SS-Helferinnen Uniform, Why No Tie?

[Heimatschuss]

Hello Bjorn,

those new details give your thoughts some credibility. Unfortunately if true this shawl was in all likelihood a one-of-a-kind item so it's almost impossible to get definitive proof.
The story with the reused photo is interesting. I've once seen something simlar, a small portrait photo of a Nachrichtenhelferin recycled in a post-war ID card for public transportation (Jahresfahrausweis). Because of the miserable times it was apparently not that uncommon as it looks today.

Best regards
Torsten

[12thdivisionhelferin]

Hey, thought I'd post this. I was originally looking for Reproduction SS photo albums but I found this on one website, the Helfern badge! for sale! How weird is that!?

http://www.germaniainternational.com/waffenss7.html

quarter way down the page...

DESCRIPTION: Here is a very rare Treuedienst silver clasp awarded for faithful service in the Women’s Auxiliary of the SS. Female auxiliaries in the Waffen-SS were divided into two categories: SS Auxiliaries (SS-Helferinnen):
Those female signal personnel trained at the SS school located at Oberenheim/Alsace (Reichsschule für SS-Helferinnen Oberenheim.) and SS War Auxiliaries (SS-Kriegshelferinnen):
All other auxiliary female personnel employed by the SS permanently or temporarily.
The SS auxiliary was made up of females normally between 17 and 30 years of age. They were employed as telephonists, teleprinter operators, and radio operators. Selected female personnel were promoted to NCO or officer ranks after successfully passing special training courses. Reichsführer-SS Himmler authorized distribution of the following letter on 14 August 1943 on the subject of SS Female Auxiliaries:
The designation SS-HELFERINNEN remains confined to female personnel who have been trained in the Reichsschule-SS at Oberenheim/Alsace, tested, and incorporated into the Corps of SS-Helferinnen. All other female employees and workers who are in the service of the SS under contract or by virtue of an Emergency Service Order will be known as Kriegshelferinnen, insofar as they are entitled to be issued with service clothing (uniform) during their employment in accordance with the Führer's Order of 11 January 1943.
Service clothing: The approved service clothing for SS-Helferinnen will also be worn by Kriegshelferinnen, but without distinguishing marks apart from the Hoheitsabzeichen on the headdress and left upper arm. SS runes, sleeve bands with the inscription "Reichsschule-SS," and unit emblems are reserved for SS-Helferinnen only.
The administration of the Kriegshelferinnen is the responsibility of the unit employing them, in collaboration with the SS-Wirtsehafts-Verwaltungs-Hauptamt, but the Chef der Fernmelderwesens (Head of the Communications System) is exclusively responsible for SS-Helferinnen.
The directives issued by the Reichsführer-SS on 30 November 1943 are applicable to the welfare of the SS-Helferinnen and Kriegshelferinnen, especially outside the boundaries of the Reich. These auxiliaries were a very necessary part of the SS organization in that they were able with their communications skills to function in duties that in essence freed up male personnel that were needed in other responsible positions. The silver bar was thought to be an award for special diligence to duty and devotion to the cause. It certainly was not a general issue.

Herr Franz Schnell, whom you can read about in our section “About Our Rings and Silver Insignia”, was the exclusive silversmith who produced these Helfen badges. They are quite beautiful with the SS runes in the center of the bar and well-defined oak-leave strands in behind with the separate letters spelling out ‘Helfen.’ There is an ‘800’ stamp evident, as well. The bar is slightly over 2 inches in length and about 1/4 inch thick. The item is one of the rarest of all SS insignia although certainly not the most costly. Adrian Forman’s first edition (1988) of his pricing book Foreman’s Guide to Third Reich German Awards...And Their Values shows this piece on page 155. He lists its value at $2,500.00, but this was in 1988. We are sure that in some 19 years the value of this item has increased. This is 100-percent genuine and yet we offer it at a figure that will surely jump at you. Why? Because if you read our section “About Our Rings…” you see that many items hitherto considered so rare as to be considered unattainable were now to be had because of our fabulous purchase at Stuttgart. We were able to procure things such as the Victory Rings that once were beyond the hope of the average collector’s dreams and all original and beyond reproach to the true historian. Of course, you can always expect the doubts and silly degradation of the halfwit forum Untermench, but the quality of these original pieces transcends their jealous ranting. So it is with great pride that Germania presents to the collecting world the SS Female Auxiliary bar at a very reasonable price.

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

the SS-Helferinnen clasp is a very rare item. According to Mühlenberg (2011, p.235) it was handed out only once, on Jan 30, 1944 when it was bestowed on 35 SS auxiliaries. The clasp was to be worn at the top end of the shirt. An unfortunate position I must say as most of it would have been hidden under the shirt collar (except for the SS runes of course). Since the numbers 104 and 135 are known to have been on the clasps handed out it's safe to assume that clasps with the punched in numbers 101 - 135 were issued.

Known recipients:

Erna W.: Unterführerin and Heimwartin (Mühlenberg, 2011, pp.377)

Gertrud S.: Führerin and Heimwartin, she received clasp No. 104 (Mühlenberg, 2011, p.437)

Ilse Staiger: Heimleiterin, then Reichsbeauftragte im SS-Helferinnenkorps. She got clasp No. 135 (Mühlenberg, 2011, pp.439)

Waltraut M.: According to a SS note she had to hand back the clasp when she was dismissed from the SS later. The exact reason for her dismissal remains unclear because her personnel file is missing. (Mühlenberg, 2011, p.254).

References:

Mühlenberg, Jutta
Das SS-Helferinnenkorps.
Ausbildung, Einsatz und Entnazifizierung der weiblichen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS 1942 - 1949
Hamburger Edition HIS; Hamburg; 2011

Best regards
Torsten

[Vikki]

Hello 12thdivisionhelferin,

What Torsten is perhaps too polite to say as well is that Germania International is well-known for items of---errrr, shall we say, dubious origins. "SS Wedding Rings", reproduction SS Totenkopf rings sold as originals, reproduction SS insignia sold as originals, even dinnerware from a cruise ship line whose initials are the same as the LAH, which they describe and sell as Leibstandarte dinnerware.

For a start, see:

http://forum.wehrmacht-awards.com/forum ... p?t=273055
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=175303
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=175456
http://forum.wehrmacht-awards.com/forum ... p?t=495383
http://forum.wehrmacht-awards.com/forum ... p?t=449796
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/Forums/ ... p?t=374101
http://forum.wehrmacht-awards.com/forum ... p?t=121143


I've edited your post to put your cut-and-paste from Germania's website in a quote box, so it's clear that it's from their website rather than from you. Because those "halfwit forum Untermench" [sic] whose ranting they're talking about

Of course, you can always expect the doubts and silly degradation of the halfwit forum Untermench, but the quality of these original pieces transcends their jealous ranting.

include many experienced and well-known collectors, and experts, of the likes of even Robin Lumsden.

Best regards,

~Vikki

[Ian Hulley]

To put that quote from Germania in context directly below it is a set of fake SS cap insignia

Ian (halfwit forum Untermench)

[Siegfried Wilhelm]

I have a theory on the so-called SS scarf. Looking at the photo I could agree that there are indeed Sig runes woven in. However one must remember that the runes go back a lot further than the Third Reich and runes were used on lots of things as decoration etc. long before then--just as the swastika was used as a 'good luck' symbol (and even the pre-war US 45th infantry division insignia) and is found on all sorts of stuff.
The scarf seems to have Sig runes but not in pairs as the SS would have. I believe it's merely runic decoration.

SW~

[Heimatschuss]

Hello Vikki,

many thanks for your hints on the nature of Germania International. My posting was determined not so much by politeness but by my haste to tell the community something about the latest research results derived by Mühlenberg combing through the SS-Helferinnen personnel files. This undue haste led to my ignorance with regard to G.I.'s business policy. I think I've had one or two looks on their pages over the years by their prices are clearly beyond my purse anyway so I never developed a special interest in them. Good that you had an eye on them already

Best regards
Torsten

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

several nice pictures of SS-Helferinnen (mainly portraits) were posted on WAF in recent days:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... tcount=615
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... tcount=617
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... tcount=619
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... tcount=622

#617 must be of an early SS-Helferin because of the diamond Blitz patch that was soon abolished on the orders of Himmler. He feared that the purportedly immaculate reputation of his SS-Helferinnen could be tarnished when the public somehow began associating them with the Heer Blitzmädel so Blitz patches were a no-go. (Mühlenberg, 2011, p.231)

#619 shows a curious mix of SS-Helferinnen uniform with a civilian beret. It's especially interesting because of the collar piping which seems to be a twisted two-colour cord. So far I've only met collars with silver piping when it comes to SS-Helferinnen. First this piping was used for all SS-Helferinnen, later it was only for the Führerinnen after a rank system had been introduced. It may be that this two-colour piping signified Unterführerinnen just like in other service branches though Mühlenberg (2011, p.231) says silver piping was also used by Unterführerinnen.

References:

Mühlenberg, Jutta
Das SS-Helferinnenkorps.
Ausbildung, Einsatz und Entnazifizierung der weiblichen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS 1942 - 1949
Hamburger Edition HIS; Hamburg; 2011

Best regards
Torsten

[Arto O]

From: foroairsoft.com

s1.jpg (31.22 KiB) Viewed 9830 times

[Arto O]

The whole photo. Venice 1944. Source: aufseherin.tumblr.com

[ylla]

SS women- I have noidea whom the officer is or what unit these SS women belong too.

[Marcus]

Ylla, please remember to always include the source (website, book etc) of the photos you post. Also, such small photos where most of the image is just parts of your cell phone screen are sadly not very helpful.

/Marcus

[history1]

SS women- I have noidea whom the officer is or what unit these SS women belong too.

Photo is from the Karl Höcker - album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USqiV7phxjc#t=275

[ylla]

Where I got the image was from another forum, which never had the source.

Thank you.

[Marcus]

Where I got the image was from another forum, which never had the source.

In your example the forum is your source so then you include a link to that forum.

/Marcus