 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Thecuff title (German:Ärmelstreifen) is a form of commemorative or affiliation insignia placed on thesleeve, near thecuff, of German military and paramilitary uniforms. The tradition can be traced back to the foundation of the "Gibraltar" cuff title, which was authorised in 1783 byGeorge III forHanoverian Army troops which fought in theGreat Siege of Gibraltar during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[1][2][3] Cuff titles are often associated with the Second World War and units of theWaffen SS but were widely used by all branches of the German military, includingparamilitary and civilian organizations.[4]
 |
The base portion of a cuff title is made of either wool, cotton, rayon or a cotton/rayon mix. It is approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide and bears a name or symbol that identifies the wearer belonging to a particular unit or has served in a specific campaign. Machine woven cuff titles became more common as the second world war progressed and newer titles were introduced. The colors of the fabric as well as the lettering varied. The cuff titles of theWaffen-SS, the combat branch of the paramilitary SS organisation of Nazi Germany, reflected the colours of the SS (black and silver) and were generally black in colour with grey or white lettering.
Lettering could be in Latin,Gothic orSütterlin style script, as shown on theGrossdeutschland cuff title. Block letters were also used.
Both were namedÄrmelstreifen. To differentiate it, there was another cuff title, namedÄrmelband, which was used for
There are several patterns of cuff titles known to have been used; some units had several unique patterns. Among the more interesting designs were:
_WW2_German_military_decoration_of_May_1941_on_Wehrmacht_uniform_tunic_left_sleeve_Norwegian_Armed_Forces_Museum_(Forsvarsmuseet)_Oslo_Norway_2020-02-24_02870.jpg)
As worn on Second World War uniforms, the bottom edge of German cuff titles were generally placed at the top of the split seam of a jacket cuff. This is how the measurement of 14.5 cm to 15 cm (5.7 to 5.9 inches) came about, because the split seam of the sleeve of a German enlisted man's field blouse is approximately 14.5 cm. The Germans had no defined measurement in their regulations as to how high the cuff title went, just that it was to be placed alongside the cuff's split seam. Wartime photographic evidence exists of jackets with the cuff title placed lower than 14.5 cm to 15 cm from the cuff edge. This is usually due to a reduced sleeve length. On jackets with a French cuff (the cuff turned back), the cuff title was placed above the cuff if it was an Army (Heer), Air force (Luftwaffe), or Navy (Kriegsmarine) uniform, and placed just below the cuff edge on the cuff itself on SS jackets (usually between the edge of the cuff and the seam of the cuff's edge, approximately 1 mm to 1.5 mm).
In theBundeswehr the cuff title are worn at the cuff on both sides.[8]
In the Army, Air force or Navy the unit cuff title was, in tradition with the regranted GIBRALTAR cuff title, worn on the right arm.[9] In the SS the cuff title was worn on the left arm. All campaign cuff titles were worn on the left arm. For example; someone who was in the army and fought in North Africa and later transferred toGrossdeutschland had an "Afrika" campaign cuff title on their left arm and theirGrossdeutschland cuff title on their right arm (General Manteuffel's leather coat was an anomaly to this rule). An SS soldier who fought in Crete as a paratrooper and later joined 2nd SS DivisionDas Reich would have both of his cuff titles on the left arm. In this case one would usually see the unit cuff title placed below the campaign cuff title because the chances are that the individual received his jacket with his unit cuff title beforehand and then had his campaign cuff title affixed after the fact, but this was not always the case.
More than one title could be worn if the soldier was entitled. General Manteuffel wore the "Afrika" campaign cuff title above hisGrossdeutschland cuff title during the period he commanded that division. Unit cuff titles were not granted as a mark of prior service in the same manner that divisional patches were and continues to be worn on the right sleeve of US Army uniforms. However, members who were entitled to wear a unit cuff title, who were also military policemen,[5] combat correspondents, or members of theFührerhauptquartier (Hitler's headquarters), could wear both their unit's cuff title and the cuff title of their specialty service. An example of this would be a military policeman in the17th SS Division "Götz von Berlichingen", who would or could wear both thisSS-Feldgendarmerie (SS Military Police) cuff title and hisGötz von Berlichingen cuff title. In this specific case, they would both be worn on the left arm. Soldiers sent to schools also wore the school's cuff over that of the unit, if any.
Cuff titles were considered a special honour. The bookThe History of the Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland by Helmuth Spaeter describes an instance in which the motorcycle company of the Infantry Regiment "Grossdeutschland" was held to account for losing a position; they were forbidden from wearing their cuff titles until they had earned the privilege back by success in a later battle.
WhenWaffen SS divisions failed to perform satisfactorily near Vienna in April 1945, Adolf Hitler ordered the units involved to remove their cuff titles as a punishment. SS-OberstgruppenführerSepp Dietrich was enraged, and reportedly sent his own back to Berlin in anight vase (chamber pot).
Soldiers in training were usually presented the cuff title only on completion of that training, and the award of the title was seen as a rite of passage. This rite is described in the bookThe Forgotten Soldier.
TheEast GermanNationale Volksarmee continued the tradition of cuff titles, most notably worn by Border Guards and Guard Regiments named after famous German communists and Personalities of the Eastern Bloc.
TheWest GermanLuftwaffe (Federal German Air Force) regranted the tradition of awarding cuff titles to itsTraditionsverbände such as: "Jagdgeschwader Immelmann", "Jagdgeschwader Steinhoff", "Jagdgeschwader Richthofen" and "Jagdgeschwader Boelke", which were named after famous fighter pilots of the First and Second World Wars.[8][10] The cuff title for "Jagdgeschwader Mölders" was later withdrawn.
TheGerman Army continues to wear some distinctive cuff titles today. The first, used by theGerman Army Aviation Corps is a stylized silver grey "wing" on a black band with silver piping on the top and bottom edges. The second for its Armoured Training Battalion (and School) which is a silver grey embroidered "Panzerlehrbrigade 9" in Gothic script. Also the schools "Offizierschule des Heeres" and "Unteroffizierschule des Heeres" have granted cuff title.[8]
The third for itsWachbataillon which is a silver grey embroidered "Wachbataillon" in Gothic script on a black band with silver piping on the top and bottom edges.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)p.110f
Media related toCuff titles at Wikimedia Commons
