Hoard of SS uniforms. True story or collector myth

[Jean-Loup]

A few years ago I heard the following story from a collector in Germany, and I was wondering if any of you could confirm if it is true, or just an other one of those many urban legends that circulate between collectors.

The story was that in what had once been a field hospital, dozens if not more SS uniforms of all types had been found. Most were cut appart, and severely blood stained: "so thick with dried blood they would stand straight up against the wall, like a board.". These were all brought to some militaria fair where they were all sold off very rapidly, obviously.

I often though of this story, and though how interesting it would have been to study the uniforms, find names inside, cross check info with casualty lists, etc...

So, has anyone heard this story too?

JL

[Bobwirtz]

Nope, never heard of that one. I did hear the one about some guy contacting one of Himmler's former secretaries who had squirreled one of the Reichsfuhrer-SS' uniforms away at the end of the war. It turned out to be a Janke!

Bob

[jimt]

tunics

Three SS m.37 tunics came out of a barn in France a few years back, all three badly mothed with Deutschland insignia on them , they where pictured in a article in the "French Militaria" magazine.
jim toncar

[galizien41]

I heard about the French barn one too. I think the late mike beaver had parts of some of those.

[pete]

.

Funny where these things can pop out from.

[Fred S]

I've heard a similar story that happened in Poland about 10/15 years ago:
diggers from poland and one french collector digged close to an ex campaign hospital where the clothes of wounded and dead soldiers were supposed to be.
They discovered first some parts of uniform, then a few uniforms: a first everything was rotten but after some more research they began to find "complete" uniforms but everything was really stinky.

The guy who told me the story said that the french one came home with a pea dot trousers and jacket set that smelled awful.

[jotuntroll]

Hi

Someone of you may remember the pics of the norwegian w-ss vollentair and his insignia after intervjuing him a couple of years ago.
He hid his tunic in a stone fence in may 45 and cut out his insignia many many years after his sentence.
I do not have the pics today but made a whole tread of him on the forum to you guys showing all his belongings from reg.Norge and the ss skijager batalion.
Can we find it again

[Jean-Loup]

Hi Fred

That story of the diggers in Poland sounds like a myth to me. Finding uniforms in good condition in the ground is extrememly rare, espcialy HBT items. Also, I have never seen anything that still smelled bad after 60 years.

JL

[Fred S]

Hi Fred

That story of the diggers in Poland sounds like a myth to me. Finding uniforms in good condition in the ground is extrememly rare, espcialy HBT items. Also, I have never seen anything that still smelled bad after 60 years.

JL

Salut Jean-Loup
I don't know and I think I'll never know.
The story said that first it was a magma of rubbish,first some parts of uniforms, then complete uniforms...

But I have to disagree about one thing: something (except metal, maybe)that'll stay for a long time under ground will smell bad IMO (depends maybe as well of the kind of area).

[Admiraal]

I heard a story about someone who found a pile of SS uniform, feldgrau en camo at the house of an old man, in wwii they repaired clothing there was the story...
Probally a myth

[Soldat de Fer]

Hello
I Russia they had a lot of tunics stocked away . Don't forget all those that came from theaters and film studios.
Regards
P-Y

[Doug Kenwright]

There are still tons of captured stocks in Russian warehouses..i remember seeing a 60's National Geographic, and they had an article on how the war in Biafra was destroying wildlife..the soldiers pictured had pea dot and HBT uniforms, and carried K-98's, a result of the Russians supplying them and fighting the cold war by proxy..

When in Estonia about ten years ago, you could still find a lot of stripped tunics, officers mainly, but the EM field tunics commanded a premium from overseas collectors, so they were nowhere to be found..and no pants! Those were all worn out after the war, regardless if they were dress or fatigue..

[N.C. Wyeth]

[quote=Doug Kenwright;2292372]When in Estonia about ten years ago, you could still find a lot of stripped tunics, officers mainly,quote]

I concur, as I have firsthand knowledge of this fact myself . . .

[nutmeg]

Salut Jean-Loup
I don't know and I think I'll never know.
The story said that first it was a magma of rubbish,first some parts of uniforms, then complete uniforms...

But I have to disagree about one thing: something (except metal, maybe)that'll stay for a long time under ground will smell bad IMO (depends maybe as well of the kind of area).

If the ground is muddy , clothing and leather can survive pretty well. I've seen some Civil War uniforms found in swampy ground that while completely discolored were not too bad.

[kass]

In several occasions, have I heard in Estonia, about old men possessing piles of german cloth that they used and wear after the war. Years ago 2? collectors came to household where old man had just died and hes young relatives were burning pile of SS cloth in the backyard. They managed to save from there some skulls and eagles only as far as I know. And some months ago one collector found also an household were man was passed away some time before he came. He found one pair of regular drillich long pants. He was told that they threw away after the old mans death quite lot of this kind of drillich garments(probably Heer). Old man used to wear these.