Description
Absolutely amazing, and very, very, rare group of items to one of the original early members of the 4th SS-Totenkopfstandarte “Ostmark.” These items were found in a house cleaning in Austria by a good friend of mine a few years ago. This lot of items was unfortunately never identified to the original soldier, consisting of a fantastic early portrait to the man with his early striped piping service tunic while wearing his M35 helmet. The photo is detailed and has an amazing hand written dedication underneath 1/I 4th SS-Totenkopfstandarte “Ostmark.” The original frame is overall in great shape considering the age. Found with the photo is the incredibly rare, and very sought after example of the early gothic script “Ostmark” cufftitle produced in bullion. This is hands down one of the most uncommon SS cufftitles to find in regards to the four early SS-Totenkopfstandarte units. The cuff is textbook in every way possible, and was worn during the period and later removed from the uniform. Pieces like this do not pop up often, if you are a collector of rare SS items, this is something you do not want to pass up…you really do not encounter these on the open market!
Note – The Totenkopf (Death’s Head) Division had its origins in the highly infamous units that guarded the concentration camps. These SS-Totenkopf-Standarten took over the supervision of these camps from the SA in 1934.
The head of the concentration camp inspection was the equally disreputable Theodor Eicke. SS regiments were set up and stationed at the various camps. The Standarte I ‘Upper Bavaria’ in Dachau, Standarte II ‘Brandenburg’ in Oranienburg, Standarte III ‘Thuringia’ near Buchenwald, and Standarte IV ‘Ostmark’ near Mauthausen.
These different elements of the SS Totenkopf were summarized under the term SS-Totenkopfverbaende, or SS-TV in short.
The 4th SS-Totenkopfstandarte “Ostmark” was formed January 4th, 1938 in Steyr. It would later be moved to Linz, originally consisting of two Sturmbann, a third was formed in October 1938 in Berlin-Adlershof. The SS-TV Ostmark would later became SS-Heimwehr Danzig in July 1939. A new III Sturmbann was formed during May 1940 and the Standarte would then became SS-Infanterieregiment 4 on the 21st of June 1941, later on becoming “Das Reich” This cufftutle would have been worn by one of the original members in SS-Totenkopfstandarte “Ostmark” who perform the guard troop function at the KL Mauthausen for the first part of its existence in 1938-1939.
