A Nice Wallonie Image

[pzb14]

Great pics!!!!

Thx for showing them!!!!

Br Pzb14

[Rene Chavez]

Wow very interesting pictures illustrating Wallonie recruits thanks for sharing I hope to see more if you have them.

Rene Chavez
http://axis101.bizland.com

[Pieter Verbruggen]

Here is mine.

IMO this is NOT an original badge....I'll bet it's even numbered at the back...
Pieter.

[LandZack2013]

I like that pic also!

[90th Light]

Just bringing this up to the top again because there is interest in the M43 caps with the longer visor which an M43 should have but they also have grommets.

Seemingly such SS M43's made before May 1945 should not have grommets but here we have some period pictures of such an M43 cap being worn.

Interesting in more ways than one to say the least, Chris

[Seyffardt]

interesting he dont have collar tabs

Most of the Bandenkampfeinheiten (anti-partisan units) removed there collar tabs in the field, especially NCO and Officers, because they're potential targets for snipers.

Very nice picture of a rare and small brigrade unit. Thanks for sharing...

[Johnny R]

I suspect this is a series of PK shots focusing on the building of the SS unit when the Wallonie were transfered to the SS probably taken at Wildflecken. in the late summer of 1943, the newly transfered NCOs forming the Cadre wearing new SS tunics, the new recruits arriving etc. Are they captioned on the backs or are you pulling them from the negative sheets?

[Matthew S.]

Great series of pics! Have any yet surfaced showing the cufftitle in wear?

[Military]

Mike, very nice photos!

[MJC]

Hi John,

All of the posted images are prints and unfortunately, none have notations. I do have a few more to post when I get a chance, some from prints, some contact prints, and some negs.

[Johnny R]

Hi John,

All of the posted images are prints and unfortunately, none have notations. I do have a few more to post when I get a chance, some from prints, some contact prints, and some negs.

Put them all together and you should be able to figure out what is going on, I bet I am right. I suspect there were a series of article written probably using some of the images also to try and stimulate recruiting. That must have been a very odd thing for them to deal with after being a line unit in the regular Army.

If I did not need to work I would spend my life looking at this stuff everyday.

[Askold]

Excellent photos! Can someone explain to me why Wallonie recruits have GJ insignia on them?? I never heard of SS Wallonien Gebirsjager unit before.

[Dennis S]

Excellent photos! Can someone explain to me why Wallonie recruits have GJ insignia on them?? I never heard of SS Wallonien Gebirsjager unit before.

The Walloons Legion( Heer) were attached to as I believe the 97th Jäger Division while fighting in the Caucasus . This entitled them or bestowed upon them the right to wear the Heer (army) edelweiss badge. Regulation permitted them to wear the edelweiss even after transfer from that unit.

[wallonien]

The Walloons Legion( Heer) were attached to as I believe the 97th Jäger Division while fighting in the Caucasus . This entitled them or bestowed upon them the right to wear the Heer (army) edelweiss badge. Regulation permitted them to wear the edelweiss even after transfer from that unit.

That's correct. The veterans of the unit continued to wear heer GJ-insignia as "commemorative" badges. I would guess that the ones without are fresh recruits.


Awesome photos by the way! Merci!

[NickG]

Most of the Bandenkampfeinheiten (anti-partisan units) removed there collar tabs in the field, especially NCO and Officers, because they're potential targets for snipers.

Very nice picture of a rare and small brigrade unit. Thanks for sharing...

That is true explaining the lack of SS collar tabs in operational conditions (same happened during the Blitzkrieg in France) but in this case, as suggested,
these ex-Heer (Walloon Legion)cadre members and fresh recruits are in the process of forming the new SS Walloon Brigade (later called Division) .

This would explain the PK picture taking activities...(propaganda) and therefor they still lack the SS tabs because they were not sworn in yet as fullfledged members of the SS
and would be bestowed SS (collar) insignia only after the formation ceremony...
(I assume this would take place AFTER the raw recruits finish boot camp under the guidance of the ex-Heer NCO's + German SS cadre).

That's my hunch (plausible explanation). The SS tunics of course already have SS eagles because they came from the factory like that... and NCO rank tresse was added as these NCO's already earned that rank while serving in the Army Walloon Legion.