Dark Diamonds of the Third Reich

When Nazi Germany went to war in 1939, thousands of zealous members of Adolf Hitler’s elite “Waffen Schutzstaffel” (Armed SS) threw themselves into the fight, fueled by years of propaganda which proclaimed that they were the chosen few who could wipe out the Bolshevik threat in the East and clear the way for the expansion of the Aryan race. As with other branches of the German armed forces at the time, members of the Waffen SS wore specialty diamonds on their uniform jackets. These patches were used to indicate the wearer’s occupational specialty, organizational assignment, or former membership in another Nazi party group or branch of service.

The first limited variety of Schutzstaffel specialty patches were authorized in October, 1935. Over the next eight years, SS manufactured items, including these patches, needed approval from the “Reichszeugmeisterei” (RZM – Nazi quality control organization). As such, sleeve diamonds during this period required an RZM/SS acceptance tag affixed to the rear. This would be discontinued in 1943 when the SS took complete control of their own production facilities and material output.

On the sleeve patch faces, letters or symbols were embroidered with silver/gray or aluminum thread, with or without piping to designate officers, NCO’s or enlisted men. The insignia was centered on a vertical 70mm high by 45mm wide black shaped diamond material swatch, sometimes covering a thick “burlap” type stiffener base. When issued, patches were sewn to the left lower uniform sleeve of the wearer’s tunic. As the Waffen-SS grew larger, more complex, and assumed more responsibilities within the Third Reich, additional designs were authorized and produced to meet the growing number of functional needs.

When the Nazi war machine and the Third Reich collapsed in 1945, what was left of the Waffen SS was disbanded, with many of their uniforms and patches buried in pits or burned in piles. Because of this, today’s collectors’ market sees a large percentage of reproductions for sale, while original period SS sleeve diamonds have become exceedingly scarce.

(Thanks to Mark Pulaski for sharing his collection with the collecting community.)