History

The Allgemeine SS used cuff titles produced in several different ways.

Machine-embroidered cuff titles were manufactured by machine-embroidering wording or numbers onto a strip of blank cuff title material. The embroidery was usually done in white/silver/grey thread and the thickness varies. The average length of this style of cuff title is 49cm, with the shortest being 41cm and the longest at 50cm.

These cuff titles are generally found with an RZM paper or woven label attached to the reverse, although it is not uncommon for the label to be missing. At times, a cuff title would have two labels attached as two different manufacturers were responsible for the production of the items (one firm produced the band, the other did the embroidery work).

The ‘chain-stitch’ style of machine embroidery is occasionally encountered. The name is in reference to the chain-like appearance of the embroidery.

Hand-embroidered cuff titles were produced by hand-embroidering wording/numbers onto a blank cuff title. Fine aluminium wires were generally used in the production of these cuff titles, although silver and gold thread, as well as yellow or white synthetic thread, were also used. These cuff titles are generally found with RZM paper or woven labels. This style of manufacture was popular until 1939/1940 and fell out of favour due to the cost.

Another type of cuff title is the machine-woven one, which was produced by feeding coloured threads into a machine where they are woven into a design.

Woven flatwire cuff titles were produced using aluminium, silver, white celleon, or gold/yellow celleon to create wording/numbering. The term ‘flatwire’ refers to the fact that the fine threads lay flat, unlike hand-embroidery which is raised. There are two types of flat wire weave cuff titles, form 1 and form 2.

Form 1 flat wire weave cuff titles feature a salt-and-pepper reverse and form 2 flat wire weave cuff titles feature an all black reverse with a protective cloth backing sewn over the wording. The inscription on form 2 was produced using much finer aluminium thread than form 1.

The RZM/SS paper labels feature a rating letter (example: A) in the upper left corner, an RZM symbol to the right of the rating letter, then a manufacturer’s code number, and then an SS symbol in the upper right corner. The lower left corner features a sequence letter (example: D) and to the right the sequence number of the manufactured cuff title.

RZM/SS woven labels are black in colour, feature an RZM logo on the left side, then the manufacturer's code above the last two digits of the production year, and finally, an SS symbol on the right side.

RZM/SS ‘St’ woven labels, which were attached by the firm that embroidered the cuff titles are identical to the standard woven label, except ‘St’ is added before the manufacturer's code and year or production.

Each SS Foot Regiment (SS-Fuß-Standarte) was composed of four Sturmbanne (battalions) and a Reserve Sturmbann, sometimes more than one. Each Sturmbann was made up of several Stürme (singular ‘Sturm’ = companies). The Sturmbanne were identified by a specific colour on the black cuff title, in the form of a top and bottom border.

Initially, the colours were as follows:
Green - Sturmbann I
Dark Blue - Sturmbann II
Red - Sturmbann III
Light Blue - Sturmbann IV

The cuff titles would have the coloured borders, indicating the Sturmbann, and a light grey (for Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Men, NCO/EMs) or silver-coloured (for Officers) Arabic numeral, indicating the Sturm. Initially, each Sturmbann would start numbering their Stürme from 1 upwards.

Between June and December of 1934, several changes were made to this system.

Sturmbann colours now were as follows:
Green - Sturmbann I
Dark Blue - Sturmbann II
Light Red - Sturmbann III
Dark Red - Sturmbann IV
Light Blue - Reserve Sturmbanne

Reserve Sturmbanne now featured cuff titles with the inscription “Reserve”, sometimes followed by their Sturmbann number.

Stürme were now numbered differently:
Sturmbann I - Stürme 1-4
Sturmbann II - Stürme 5-8
Sturmbann III - Stürme 9-12
Sturmbann IV - Stürme 13-16

Reserve Sturmbanne numbered their Stürme starting with “1” again.

Personnel serving on the staff of a Sturmbann wore blank, numberless cuff titles with borders in their particular Sturmbann colour.

Some Stürme were awarded an individual honour title, similar to honour titles of Foot Regiments. Their cuff titles would feature the Sturm number followed by the Sturm’s honour title.

Additionally, units with special purposes used their own colours to identify their units in the same way as the regular Sturmbanne did. These were as follows:

Yellow - Cavalry units (SS-Reiterstandarten and SS-Reiterstürme)
Brown - Signals units (SS-Nachrichteneinheiten)
Black - Engineer units (SS-Pioniereinheiten)