Printed SS Insignia

[Douglas Kerley]

SS Flak Helper arm flashes

Hello This might be the SS helpers insignia Gaspare was talking about. I've had it for at least 30 years. Not 100% sure these were real but i've never come across very many examples. Kirby

I have another one I know is real. Looks even cheesyier than yours. I would post a picture if I could. Doug

[NickG]

Of course, we cannot forget original Heer printed breast eagles and the printed wound badges, Iron Crosses, Assault badges, Close Combat badges, etc. Also, all original Sauerland shields are printed, the fakes are modern BeVo. For further illunination on printed versions of awards, the fine volume: Auszeichenungen des Deutschen Reichs.

Bob Hritz

===========================================
True! Lots of war time printed material was out there....BUT also post war...
and the fakers are getting really creative printing stuff!! Check out this "beauty" (on ebay)!
At least it was correctly created without the swastika for post capitulation issuance!
Printed material can be tricky (but not this piece!)

[Felix]

There are many war time produced insignias that I know of. Common are the swaz party members armbands and other army armbads and the volksturm. It is possible some of them started to be manufactured earler than we think. Might be a different time of manufacture for items made for civilian or home front than for active combat wear.

Would love to see someone buying an eagle so that whole picture could be posted here.

//Felix

[Dmv]

Hannahs Reich currently has a number of printed sleeve eagles for sale accompanied by a purportedley original photo of one of these eagles on a LAH StuG wrapper. Unfortunately you have to buy an eagle to see the full photo, here is a glimpse......

Great news!!! Does anyone have the full photo ('s) to post?"
I'd love to see evidence of them being worn!
Too bad for all the non believers who didn't bought them LOL

[Bob Coleman]

A very interesting and informative thread. It also once again proves the "I think" method of denying the originality of an item is not an accurate method of proving or disproving the originality of an item.

[Askold]

Excellent pic, thank you for posting it. I belive someone else posted a printed SS arm eagle that was taken off uniform - you could still see the folds and the wear on the eagle.

[billbert]

All the news thats fit to PRINT?? Billbert
thanks Bob!!

[Dmv]

again: Does anyone have the full photo ('s) to post here?

p.s. (They aren't for sale on Bill Shea's site anymore!)

[nutmeg]

Very worthwhile thread. I had always wondered about these eagles, in decades of vet buys I had never gotten any printed SS eagles. But pictures of them in use eliminates any doubts. I have always been of the opinion many of the volunteer shields thought to have never been issued actually were , it just remains for the photo to show up.

[Mike Davis]

Very interesting topic. I'd love to see the entire photo as well...

[ddelich]

I concur with Bob's phlosophy that the SS did, indeed utlize printed insignia. The SS EM sleeve eagles, which have been in evidence snce the end of the war, attest to the fact. Also, I have seen an original photo of an SS man actually wearing one -- identical to the one Steve has posted. I have also had, in hand, a printed M-43 badge
with eagle/skull insignia on a black trap.
In regard to the "runic in triangle" patch Kirby has posted, these were original as well. Check out Littlejohn's Foreign Legions of the Third Reich, Vol. 4., pp. 202-203.
There you will see a drawing of the runic triangular patch, along with a brassard also
worn by these members of auxiliaries of the W-SS (SS Helfers). The triangle and
brassard were worn concurrently, the triangle just above the brassard. These were worn for purposes of identification of Russian and Baltic nationals serving in the
Helfer capacity. To my knowledge, there were 8 countries that provided Helfers in this capacity -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ruthenia, Galicia, Ukraine , Russia, and the
Volga and Crimean Tartars. The center of each brassard, most all of which were also
printed, displayed a diamond shape icon with a depiction in the center representative of each country. In some cases, an elongated bar with wording just beneath the
triangle was to be seen. For Latvia, this wording read: "KARA ATBALSTITAJS". For
Lithuania, the wording read: "KARO TALKININKAS". These bars, according to Littlejohn, must have been a German invention/addition, because the wording did not
make sense in the language of the two countries just mentioned. The wording was
supposed to mean "War Helper".
The large, oddly-shaped BeVo skull Bob has posted was manufactured by the Belgian
firm of Reitz, for which they had their own pattern BeVo mfg. eagles.

[Askold]

Ruthenia, Galicia, Ukraine

- Just to correct, Ruthenia and Galicia are the names of the same country/region (Western Ukraine). With regards to printed bars, there is also a photo of Galician flakhelper wearing printed "Junak" (Youth) bar above his printed SS triangle.

[RobertE]

Here is a vet-acquired printed eagle, to add to the discussion. I agree that the mass of printed material - Army, SS, and awards - indicate that there was widespread use of printed material used by the German prior to May 1945.

s/f Robert

[RobertE]

reverse

[RobertE]

This was period-attached to something...