SS Totenkopf Collar tabs

[Erich Schmitt]

Hi All,

One of the posts elsewhere in the forum has shown pics of an officer from SS Totenkopf Division with Death's Head insignia on both collars.

Would this be a unique case?

The skull were orientated vertically, as opposed to them being aligned horizontally later on.

Under what circumstances (if any) would officers be wearing two Death's Head collar tabs?

When did the practice stop?

Thanks

Erich

[awaygood]

According to Andrew Mollo's book on SS uniforms and insignia, with the adoption, by the Waffen-SS, of army-style rank shoulder-straps, there was no need to continue showing SS ranks on the left collar patch. So, for a while, some Waffen-SS units wore their unit insignia on both collar patches. There are lots of photographs showing that this ruling was particularly widely-adopted by the Totenkopf regiments. There is also a large number of photographs showing the sig-runen (double-S) insignia worn on both collar patches -including at least one showing a 'mirror image' of the sig-runen on the left collar patch. The Prinz Eugen regiment's insignia are also seen on both collar patches.
However, it would seem that the order was withdrawn and the Waffen-SS reverted to the more usual unit/SS rank insignia combination of collar patches. Judging from the photographs which I have seen, I think this probably happened shortly after the invasion of Poland.
The orientation of the totenkopf collar patches, I think, depended on whether the patches were intended for the pre-war SS-TV's early field uniforms, in which case, they were the same orientation as those intended for the pre-war black uniforms. With the issue of the army-style uniforms, the totenkopf insignia were reorientated sideways. During the last days of peace / early days of the war, no doubt both versions were worn -depending upon availability.

[panzermahn]

According to Andrew Mollo's book on SS uniforms and insignia, with the adoption, by the Waffen-SS, of army-style rank shoulder-straps, there was no need to continue showing SS ranks on the left collar patch. So, for a while, some Waffen-SS units wore their unit insignia on both collar patches. There are lots of photographs showing that this ruling was particularly widely-adopted by the Totenkopf regiments. There is also a large number of photographs showing the sig-runen (double-S) insignia worn on both collar patches -including at least one showing a 'mirror image' of the sig-runen on the left collar patch. The Prinz Eugen regiment's insignia are also seen on both collar patches.
However, it would seem that the order was withdrawn and the Waffen-SS reverted to the more usual unit/SS rank insignia combination of collar patches. Judging from the photographs which I have seen, I think this probably happened shortly after the invasion of Poland.
The orientation of the totenkopf collar patches, I think, depended on whether the patches were intended for the pre-war SS-TV's early field uniforms, in which case, they were the same orientation as those intended for the pre-war black uniforms. With the issue of the army-style uniforms, the totenkopf insignia were reorientated sideways. During the last days of peace / early days of the war, no doubt both versions were worn -depending upon availability.

I saw a picture of Herbert Otto Gille wearing the Siegrunen spiegeln on both collars although the Siegrunen on the left collar was not a mirror image. But you're correct, one of Mollo's book had a photograph showing a mix group of SS and Polizei man and the officer on the right had double siegrunen.

The Prinz Eugen Odal spiegeln which famously worn at both collar by Hstuf Heinrich Petersen actually went against the SS regulation because it was worn after the SS regulations stated the unit's collarpatch cannot be worn on both sides.

Regards
Panzermahn