Kommandostab Reichsführer SS

[A.H. Thomassen]

Dear friends.

Although this has hardly anything to do with SS cloth collecting i'll take my chances on posting this one here in order to get some information from the "SS-community".

Let me start with a little background:

Olaf W (Willy) Fermann (1892-1975) joined the Nasjonal Samling in the early 1930's. He eventually became the party's formal contact in Germany, and with the grade of Fylkesfører he led the Nasjonal Samlings foreign organization.

Fermann, now an SS-Untersturmführer, was at some point during the summer/autumn of 1941 a member of the Kommandostab Reichsführer SS. He accompanied RFSS on his journey to the Kiew-area in late summer/autumn of 1941. Why Fermann accompanied RFSS on this journey is still way in the clouds. Perhaps due to Fermanns knowledge of the russian language, or probably rather as an preparation of the eventually future norse expansion to the east after the conquest of communism.

Here's a picture of Fermann as an SS-Untersturmführer.


AH

[A.H. Thomassen]

With the conquest of the Kiew-area, and during the visit of the RFSS, Fermann managed to get hold of a artillery-shell and engraved some words on it.

These words are:

VIDKUN QUISLING
med ønske om god jul 1941 (with wishes of a happy christmas 1941)
KIEW, august 1941
Olaf W. Fermann
SS Untersturmführer
Kommandostab Reichsführer SS

[A.H. Thomassen]

So this is Fermanns christmas wishes to Vidkun Quisling from the Eastern Front.

For several years i've been wondering what type of artillery-shell this was ment for. The height of the shell is 546 mm, the bottom measures in diameter 170 mm, and the width on the "top" measures ca. 155 mm. Is it then fair to say that this shell is ment for something like an 155 artillery piece?

So for the land of production. Is it a german shell? Russian? Tschech?

There are some markings on the bottom of the shell:

[A.H. Thomassen]

Some close-ups of the markings on this "salty salty"...

[A.H. Thomassen]

And the last marking on this artillery-shell

[A.H. Thomassen]

So dear gentlemen (and women), i would welcome comments on which type of artillery-shell this is, and also which country produced it.

I really would appreciate any input on this one


AH

[CWP]

It looks to be a Russian shell, 1940 dated, for the 155mm "Ratsch-Bumm" high-velocity cannon. Someone in the Wehrmacht Equipment forum might know more.

[fusilier]

So dear gentlemen (and women), i would welcome comments on which type of artillery-shell this is, and also which country produced it.

I really would appreciate any input on this one


AH

Dear A.H. Thomassen, You will probably find that this shell sounds as if its a Russian Shell. As one of the previous replies mentions. As these things whould have been laying around at the time for anybody to pick up. So presumly this ss officer who was in Russia. Probably saw these laying around and decided to pick one up and have it engraved. This sort of thing did happen. Somewhere there might be a reference to this particular item being presented to the chap thats it named to (sorry cant spell his name) Newspaper Article, War Diary, Regimental?? History, Biography. etc, etc. Regards Fusilier.

[bnz. 42]

100% Russian and interesting piece

[A.H. Thomassen]

Thanx gentlemen for your informative replies. Then i can conclude that the shell is russian, and ment for something like a 155mm artillery piece of somekind

I`ve tried in vain for some additional information on this shell, if it was presented in public or just some private gifts. It seems that Fermann gave the shell to Quisling more in a private kind of manner, rather as a officiel gift from the Nasjonal Samlings Foreign Organization. I know that a similiar shell with a minor engraving was given to Fermanns daughter and presented at some time during the war, and i have spoken to her and her husband, a former norwegian SS-officer, and she said that it was given to her by her father as something of a remembrance thing from the Eastern Front.

I guess that Fermann picked up 2 shells, engraved them, and gave one to Quisling and one to his daughter.

Fermanns daughter still has the shell her father gave her, and i have the shell he gave Quisling. I guess we are both happy with that

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi, I think you will find that the shell is actually 152mm?

I don't think the Soviets had a 155mm? The shell is Russian for sure as already pointed out by several members.

Here is the info for the 152mm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-10_152_mm_howitzer

The difference in your measurements may be accounted for as the shell is fired and the end may be expanded by a small amount.

Cheers, Ade.

[A.H. Thomassen]

Thanx for the input Adrian.

Much appreciated

[Björn Jervas]

Hello!
It is an 152 mm Russian howitzer shell. There was no "rapid fire 155 mm" cannon called "Ratsch-Bumm", the one in talk was 76.2 mm and was no howitzer, but a direct-fire cannon.

B.

[A.H. Thomassen]

Thanks B. for your input on this one. I owe you one