SS ''Handschar'' Division ''officer fez'' ???

[nicco]

Hello from Belgrade.

I have an opportunity to buy here in Belgrade (Serbia) very cheaply (practically for free) one supposed to be ''Handschar'' fez, but I'm of course in hell of dilemmas about it...

Seller is obviously not familiar with militaria, WW2 and that sort of staff, but... You never know... He said it was his partisan grandfather who brought the fez from the war, as a souvenier... And with the photo I've attached that's about all info I got at the moment

I'm not so familiar with SS militaria, but judging to some of mine short research on the web, if it's not some poor fake, I would say it's maybe some sort od the officer's version?, dark green in colour? There is one almost identical on some online auctions at the moment!

It's intersting that the Totenkopf patch is missing on both pieces, but the eagle patch is the same in shape and design! One is in Belgrade, another in Florida, USA



Piece offered to me (from Belgrade):
http://i53.tinypic.com/28bd5k6.jpg

Similar piece found online (from Florida, USA):
http://i53.tinypic.com/359jmvc.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/2a2jkl.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/14kzbia.jpg

Example photos with Handschar top officers wearing some sort of that ''short'' fez type:
http://i51.tinypic.com/2q3c8q1.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/1126hxh.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2itk3rn.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/dpzhj9.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/bf49qt.jpg

You guys will probably know instantly when you see it and determine if the eagle is faked, or not.

Thanks to all who are willing to help!

Best regards,
nicco

[V.I.D.]

Greetings Nicco and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, this is not an authentic Handschar fez. The actual color is more gray than green and beware of what other people sell as "authentic Handschar fezzes". It could be some of the local WWII Muslim militias in Bosnia, but I genuinely doubt it, especially with the identical fez in Florida. Where is this guy from Florida based? I know of one scammer from Jacksonville who attempts to sell BS as authentic Handschar fezzes online (Craigslist, iOffer, etc.).

[Obergruppen2]

Nicco, forget this " Handschar " fez, it is a bad copy, even worse than that,eagle is a POS, there are originals for sale but not for that price of course, sretno !

[nicco]

Thank you guys.

The good fact is that always will be somebody like you to stop fools like me to do something stupid...

Also the good thing is that I haven't bought that s..t

But when I already started this thread... why not to ask you something more?

What do you think at all about that ''short'' fezzes on pics? It's obvious Sauberzweig himself wears something like that? And it's certainly darker than the other ones? If not maroon in color, could it be really dark green maybe??

And what about eagle patch? Also fake?

Thanks, once more to all of you!


@V.I.D. : Did you get my PM??

[V.I.D.]

Nicco, I replied to your PM. Don't feel bad about it, I've learned a lot on this forum myself ever since I joined in 2009. Sauberzweig's fez and those early ones (during the early days of the division forming and training in France) are still maroon ones, but I believe these were of a different type than the commonly seen Dachau ones. I believe some collectors believe these were actually made in France for the french colonial troops and later used for Handschar division. They have characteristic black sweatband inside though I cannot positively state if this is the exact type of fez that Sauberzweig was wearing as well. Perhaps some other collectors can chime in regarding this question?

[Obergruppen2]

The gray colored fez was used in combat and the maroon fez was for " walking out ", the fez Sauberzweig is wearing is shorter than the usual Handschar fez , probably cut shorter and tk & eagle are sewn closer , wanted to differ from the enlisted men , check Lepre's " Himmler's Bosnian Division "
The eagle is a fake !

[nicco]

Thanks my friend. Hvala prijatelju! si.

Mystery solved. Quickly & professionally!

Concerning the ''eagle'', I asked about it only because I actually missed reading this: ''eagle is a POS''

Hvala svima

The gray colored fez was used in combat and the maroon fez was for " walking out ", the fez Sauberzweig is wearing is shorter than the usual Handschar fez , probably wanted to differ from the enlisted men , check Lepre's " Himmler's Bosnian Division "
The eagle is a fake !