Hello,
cleaning my harddrive I found some notes I had once taken on the uniforms of female SS auxiliaries (
SS-Helferinnen). I found mention of four different types of uniform for female SS auxiliaries:
Type 1
The first field grey uniform selected in November 1942 (Seidler, 1998, p.177). A good description of this uniform is given by Williamson (2003, pp.40). The most distinctive feature of this type is the silver collar piping that all uniform jackets had without regard to rank.
Type 2
On Nov. 1st, 1943 the second pattern of the field grey uniform was introduced (Seidler, 1998, p.176). It didn't differ much from the first one. The main change was that the silver piping of the jacket collars was now reserved for the
Führerinnen ranks (Seidler, 1998, p.177). Obviously the SS tried to get in line with the other branches of the armed forces and the general uniform code for officers.
Type 3
On Jan. 1st, 1945 the female auxiliaries of the
Ordnungspolizei became subordinated to the
SS-Hauptamt that already administered the
SS-Helferinnen. Those police women that had received training at the police school in Erfurt were allowed to volunteer for SS service being rated as
SS-Helferinnen too. All in all this transfer affected approx. 3000 women. Secondary sources available to me (Schwarz, 1997; Seidler, 1998) disagree if these women really volunteered or were simply pushed without much choice. A contingent of about 500 of them (perhaps those that didn't volunteer or were not Erfurt graduates or just had the wrong pedigree) were to be posted back to the police to work there. The other 2500 were to work in the SS.
Because SS tunics were in short supply the former female police auxiliaries kept their police uniforms but received SS sleeve eagles, the SS breast patch and SS rank insignia (silver collar piping?) (Schwarz, 1997, p.238; Seidler, 1998, p.180). Female police auxiliaries did wear ties to their uniforms. What consequences their transfer to the SS had for the ties remains unclear.
Type 4
According to Schwarz (1997, pp.237)
SS-Führerinnen became entitled to wear black uniforms in 1945. Cloth for these uniforms they had to provide themselves. Unfortunately Schwarz fails not provide any source for this story but I've already seen Schwarz's remark repeated in other texts on the female SS to the extent that
SS-Führerinnen DID wear black uniforms. Will be interesting to see how this thing evolves in future
References:
Gudrun Schwarz
Frauen in der SS: Sippenverband und Frauenkorps.
in:
Kirsten Heinsohn; Barbara Vogel; Ulrike Weckel (Eds.)
Zwischen Karriere und Verfolgung. Handlungsräume von Frauen im nationalsozialistischen Deutschland.
Campus Verlag; Frankfurt, New York; 1997; pp.223-244
Franz W. Seidler
Frauen zu den Waffen?
2nd ed., Bernard & Graefe Verlag; Bonn; 1998
Gordon Williamson
World War II German Women's Auxiliary Services.
Men-at-Arms Series No.393; Osprey Publishing; Botley; 2003
Best regards
Torsten