This is an un-authenticated WW2 Nazi Germany Wafffen SS ID document certifying the holder's license to operate the Sd.Kfz. 250/1 half track military vehicle.
ID card cover reads:
SS-Armed Forces
Armored Vehicle Driver
ID Documents were common during the third reich to validate the right of passage or presence in a particular area of Nazi Germany. They were also certification of a German national's training and permission to operate specific military vehicles (as is the case with this document). Genuine documents contained personal information, unit details, and a photograph of the bearer, amongst many other identifying credentials.
There is no record of the Third Reich producing a document of this exact replication and therefore, conclude this is faked to appear authentic, "most likely" in an Eastern European country (Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, etc.) & "likely" done in the 1980s.
In either case, it maintains an authentic photo, emblems, & symbols & displays nicely in a collection.
Description:
This 1934 pattern is a stamped alloy construction w/silver wash. The skull features detailed eye and nose cut-outs, two rows of teeth & bottom jaw superimposed over crossed bones, as well as subtle cranium and bone detailing.
Reverse: Hollow backed & a mirror image of the obverse. Well marked w/embossed RZM logo w/dual circular borders & manufacturers code 499/41. Both original attachment prongs are intact & solid.
Maker marked RZM 499/41 (Fritz Zimmermann, Stuttgart, 1941).
History:
The SS (Schutzstaffel) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War 2. It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz ("Hall Security') made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich. In 1925, Heinrich Himmler joined the unit, which had by then been reformed and given its final name. Under his direction (1929-45) it grew from a small paramilitary formation during the Weimar Republic to one of the most powerful organizations in Nazi Germany. From 1929 until the regime's collapse in 1945, the SS was the foremost agency of security, surveillance, and terror within Germany and German-occupied Europe. The two main constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS (Armed SS).
The SS grew to it's massive size following the purge of the SA (Sturmabteilung) on 30 June 1934 in what was known as the “Night of the Long Knives”. The SS was rewarded by Hitler & granted the status of an independent organization under direct control of the NSDAP. In an attempt to distance themselves from the SA, the SS introduced a new pattern cap skull to replace the previously used Imperial Prussian Danziger style skull on 6 October 1934. The distinctive new pattern SS skull remained in use for the duration of the war.
—————————————————————
WW2 (Nazi Germany) - Authentic
SS Visor Cap Skull
$1,232.00 (Firm)
Maker Marked: RZM 499/41 (Zimmermann)
—————————————————————
