Everybody should look at this original photo

[Ken N]

This is Hauptsturmfuhrer Hans-Jorg Hartmann. A company commander in "Nordland" regiment of 5th SS wiking. Pictured here in the summer of '41 in the Ukraine. I have this image from his photo albums.

Look at that hat. And army officer hat with the cockade pulled off and a metal SS cap skull stuck on.

Who would believe such a hat today?

Note also that he has removed his collar tabs.
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[GAMS1]

A known "adaptation" , observed several times …but i've never seen this one !
Nick

[Sonderkommando]

Never seen this pic before either, but stuff like this happened all the time....much much more than people realise.
I have an entire folder on my computer of uniform oddities like this, and if some of those pieces came up for sale today they would be shot down in flames as "fiddled with".
That's why I always keep an open mind on stuff like this and make a decision based on my gut feeling, how the piece has "aged", etc, etc.

[Ken N]

Here you see Hartman at right. It is earlier in the campaign (actually south of Tarnopol)

At this point, he is still wearing collar insignia. The fellow in the center is Ostuf Schroter. He was KIA a few weeks later in the eastern Ukraine on 3 October.

But look at the fellow on the left. Same type of hat arrangement.
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[Ken N]

I know I am showing these out of sequence. But here is Hartmann next to a Kubelwagen just after Barbarossa kicked off but before "Nordland" got into it.
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[Jeff V]

Great pics Ken! Thanks for sharing.

[M40]

A well known Picture,