Officer's collar tab piping removed for field wear?

[doomtown]

I had read that sometimes Officers collar tab piping was removed for field use, is this true? Could anyone share photos of tabs being worn like this?
Many thanks,
Eddie

[C. Betz]

Collar Insignia

Here you go. From Angolia’s Cloth Insignia of the SS, 2nd Edition, 1989, Page 284. Accompanying text: “SS-Sturmbanfuhrer August Dieckmann is shown wearing enlisted collar insignia, a practice which was not uncommon for a front line combat officer.”

Charles Betz

[wolfslair]

Thers a couple of threads regarding this topic - one recent thread had loads of photos of SS officers with removed piping from the collar tabs.
Maybe try the search tab
Steve

[Ian Hulley]

With many field-grade officers it wasn't that they removed the piping as much as they used issue tunics with EM insignia on so the piping was never there in the first place.

Ian

[John Pic]

One of our members has a real SS officer tunic with the piping removed from the tabs, probably the only real one like that I have seen.

[NickG]

With many field-grade officers it wasn't that they removed the piping as much as they used issue tunics with EM insignia on so the piping was never there in the first place.

Ian

Exactly! 99% of the time just modified enlisted tabs for field use... (which came with the tunics...)
Here's a better photo which proofs its an enlisted tab set!
Many photographic examples in this thread:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...erland&page=10

.

[jacquesf]

One of our members has a real SS officer tunic with the piping removed from the tabs, probably the only real one like that I have seen.

John yes the arty summerweight. I have handled that one when Andre had it, awesome tunic, also featured in the Beavor books. J

[John Pic]

Do you have any pics Jacques ?

[jacquesf]

John, I cannot find the link, but here is a short discussion on it http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ighlight=Andre

[doomtown]

Wow, many thanks for the replies guys! Nick, once again your threads are super helpful to me! I think I will be restoring my Russian Cloth along similar lines.

[NickG]

Wow, many thanks for the replies guys! Nick, once again your threads are super helpful to me! I think I will be restoring my Russian Cloth along similar lines.

Great! Do show us the final result!!! So an officers field tunic made of Russian (tent?) material! Sounds very interesting!

[doomtown]

Absolutely, I'm talking with a guy about insignia now. This thread is good news for me, haha. Here's the thread about the tunic: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=678473&page=3

[NickG]

Absolutely, I'm talking with a guy about insignia now. This thread is good news for me, haha. Here's the thread about the tunic: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=678473&page=3

Wow yes I remember that one! (participated in that thread). It will look great as a field use combat tunic with (simple) SS insignia!!!

[istra63]

Frontline combat officers tended to remove the piping and also cap cords to avert sniper attention(more often than not associated with Infantry officers). Adorning themselves with enlisted uniforms and even insignia was a frequent occurrence. Therefore in the field, officers were indistinquishable from their fellow enlisted and NCO's - exactly what they were trying to achieve.

[NickG]

Here's a nice image of General Omar Bradley interrogating German officers captured in Normandy.
Note SS Untersturmfuhrer, being questioned by General Bradley, wearing an SS enlisted M43 uniform with enlisted tabs and officers shoulderboards.
He's wearing a Sam Brown style stitched belt probably of Russion origin (with out cross strap of course), an Ostfront souvenir.