifies how I feel about collecting, and represents the connection I look for when I decide to make what I consider an ideal purchase. Hopefully those who read can, for a moment, relate to the history as well.
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