SS insignia reference books...

[Hans Kristian]

Hello,

I am seriously looking for e good and reliable reference book on SS-VT, SS-TV and Waffen-SS cloth insignia.

What can you recommend..?..


Thanks,
Hans Kristian

[echoe]

ss vt

definitely pick up the original mollo series. you can find them on ABE books.

[istra63]

Cloth Insignia of the SS
John Angolia
Some consider/ed this the bible for collectors.
It does have the odd repro in it.

[90th Light]

Cloth Insignia of the SS
John Angolia
Some consider/ed this the bible for collectors.
It does have the odd repro in it.

And the quality of many of the black and white pictures leaves a lot to be desired,

Chris

[Raymond270]

I have that Mollo book for sale if you like.

Regards Raymond

[Hans Kristian]

Cloth Insignia of the SS
John Angolia
Some consider/ed this the bible for collectors.
It does have the odd repro in it.

Thanks, yes, this is the only reference book on the SS that I have. It is acceptable, but very confusing in its layout and, as Chris states, it has really bad quality photos. But it is also an old book.

[Hans Kristian]

I have that Mollo book for sale if you like.

Regards Raymond

PM sent..

[rbno]

This question comes up with some regularity. I wrote this a couple of years ago, but it is still appropriate:

Cloth Insignia of the SS” by John Angolia: This is the most comprehensive book on the subject of cloth insignia. It covers all branches of the SS, to include Waffen, SSVT, SSTV, Foreign Volunteer formations, etc. Drawbacks include: relatively small pictures, some of which are of indifferent quality, many variations of cuff titles are not referenced and there are a few questionable pieces included.

“A Collelctors Guide to SS and Political Cuffbands” and “Collecting Third Reich SS & Political Cuffbands” by Ulric of England: This is actually a volume I and Volume II. This is by far the most detailed reference on SS cuff titles and includes many excellent shots showing construction details, front and back along with good descriptive material. It is, however, far from comprehensive, and is limited to cuff titles.

“German Military Cuffbands, 1784 – Present” by Gordon Williamson & Thomas McGuirl: This is probably the most comprehensive work on Waffen SS cuff titles. Most variations are included. However, it is limited to Waffen SS cuff titles and the photos could be a little larger, and more detailed.

“Insignia and Artifacts of the Waffen SS” by Michael D. Beaver / Mark A Bando: Excellent color photographs of Waffen SS insignia! Also includes some information on metal insignia, etc. In this case, the drawbacks include lack of Foreign Volunteer units of the WSS and lack of Allgemeine insignia.

“Uniforms of the Waffen – SS, Volumes 1 – 3” by Michael D. Beaver: This is by far the best reference on SS uniforms. Drawbacks are that headgear is not included and insignia is not the primary focus of this work (But there are many great insignia shots!)

“Uniforms of the SS, Volumes 1 – 7” by Andrew Mollo: This series has a little of everything, but its forte is the extremely detailed line drawings of insignia. The drawbacks are small photographs of indifferent quality and lack of comprehensiveness.

“SS Uniforms, Insignia & Accoutrements, A study in Photographs” by A. Hayes: Great color photographs of a wide variety of SS items, many of which are not shown in other references. Its drawbacks include the inclusion of a few questionable pieces and a lack of comprehensiveness.

“Inside the Allgemeine SS 1925 – 1945” by Ulric of England: Great color photographs of a wide variety of Allgemeine SS items, many of which are not shown in other references. Some of the some photos could be a little larger; it is far from comprehensive and covers only Allgemeine SS.

“The Collector’s Guide to the Distinctive Cloth Headgear of the Allgemeine and Waffen – SS” by Michael D. Beaver with William Shea: This is an excellent book on all cloth SS headgear with great color photos and descriptions. The downside is that insignia is not the focus of this book. There are excellent shots of the insignia attached to the headgear, but not reverse sides.

“Collectors Guide to Sturmabteilung Insignia” by David Fuller: This book is not about SS insignia. It is about SA insignia and its construction much of which applies to SS insignia. It includes numerous detailed pictures illustrating construction techniques. For that reason, I highly recommend it.

[Matt M]

This is what is cool about this forum

Hans comes on here asks for some guidance on reference material and Boom.
He gets all he needs to make a good decision on some books.

Nice job.

[Hans Kristian]

Wow, many thanks, this is a very comprehensive list indeed.

But I can also see that I most likely need several of these books as they have different topics and some overlapping.

Thanks again,

Hans Kristian

This question comes up with some regularity. I wrote this a couple of years ago, but it is still appropriate:

Cloth Insignia of the SS” by John Angolia: This is the most comprehensive book on the subject of cloth insignia. It covers all branches of the SS, to include Waffen, SSVT, SSTV, Foreign Volunteer formations, etc. Drawbacks include: relatively small pictures, some of which are of indifferent quality, many variations of cuff titles are not referenced and there are a few questionable pieces included.

“A Collelctors Guide to SS and Political Cuffbands” and “Collecting Third Reich SS & Political Cuffbands” by Ulric of England: This is actually a volume I and Volume II. This is by far the most detailed reference on SS cuff titles and includes many excellent shots showing construction details, front and back along with good descriptive material. It is, however, far from comprehensive, and is limited to cuff titles.

“German Military Cuffbands, 1784 – Present” by Gordon Williamson & Thomas McGuirl: This is probably the most comprehensive work on Waffen SS cuff titles. Most variations are included. However, it is limited to Waffen SS cuff titles and the photos could be a little larger, and more detailed.

“Insignia and Artifacts of the Waffen SS” by Michael D. Beaver / Mark A Bando: Excellent color photographs of Waffen SS insignia! Also includes some information on metal insignia, etc. In this case, the drawbacks include lack of Foreign Volunteer units of the WSS and lack of Allgemeine insignia.

“Uniforms of the Waffen – SS, Volumes 1 – 3” by Michael D. Beaver: This is by far the best reference on SS uniforms. Drawbacks are that headgear is not included and insignia is not the primary focus of this work (But there are many great insignia shots!)

“Uniforms of the SS, Volumes 1 – 7” by Andrew Mollo: This series has a little of everything, but its forte is the extremely detailed line drawings of insignia. The drawbacks are small photographs of indifferent quality and lack of comprehensiveness.

“SS Uniforms, Insignia & Accoutrements, A study in Photographs” by A. Hayes: Great color photographs of a wide variety of SS items, many of which are not shown in other references. Its drawbacks include the inclusion of a few questionable pieces and a lack of comprehensiveness.

“Inside the Allgemeine SS 1925 – 1945” by Ulric of England: Great color photographs of a wide variety of Allgemeine SS items, many of which are not shown in other references. Some of the some photos could be a little larger; it is far from comprehensive and covers only Allgemeine SS.

“The Collector’s Guide to the Distinctive Cloth Headgear of the Allgemeine and Waffen – SS” by Michael D. Beaver with William Shea: This is an excellent book on all cloth SS headgear with great color photos and descriptions. The downside is that insignia is not the focus of this book. There are excellent shots of the insignia attached to the headgear, but not reverse sides.

“Collectors Guide to Sturmabteilung Insignia” by David Fuller: This book is not about SS insignia. It is about SA insignia and its construction much of which applies to SS insignia. It includes numerous detailed pictures illustrating construction techniques. For that reason, I highly recommend it.