Waffen-SS Untersturmführer Shoulder boards, Pair
Price: $450
BUY / RESERVE THIS ITEMDESCRIPTION: Matched pair, wartime gray top slip-on style officer boards with gilt rank pip & numeral ‘XII’ having pink wool piping on a black wool base for SS-Obersturmführer of Panzer regt XII, rare.
BACKGROUND: Originally shoulder straps for Allgemeine-SS personnel were introduced on May 26TH 1933 at the same time as the SA shoulder straps were introduced. These first pattern shoulder straps were also worn by SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops), and, SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände units, (SS-Death’s Head units), which were to become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS. On their introduction the shoulder straps for both SS and SA personnel were identical. In July 1935 the first army style shoulder straps for EM/NCO’s were introduced to distinguish the armed SS-VT and SS-TK personnel from the political Allgemeine-SS personnel. Army style shoulder boards for Officers were introduced in early 1938 and distinguishing branches of service (waffenfarbe), colors were adopted in 1939. The transition to the army style shoulder boards/straps was pretty much complete in late 1938 -early 1939 and these army style shoulder boards/straps would be worn by all Waffen-SS personnel.
