Help with IDing this collar tab?

[HetzersGonnaHtz]

Good morning everyone,

I recently purchased a death-card to a man called Hans Kleuser, seen below. From what I can see, he was an SS man during the war, and died of wounds sustained during his service, in 1946. What I am having trouble with is IDing the collar tab he is wearing in the picture, and was wondering if anyone could help. It certainly doesn't look like normal SS runes, and its got me stumped.

I apologise for the bad photos, this is about as good as I could get them, I'll have a go at getting a better scan tonight if needed. Maybe the general shape might be similar to ones seen in other photos where the detail is more discernible.

Kindest regards and many thanks in advance
Harvey

[HouweTrouwe]

Impossible to proper ID from this. Could be anything, I can see what I want to see in it. Especially if it is a post-war remembrance card, it could mean the SS Runes were censored in a way and there's a blur or scratch area etc.

[Robert H]

maybe a swastika tab, maybe a foreign vol. tab, maybe a skull tab, maybe a rune tab, maybe photo covered up tab ...

[HetzersGonnaHtz]

Many apologies gents. Ill try and get a clearer scan this evening and post it here. I had no clue that post war families members attempted to hide the details of collar tabs, but I can understand why, thank you for the help.

If I can get a scan sooner I will, but got a busy day today, even if I am in lockdown

[HetzersGonnaHtz]

This is the scan I took this morning, a little clearer. Not sure if it will be of much use though. I was looking at it against a site that has a table of collar tabs, and it has a similar shape to a few, which is annoying; the 2nd pattern Nederland, 2nd pattern Estnische, but also the tabs that depict Swastikas.

He died in a hospital in Andreasberg, in the Harz Region. Perhaps that may give me a clue as to what unit he was with, as there was fighting around that region in the final days of the war, fighting which the SS took part in, against the Americans. If he had sustained wounds in those final days, he could have remained in hospital there until very early January 1946, and passed away. I'm going to have a dig around and try and see which SS units were in the Harz in April/May 1945.

[grzmot]

Is it possible to put his name into some type of archive, such as the Bundesarchiv? Maybe HIAG has a file on him or something along those lines. I know a HIAG document I own explicitly names the unit of the man on it. I compared some photos (of collar tabs) to the one you posted - my only conclusions were the same as yours. Possibly Estnische (kinda looks like the arm holding the sword) or late pattern Nederland. Maybe (it's a stretch and I doubt it but) Hyundai? KZ guard is also a possibility. I almost see the overlaid swastika design in the left corner.

[HetzersGonnaHtz]

Is it possible to put his name into some type of archive, such as the Bundesarchiv? Maybe HIAG has a file on him or something along those lines. I know a HIAG document I own explicitly names the unit of the man on it. I compared some photos (of collar tabs) to the one you posted - my only conclusions were the same as yours. Possibly Estnische (kinda looks like the arm holding the sword) or late pattern Nederland. Maybe (it's a stretch and I doubt it but) Hyundai? KZ guard is also a possibility. I almost see the overlaid swastika design in the left corner.

Glad I'm not seeing things then, or if I am, at least I'm not alone!
Ancestry has digitised some German documents I believe in relation to those who died, so perhaps his might be digitised somewhere. However, when I searched Volksbund, there was no results, as eventhough he died of war wounds, they don't go as far as 1946.

I joined a group on facebook for people who live in the town in which the hospital was where this man died, Sankt Andreasberg, and they said the SS unit fighting in the area was SS Brigade Westfalen. He could well have been wounded when fighting with them, but it's just impossible to say when he was wounded unfortunately, as his deathcard makes no reference to a particular date.

According to those in the group, the area was thick with hospitals and served many different fronts throughout the war, so he could have been fighting elsewhere and ended up there. I think the search goes as far as this, unless Ancestry have something, fingers crossed.

Either way, an unusual tab that's not often seen on Sterebild.

[HetzersGonnaHtz]

The full thing.

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

to me this is a common SS runes collar tab, maybe partially blurred for the publication of this death card.

See You

Vince

[HetzersGonnaHtz]

Hi,

to me this is a common SS runes collar tab, maybe partially blurred for the publication of this death card.

See You

Vince

I think you may well be right Vince, now I look again I see the shape of the runes but in a blurred manner, it being post-war after the crimes of the Nazis had been discovered and punished I can imagine it would be blurred.

Many thanks
Harvey