SS Veterinarians

[Totenkopf92]

Hello, I was just wondering if there are any surviving Waffen SS Veterinarian uniforms out there? I am interested to see photos of any caps, tunics or even just loose shoulder boards with the carmine red vet piping. I'm just curious to know how rare these pieces are and if there are any out there, thanks a lot.

[Stive]

One of the rarest waffenfarbe colors for waffen-SS is carmine color for veterinarians and bordeaux for smoke troops

[Mike C]

See: https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=5949

[Stive]

Unfortunately, the shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht Heer veterinarian are on the tunic

[M40]

Look at this:

https://www.ratisbons.com/auctions-a...nnfuehrer.html

[N.C. Wyeth]

Unfortunately, the shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht Heer veterinarian are on the tunic

Of course, something such as that is certainly plausible for so many reasons.

[Stive]

Yeah, that's plausible. Until 1942, waffen-ss officers were allowed to wear Heer shoulder straps with the same waffenfarbe color.

[Totenkopf92]

Thanks for all the responses, is there any record or consensus on how many veterinarians were in the Waffen SS? I have always been interested in the veterinarians, I would be very interested if anyone could educate me on them more. I can only assume that there are probably no books on the subject, but is there any info on them out there? Thanks in advance.

[Stive]

In 1943, a training unit of veterinarians for waffen-ss was created. The unit consisted of 4 training squadrons.

[HPL2008]

Thanks for all the responses, is there any record or consensus on how many veterinarians were in the Waffen SS? I have always been interested in the veterinarians, I would be very interested if anyone could educate me on them more. I can only assume that there are probably no books on the subject, but is there any info on them out there? Thanks in advance.

I can't give you a total number, but, for what it's worth, here are some figures from the 1 July 1944 Dienstaltersliste of the Waffen-SS:

1 Standartenführer (active)
3 Obersturmbannführer (active)
1 Obersturmbannführer (reserve)
5 Sturmbannführer (active)
9 Sturmbannführer (reserve)
3 Hauptsturmführer (active)
49 Hauptsturmführer (reserve)

(Officers below the rank of Hauptsturmführer - i.e. Untersturmführer and Obersturmführer - were not included in the list.)

This thread on the AHF should also be of interest to you: https://forum.axishistory.com/viewto...?f=38&t=149641

This site has a listing of the military veterinarians (Wehrmacht and SS) that were KIA or died in WW2 service: http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/2017/v...e-wk2_a-c.html

Hope this helps.

[phild]

Yeah, that's plausible. Until 1942, waffen-ss officers were allowed to wear Heer shoulder straps with the same waffenfarbe color.

The regulations may have officially allowed the use of Heer Officer boards until some point in 1942 but it is clear from period photos that the practice continued until the end of the war.

[M40]

Here are some information and a picture:

http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/2017/v...e-wk2_a-c.html

a.PNG

[Totenkopf92]

Thanks a lot for all the replies and information. Were you able to be in the veterinary service as just an EM rank or did you have to be an NCO or an Officer?

[HPL2008]

Thanks a lot for all the replies and information. Were you able to be in the veterinary service as just an EM rank or did you have to be an NCO or an Officer?

The actual veterinarians were commissioned officers, although they held enlisted/NCO ranks during their time as officer candidates (see below).

The veterinary units also had enlisted personnel, but I am not aware of a specific occupational specialty as an enlisted veterinary assistant/technician. (Perhaps another member has additional information here.)
One typical example for an enlisted occupation in the veterinary service comes to mind, though: The Pferdelazarette [horse hospitals] all had Hufbeschlagschmiede [farriers].

The sequence of promotions for wartime SS veterinary officers was as follows:


Veterinarians, active, (entry into service with completed university studies and state examination) (career XIa):

• Promotion to SS-Oberscharführer after 8 weeks of basic training
• Commission as an officer after completion of the Veterinär-Führeranwärter-Lehrgang [veterinary officer candidate training course] (1 month), with rank depending on length of professional experience:
  • SS-Untersturmführer (less than 2 years since the state examination)
  • SS-Obersturmführer (2 to 4 years since the state examination)
  • SS-Hauptsturmführer (5 or more years since the state examination)
• Subsequent promotions depending on time in service and suitability, as for other SS officers.

Veterinarians, active, (students) (career XIb):

• Promotion to SS-Sturmmann after basic training and 2 months of subsequent probation in the field
• Promotion to SS-Unterscharführer and simultaneous appointment as SS-Junker after completion of the Unterführerausbildung [NCO training]
• Promotion to SS-Standartenoberjunker after completion of the Kriegs-Junker-Lehrgang [wartime officer candidate training course]
• Commission as SS-Untersturmführer after completion of the Waffenlehrgang [branch training]
• Promotion to SS-Obersturmführer after the preliminary examination
• Promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer 1 year after the state examination
• Subsequent promotions depending on time in service, seniority, suitability and post, but regardless of these criteria in case of exceptional performance.

Veterinarians, reserve, (with completed university studies and state examination) (career XIe):

• Promotion to SS-Oberscharführer after basic training (2 months)
• Promotion to SS-Hauptscharführer and Reserveführeranwärter [reserve officer candidate] after completion of the Reserve-Führeranwärter-Lehrgang [reserve officer candidate training course] (1 month)
• Commission as SS-Untersturmführer der Reserve after 4 months of probation with a field unit
• Promotion to SS-Oberstumführer der Reserve 1 year after commission as Untersturmführer d.R.
• Promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve 1 1/2 years after promotion to Obersturmführer d.R.
• (Reserve veterinary officers of at least 30 years of age or with at least 3 years of experience as a self-employed veterinarian or several years of employment as an assistant veterinary in a veterinary clinic were directly promotod to SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve without the minimum intermediary periods)

Veterinarians, reserve, (students) (career XId):

• Promotion to SS-Sturmmann after 6 months of service (which included 3 months of training with the Veterinär-Ersatzabteilung)
• Promotion to SS-Unterscharführer after 9 months of service
• Promotion to SS-Oberscharführer after the preliminary examination
• Promotion to SS-Hauptscharführer and Reserveführeranwärter [reserve officer candidate] after the state examination
• Commission as SS-Untersturmführer after 4 more months, a period of probation in the field and if found suitable
• Promotion to SS-Obersturmführer possible after 1 1/2 years of service as an Untersturmführer
• Promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer possible 2 years after promotion to SS-Obersturmführer

[Source: Dich ruft die SS (1942)]

[thormod]

Hi, found this in a old box it is from a old Big lot out of Kaernten, Austria