What does this Schulterklappen say to you?

[jluetjen]

This is from my grandfather. Based on conversations with my mother (who was a child at the time) I have a pretty good idea what sort of role/responsibilities it would have been associated with, but I'd like to see if any of the experts here could shed some additional light. Unfortunately he didn't survive the post-war POW camp, and so couldn't supply any information after the fact.

What branch?
What would have been his rank?
Are you aware of any documentation on this sort of role that you can point me at?

Thanks!
- John

[Dwight Pruitt]

1944 and later Administrative Official in the Truppensonderdienst with a rank of OberstLeutnant.

[Glenn2438]

John,

The board of an Oberfeldintendant. As Dwight correctly points out, the insignia is that of the Truppensonderdienst. However, the wearer was now an officer in the rank of an Oberstleutnant and not a military official.

Regards
Glenn

[jluetjen]

Glenn and Dwight; I'm curious how can you tell that they are post 1944? Also -- would the change in rank from Oberfeldintendant to OberstLeutnant be as a result of the transfer of the Wehrmachtbeamte into the regular army in 1944?

I've noticed that on Wehrmact Doctors' (Arzts/Arzten) shoulderboards the caduceus symbol didn't have wings on it. These boards do. My grandfaather wasn't a doctor, but an administrator. Are the caduceus emblems reflective of being in the support of the Sanitäts units, or are they generic to the Truppensonderdienst?

Does the blue waffenfarbe reflect the Sanitäts branch, or Truppensonderdienst?

Any good sources that you can point me to? I have a copy of "Der Zehlmeister des Beurlaubtenstandes des Heeres" that relates to his earlier role as a paymaster. Is there a comparable document for the Truppensonderdienst?

[Glenn2438]

John,

its a convoluted subject! Basically, the Truppensonderdienst was formed with effect May 1944 to reflect the wartime conditions that some military officials found themselves serving in, and as a consequence they became soldiers. With the creation of the TSD, former military officials of the Intendance and Zahlmeister branches became officers in the administrative branch of that organisation. Former military judicial officials were incorporated into the TSD at the same time as judicial officers.

The former branch insignia of the military officials was replaced with that of commissioned officers. In the case of the administrative branch, the officers now wore light blue branch colour (Waffenfarbe) and the Mercurian Staff on the shoulder boards. The Mercurian staff was generic to the administrative branch of the TSD. The rank did not change to Oberstleutnant, if he was already an Oberfeldintendant, that was the rank title he continued to use; the rank was equivalent to a line Oberstleutnant.

If you read German, I can send you a copy of an article that appeared in "Die Heeresverwaltung" in 1944 titled "Vom Wehrmachtbeamten - Heer - zum Offizier im Truppensonderdienst".

Regards
Glenn

[jluetjen]

Thanks Glenn; If you could forward that I'd appreciate it. I was also able to answer my own question when I found this document prepared by the US Army in 1946 that seems to have captured everything that they learned on the organization.