Elite Black Helmet
 IRH Elite EQ Riding Helmet - Black 6-7/8 US $178.95 
|
 IRH Elite EQ Riding Helmet - Black 7 US $178.95
|
 IRH Elite EQ Riding Helmet - Black 7-3/8 US $178.95
|
 IRH Elite Extreme Helmet - Black/Charcoal 7 LONG OVAL US $149.95
|
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
A question about the military aspect of the Third Reich?
Hello. I am starting to get interested in WW2 after listening to my grandfather's tales but am a bit confused about the Nazi military structure, any help welcome!
So here goes: the standard German army wore a grey uniform and 'kettle' helmet, or a peaked cap for Officers. These were the conscripts and infantry soldiers.
The SS were the elite troops (like the Parachute Regiment or Royal Marines of the UK?) and wore an identical uniform to the army, but in black. Again, peaked caps for Officers.
The Waffen SS was just a subdivision of the SS and looked identical. Both were characterised by the 'Death Head' cap badge and were active military personnel.
The Gestapo were not military as such but dealt with intelligence and spying/ interrogation type things, like a paramilitary secret police. No uniform but commonly portrayed in black trenchcoats.
Have I got this right? I'm most confused about the SS/ Waffen SS; were they elite troops or more involved in intelligence?
Nazi uniforms of WWII are quite a complex subject.
The basic 'classic war movie' image is broadly correct for both early war German infantry and Waffen SS, grey uniform with a hint of green, coalscuttle helmet, black equipment, jackboots.
Luftwaffe troops and Fallschirmjagers (parachutists) wore a slightly bluer-grey uniform rather than the green-grey of the infantry. The paras had a different helmet design etc
Panzer (tank) crews officially wore a black uniform with raspberry ( I kid you not) piping.
Camouflaged clothing was, I think, adopted by the Waffen SS first, similar to the disruptive camouflage of modern soldiers. Towards the end of the war ordinary infantry also used camouflaged clothes.
As an aside, the Americans tried out camouflage gear in Normandy but found that the soldiers in the trial unit kept getting mistaken for Germans, with unfortunate consequences, so shelved the idea.
Naturally in the desert the Afrika Corps wore sandy-coloured uniforms and in snow the Germans were sometimes issued white capes etc for camouflage. There were lots of different uniform variations.
As for the SS, the Waffen SS were primarily supposed to be 'elite' soldiers, other branches of the SS seem to mostly have been involved in rounding up and shooting civilians and running the death camps. The Waffen SS carried out many massacres and the Heer (regular army) also participated especially on the Eastern Front.
The Gestapo generally wore civilian uniforms as far as I'm aware.
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
Tags: elite black helm runescape, elite black helmet, ted, ted_blacksmithing, ted_xmas
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.