Stahlhelm Bund and other Veteran's organizations

[Shawn Southern]

Hello all. I am looking for source material on the uniforms/regulations of the Stahhelm Bund and other military veteran's organization of the interwar period. Would greatly appreciate any tips on books or primary source information sources that might facilitate my study of these. Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

Shawn

[HPL2008]

Frustratingly little literature is available on this subject.

In fact, I am not aware of any book that deals exclusively with this; what information can be found is mostly scattered through a number of standard references, all of which cover only certain aspects of the matter and then only as a partial subject dealt with together with other organizations.

Two books that I can definitely recommend are: Headgear of Hitler's Germany, Vol. 2: Waffen-SS, Legion Condor, Air, Veterans' & Patriotic Struggle Organizations, Free Corps by Jill Halcomb and Wim Saris and Ringkragen und Brustschilder im Dritten Reich by Wim Saris & Andrew Mollo (German language book on gorgets, but even recommended for non-German speakers for the pictures alone.)

Then, there's a little book from 1933 called Die Uniformen und Abzeichen der SA, SS, HJ des Stahlhelm und Brigade Ehrhardt that is available as a reprint from Ruhl-Verlag.

Ludwig Arndt has written two books about veterans' organisations: Militärvereine in Norddeutschland (about North Gernan veterans' leagues in particular) and Die Abzeichen der deutschen Militär- und Marinevereine. Grundzüge der Verbandsgeschichte, Organisation und Einiges aus dem Vereinsleben. Both are in German and are illustrated with many color photographs.

All of these include data on the Stahlhelmbund (and many other organisations).

Speaking of Wim and the SHB, this thread on the WRF could also be of interest to you:

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/non-co...signia-677074/

A Third Reich-period booklet on the NS-RKB is Der NS.-Reichskriegerbund – Was Jeder von Ihm wissen muss, which is sometimes found for sale, for example currently at https://dutchmilitaria.com/product/d...m-wissen-muss/

Hope this helps.

[wilhelm Saris]

HPL2008 is very right. As far as I know no book was written about the subject, telling about uniforms and badges and such. Plans from me and another person existed, but were rejected by various publishers. They think there is not enough interest in the collecting world (read: money to earn).
The best is to read the link to War Relics Forum. My given information still is there, but new information will not be given by me, as I was banned for a futile reason!

The little book from 1933 called Die Uniformen und Abzeichen der SA, SS, HJ des Stahlhelm und Brigade Ehrhardt that is available as a reprint from Ruhl-Verlag, gives just information from about 1933/1934, but then one does not understand what happened in 1932 and with earlier dates and what came into being when the Bund became nazi and the uniform-change in 1934.

As mentioned this thread on the WRF is of interest:

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/non-co...signia-677074/

[Shawn Southern]

Thanks

Gentlemen:

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. I will visit the sources you have described. I greatly appreciate the information you've provided and the guidance.

Very best regards,

Shawn

[Br. James]

Fabulous information there, Wim -- countless thanks for sharing it with us!

Cheers, my friend,

Br. James