Volunteer Croatian shields

[Bob Stevens]

The KROATIEN was used . I had one years ago , bought directly from a vet that was cut right from a uniform. He got it in Italy or France from a German prisoner. I have an unissued one, but have seen a few around on dealers sites, scarce but not all that rare IMO.

If any members I have pictures of any of the very late war Bevo shields being worn I'd like to see them posted. I have always suspected that many types consided prototypes were actually issued and used. Often this kind of documentation hangs on just a single photo.

Yes thanks for that vet story Nutmeg which is useful. I believe these are rare shields though. John was a serious Croatian collector and only saw 4 in 10 years. I have been collecting for 20 years and only seen 2 worn which I snapped up. I know weitze had a real unissued one for sale about 6 months ago and wanted 450 euros. A KROATIEN is not the holy grail but rare IMHO, especially compared to the Dachau woven Croat shield which are common.I have not seen KROATIENs on many dealers sites but I have seen this repro doing the rounds!
Not bad visually but nylon rubbish when in the hand! Trident Military sell them for 5 bucks.

[Laurens Q-fin]

Hello,

I am dragging this rather old topic back up to add some information and ask a few questions regarding this hightly interesting thread. My collection of volunteer items got a major boost this week with the arrival of six loose photos from a Croatian unit. The main character wears the Croatian sleeve shield, but in a way I haven't seen before. From one detailed photo, you will see there is no line of text above the shield (No 'Hrvatska' or 'Kroatien'). It seems the text has been cut off (or bend over) before being sewn on the tunic. Is there any other evidence of such practices? I dare to say that the shield on the tunic seems Bevo and not the thick material used on SS-shields. I conclude this from one photo where the shield moves along with the wrinkles of the tunic. I could be wrong though and therefore, welcome any comments...

Thanks,
Laurens

[Laurens Q-fin]

An overview of the worn shield I have with the newly acquired photos:

[Laurens Q-fin]

Not much extra information, except the rank for 'Hauptmann':

[Laurens Q-fin]

A detail of the shield (same photo from above), please note the lack of text on the shield:

[Laurens Q-fin]

A detail from the shoulder board reveals the last character being a '3'. I believe this is Grenadier-Regiment 383 from 373. Infanterie-Division (kroat.). Yet, is there a sign that an SS-shield was used on a regular Army tunic or is it nothing more than a simple variation?

[Laurens Q-fin]

Forgive me if the following photos are not in the spirit of the SS-insignia-forum, but I continue the last shot here. The next photo is interesting as it shows a 'Hrvatska'-shield (person on the left) and a Linden-leaf being worn (person in the middle-right):

[Laurens Q-fin]

Hrvatska-shield:

[Laurens Q-fin]

Detail from the awards, especially the Linden-leaf on the far right. The group shows two soldiers with this award. They must be two of the few survivors of Stalingrad, most probably having the chance to get away early. The ribbon bar seems made from Croatian awards, but I don't have the knowledge to comment that one...

[Richard]

Laurens, I find it interesting that the guy in post 34 has the breast eagle sewn over the flap of the tunic which I thought only was seen in AK and LW tunics due to the collar style. It is interesting to see that this also existed on Heer tunics that did not have the LW style collars.
Richard V

[Gary Wood]

interesting photos what style of tunics are the 2 nco's wearing???

[Ernst-H]

Anyone have a date as to when the Croat shields were introduced for the various organisation?

For the Polizei I think they were issued around January 1944 but this is solely based on photographs and not regulations.

[Bob Curuthers]

interesting photos what style of tunics are the 2 nco's wearing???

I agree,What very unusual breast pockets those tunics have. And in post 39,you can clearly see that the buttons finish closely to the opening edges of the front opening. Could these be some form of foriegn tunics re- tailored and re- issued?

[Bob Stevens]

Excellent photos Laurens! Thanks for sharing.

[John T]

Great photo...I would love to see a photo of a "KROATIEN" version in wear.

John