Original German WWII DAK Deutsches Afrikakorps Cuff Title – Uniform Cut-off Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is an very nice ‘Uniform Cut-off” example of a German Deutches Afrikakorps (DAK) cuff title, which was removed from a uniform and sent home by an Allied forces soldier. It is a machine woven cuff title with a horizontal, dark green, cotton center stripe with diagonally ribbed, horizontal, bright silver aluminum flat-wire edge trim. This is all woven into a very nice olive cotton backing, which is visible at the borders.  The dark green center stripe features machine woven, block, Latin script, AFRIKAKORPS in bright silver/aluminum flat-wire threads. Measures 7/8 inches wide by 16 inches in length. Overall very good condition, considering the wear. There is a tear on one side, and overall wear, but that just adds to the lovely aged look!

Ready to display!

The “Afrikakorps” cuff title became an official award from the 18th July 1941 (Prior to this date the various locally made black unofficial Afrikakorps cuff titles had been worn by some German soldiers from all branches of the Wehrmacht) Criteria for the award was a minimum of two months service in North Africa, before the award could be worn on the tropical blouse, or woollen greatcoat. However, many German soldiers decided to keep their titles as souvenirs and many of these titles were taken from German POW’s by allied soldiers throughout the Desert Campaign and in Tunisia.

The “Afrikakorps” cuff title was to be worn approximately 15cm from the bottom of the lower right sleeve on the tropical field blouse and the woollen tropical greatcoat. The wearing of the cuff title was permitted when wearing the field-grey tunic on leave in Europe, and on the tropical uniform in the summer months when on leave in Europe.

With the introduction of the “Afrika” campaign title on January 15th 1943 the“Afrikakorps” cuff title was ordered to be removed, but this order was probably ignored in the front line by some soldiers, as the official Afrika title was slow to be awarded and it is doubtful that any actual titles made it to Tunisia before the surrender in May 1943.