Photographic study of SS gear in Czechoslovakia

[Martin Stiles]

Agreed with Ian 100%
Great work !!!
Thanks for educating us today
Owen

I certainly concur, valuable information, thank you!

[NickG]

Here's a sampling of what can be found in the Czech Republic, an SS dominated (controlled) state! LW, SA and HJ items also shown as well...
Of course these gems can easily be found in other parts of Europe but the helmets are a typical find (along with other SS tropical gear, trop.Y-straps
and SS-Sahariana uniform components, SS tropical boots), all for some reason stock piled in unused conditions, concentrated in the Protectorate...
Local collectors know this. Maybe they can chime in!

[Dennis S]

Good job Nick 🍻

[Jeff V]

Nice write up Nick, thanks!

[istra63]

Great compilation Nick

[Lou58]

Thanks Nick, very interesting, and educational Would off loved getting my hands on some off the Sahariana gear

Lou

[NickG]

Thanks guys.
Here's another Sahariana that I own! (2nd pattern, pleatless)
No doubt found in the Czech Republic!



The Republican Guard was dissolved in June 1945 and National Security "NB" units took over for police and border guard duties.
These SS tunics were worn by both RG and members "PP1 NB", so these tunics had to have been found in a warehouse at a minimum of several thousand+ pieces...
This based on the personnel strength + on top of that all the kit that was liberated during the uprising period!
Here 2 more examples!

[HAF]

very interesting use of german uniforms post war,just if i may ask?,here are a lot this sahariana tunics on market ,but very few trousers and caps?

[Dennis S]

Pants probably worn out from later civilian use. Pants generally wear out faster than jackets anyway having more contact with skin, sweat and outside elements . Same with hats...... constant sweat contact generally worn by one person and then tossed in the dustbin.

[Fred Fokkelman]

WOW, very impressive article!

[NickG]

Some more contributions (some via members...)..straying a little but from the SS theme...
Not only uniforms were pressed into Czech service post war! Note 2 Bergepanthers! and of course they continued building German type half tracks
(with Skoda engines) and ME262 airplanes to name 2 examples!

2nd image is a resistance fighter commemoration event post war, still wearing his LW obtained flight suit adorned with Czech resistance medals...
The Hetzer was also captured and used during the uprising!

[NickG]

Also German helmets ended up in Czech armed forces service, but few...
The majority were mothballed as strategic (cold war) inventories or re-issued to civil emergency and fire services...often repainted black.
They apparently wanted to avoid the German look so few helmets were issued to armed forces, other gear and weaponry was a different story of course!!
Credit goes to as tagged!

[NickG]

This post war image is interesting as it shows (besides the German helmet) also SS camo and a German bread bag! Image received
from a Czech connected source who is a WAF member!

[NickG]

Back to the Tropical SS Sahariana theme!

Few units used SS Saharianas during the war. Some W-SS in Southern France, Island of Corsica-Italy and of course the majority in the Balkans and Greece late war.
Namely Handschar, Karstjager, Skanderbeg, RFSS, LAH, Polizei Divisions...and I have seen photos of Hungarian SS in the Balkans in Sahariana shirts.

The W-SS Polizei Division apparently as a whole used Saharianas in huge quantities when they rotated out of Northern Russia and the entire Division got sent
to the Balkans (some components for security-anti partisan duty) and Greece ( entire Division for occupation duty)
Primarily for anti partisan operations and occupation duty. Not many photos are available from these quieter fronts. PK photographers went elsewhere,
where the real hot spots were!

This is their route: (reorganization would also mean issuance of tropical gear suitable for that theatre)

As you can notice their "marschroute" was via Prague.
This is an interesting observation as the SS tropical kit ALL came from that area in B-M!

[NickG]

By December 1943 the ENTIRE SS Polizei division (minus 1 detached kampfgruppe which remained in Russia) was posted to Salonika, Greece to start occupation security duty
and anti partisan operations, which lasted 8 months and the Division left the Sudfront theatre for Bucharest Ost front in August of 1944.
(turning in their tropical kit back in Prague I assume... reverse route)

See red route! Map from the 4th Division History "Die Guten Glaubens Waren"(1977)
From Heeresgruppe Nord (Northern sector of the Eastern front) to Prague area, (depot location), through the Balkans (also security duty there),
to Salonika and Larissa, Greece. Troop movement Balkans commenced late 1943 and the ENTIRE Division stayed in the theatre
(Greece occupation and partisan fighting) through the summer of 1944.(mainly Northern-Central Greece)

Total Division strength: 16,000...so needless to say they needed a lot of Sahariana uniforms!
As we know SS tropical pictures are relatively rare but tropical SS funeral pictures exist showing also the funeral of SS-Brigadefuhrer H.E.Vahl.
He arrived in Greece to assume command of the Polizei Division on 13 July 1944, but was killed in a motoring accident in Greece on 22 July 1944.

One of the soldiers who served there is the relative of a WAF member, who showed these images in a separate thread, thought to show them here as well!
This vet remembers getting ALL of his sahariana kit to include a matching stahlhelm in Prague he claims.

Here some images (X is the soldier)

Image credit goes to Gams01, who's relative is depicted!