Original German Pre WWII Waffen SS Marked 51″ × 85″ Wool Blanket – SS 73/34 RZM Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The SS (Schutzstaffel – ‘Protection Squadron’) was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf H. Under the direction of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe.

When WWII began in earnest, the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) (SS Dispositional Troops) became the Waffen-SS (“Armed SS”), an official military branch of the SS organization. Its formations included men from NSDAP ruled Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. They were issued the same type field gear as the regular Heer Army, however they were marked specifically for the SS.

This is a fantastic pre WWII issue original German Waffen SS Wool Blanket, measuring a nice large 51″ × 85″. It is made from woven white wool, and has a dyed black stripe at one end, with a red stripe at the other. Near the red stripe the blanket itself is directly embroidered in red with the ((ᛋᛋ)) Doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) emblem, with 73 / 34 to the right of this next to an ((RZM)) logo. Only the earliest issue SS items featured embroidered insignia and RZM markings. “34” may indicate the year of production, which would be very early, however there is unfortunately not much known about the SS RZM markings, which were completely different from the standard ones.

The blanket is in very good condition, showing light overall wear from service, with some fraying and small tears at the edges. The color is well retained, though there is some staining and soiling in areas, and it looks like there may be some old markings that faded away. It also has a small patch repair, and some holes in areas. Definitely has the look of a blanket that saw a good amount of service, but was well cared for.

Ready to add to your WWII collection!

The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 as the Stosstrupp Adolf AH, (Shock Troops Adolf AH), and was redesignated Schutzstaffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich “Beer-Hall” Putsch on November 9TH 1925. On January 6TH 1929 Heinrich Himmler was appointed as Reichsführer-SS, (National Leader {of the} SS), and on July 20TH 1934 shortly after the, June 30TH 1934, purge of the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm Troopers) on the “Night of the Long Knives”, the SS was rewarded by AH by being granted the status of an independent organization under direct control of the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party).

The SS developed the distinctive SS style cap skull and cross bones on October 6TH 1934 and introduced the SS pattern national cap eagle in February 1936. After their introductions the skull and eagle were to be worn on all forms of SS headgear. In 1944 the SS developed a single piece of cap insignia which incorporated both the skull and eagle on a one piece trapezoid base for wear on the M43 field cap. Originally these trapezoidal pieces of insignia were produced in a machine woven version until a final, embroidered version was introduced in late 1944. The first versions of the trapezoidal cap insignia featured dual rows of teeth in the skull while later versions only had a single row of teeth. Panzer personnel’s cap trapezoids were produced with a black base to match the color of the cap it was to be worn on.