Some More SS Cloth

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi John, I am sure Robin will not mind if I answer your question

The SS Runes breast patch could be worn by any SS member who was serving in a unit which was not entitled to wear the SS runes collar tab. To quote the Reichsfuhrer from July 1943:

"Members of the SS who are entitled to wear the SS runes, but who are serving in a formation of the Waffen SS with a special badge, or in the German Police, will wear the SS runes on the lower left breast"

Cheers, Ade.

[JOHN VD HEIJDEN]

re

Thank,s Adrian

[Robin Lumsden]

Johnny.

Adrian has explained things well.

It is worth remembering that Himmler wanted the police and the SS to eventually amalgamate into one organisation, so he encouraged dual membership of both. Any policeman who met SS recruiting standards was encouraged to join the SS, usually being taken into an Allgemeine-SS reserve unit so he could continue with his full-time police job. Such a man would be expected to wear the SS runes below the left breast pocket of his police tunic. If a warrant officer, or commissioned officer, he could also wear the SS knot and a runic pommel with his police sword. The SS and police regularly shared buildings, swapped support staff around, etc.

The runes shown above are on a police green (rather than field grey) background so were for the police uniform. Those worn with foreign volunteer uniform (German SS men in Handschar, Prinz Eugen, etc.) would have been on field-grey.

Regards,

Robin.

[JOHN VD HEIJDEN]

re

Thank,s a lot Robin for that explanation
So if I,m right there are 2 kind of breast-rune,s the only major differnce would be the cloth-backing

[Robin Lumsden]

Johnny.

Most came on police green backings.

Field-grey are rarer.

There are photos of the runes breast badge being worn on the panzer tunic by Prinz Eugen troops, so they must have come on a black backing as well.

There are also pictures of Dutch/Belgian police officers who were also members of the Germanic-SS in Holland/Flanders wearing runes breast badges with the civil police uniforms of Holland/Belgium. They must have been appropriately backed - dark blue I think.

SS members of the Luftschutzpolizei could wear the runes breast badge on Luftwaffe blue-grey backing.

There would also have been white backing for the summer uniform, and possibly Prussian blue for SS men in the Feuerwehr.

So there are many possibilities.

Today, however, it is mostly the police green backings that are seen.

Regards,

Robin.

[JOHN VD HEIJDEN]

re

Wouw indeed more then two backing,s


Than,ks again Robin

[Tom M]

I could sit here all day looking at Robins' threads

Cheers Robin, keep them coming!