DJ buckles not only for the DJ????

[lach470]

Here's some pics that could hopefully generate some discussion....I have a picture here of an SS trooper doing some weapons training with men that are obviously not DJ kids ....The caption below the picture states:

"In July 1944, the Leibstandarte undertook the training of an ethnic German Pasture Protection Squad in the Rumanian Bachka which had been formed to protect the harvest from partisans."

Have a good look at their buckles - there is no mistake about it: those are DJ buckles.
Has anyone ever heard of this? I thought it was a cool pic so I thought I'd post it here and see what you guys think...

Cheers!

Rob

[Chad Williams]

Romanian children look very old for their age

[Chad Williams]

Rob..what a great photo..I have never heard or seen such a thing,...I am interested in hearing what info the others might have..thanks for posting it..chad

[regiment739]

Rob, looks like the German version of "Dads Army" It could be that it is that late in the war and they are a volunteer group thats all the spare buckles they had at the time, just one theory

Ben

[lach470]

Could very well be....I wonder how many DJ members there were by 1944-1945? Couldn't be nearly as much as during the pre-war years!
Glad you like that pic Chad - I thought you might!
Cheers!

Rob

[Kurt Doench]

Hi all,

Great picture. These (grand-)dad's army types would probably be issued with what was readily available as surplus. Rob, actually there should be more DJ members during the war than before as service in the Hitler Youth was made compulsory for all males from age 10 in 1939. The DJ buckle was of course discontinued in 1938 and replaced by the HJ pattern.

Best regards,
Karl

[sscrooge]

dj

mm deutsch jeriatrics it might stand for

[lach470]

Good one scrooge! LOL!

[paulj]

In 1940 an NSDAP branch for ethnic Germans in Romania (NSDAP der deutschen Volksgruppe in Rumaenien" was established in Transylvania for the large German population there. Mirroring the German NSDAP, it had the full spectrum of youth, women's, labor and other associated groups.

Based on the black uniforms and typical SS style collar tabs worn by the man on the far left and the overall political look, I presume the individuals being trained belong to that organization's Einsatz Staffel (ES), a formation similar to the SS. It would appear that the rural guard mentioned was made up as an ES sub-unit later.

It's not surprising to see an otherwise obsolete accessory used for a new purpose. There were no doubt thousands of DJ buckles kept in RZM storage after they were superceded by the standard HJ buckle.

The DJ buckle with its "S" Siegesrune also makes perfect sense in connection with the ES so reissuing it to them was a logical choice.

[Larry Ploz]

Some great pics there Rob

[lach470]

Thanks Larry...Glad you like it. I hadn't seen that one before and thought it might generate a bit of interest!
Cheers!
Rob