A red SS Fez

[TP Alexander]

I have seen one or two of these in my time.
This is the first one that I saw that the fez had the tassle tacked down about a quarter way down from the base. Is this the usual practice and I just never noticed before?
Tim

[TP Alexander]

2

[tgn]

Yes, Tim, they are usually tied down.

Tom

[V.I.D.]

Yes, it's a common practice, but many have been damaged and have lost these strands or tassel itself is loose.

[Mike Swan]

I also read somewhere that many of the personnel pulled the tassel from the loops as they liked it swinging freely.

Mike

[V.I.D.]

I also read somewhere that many of the personnel pulled the tassel from the loops as they liked it swinging freely.

Mike

Correct - which is how these are traditionally worn in Bosnia. Anecdotally, many have also ripped off Croatian checkerboard from their uniforms, thus displaying their independence from Ustasa regime (which tried hard to prevent division to organize in the first place) and promoting their local Bosnian identity.

[Ralph Arndt]

Nice and normal.

[Scott A. Hess]

Very nice Tim hard to find these with the tassel still tacked down, I have two but Sadly theylack this feature.

[sutka]

nice original

[John T]

The Ustasa regime wanted to have "Ustasa" in the title of the division but that was nixed; as a sidenote one reference states that elements of the Prinz Eugen carried out a massacre in a village of family members of Bosnians in the SS supposedly precipitating one of two mutinies by Bosnians in the two divisions.--Kama and Handschar.

[TP Alexander]

as a sidenote one reference states that elements of the Prinz Eugen carried out a massacre in a village of family members of Bosnians in the SS supposedly precipitating one of two mutinies by Bosnians in the two divisions.--Kama and Handschar.

Name of book or cite source, please??!?

[John T]

Tim, you are going to make me work, I will dig it out,--actually two references one regarding the name and one regarding the massacre.

It was a PE unit history.

John

[TP Alexander]

Tim, you are going to make me work, I will dig it out,--actually two references one regarding the name and one regarding the massacre.

It was a PE unit history.

John

Thank you.
I always find it interesting to see the monster eating itself.

[V.I.D.]

Name of book or cite source, please??!?

In fact, this is fairly well known event and listed in both G. Lepre's book and "Truths and Lies about 13th SS "Handschar" division" by Sulejmanpasic. If I remember correctly it was some 70-80 Bosnian Muslim civilians that were massacred by SS "Prinz Eugen" as a reprisal against Partisan activity around village even though villagers were not directly involved, in fact, some of "Handschar" members had their family members killed in the massacre.

It took place in late 1943 while "Handschar" was organized & trained in France and caused the outrage. It was also very unusual event in the light of typical modus operandi for SS "Prinz Eugen" which, by and large, massacred predominantly Serbian population in Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, and parts of Croatia.

I forgot to mention the place - had to look it up again: village Kosutica by small town of Sokolac (close to Sarajevo).

[TP Alexander]

Thanx.
I’ll look it up.