SS tropical uniforms

[Stigroadie]

The raft of tan coloured SS tropical tunics available from lots of dealers leads me to ask; Where were they worn?
Italy I guess, did the 16th wear them around Anzio?
What about parts of the Soviet Union?
Am I correct in my feeling that there were very few SS in N.Africa, those that were there were probably not Waffen SS.
I'm having a love afair with tan and cotton uniforms, I've nearly done a Lufty DAK. Contrary to some peoples feelings I'm not anti SS [see detling '07 and Iron eagle] and I need an excuse to get some of the SS tan kit.

[Brigardefuhrer]

Yes SS tropical kit was issued in Russia.Some units of RF was issued tropical kit,I know a
veteran of Reichs Fuhrer div.,and he states he was issued long woolen under wear,wool tunic
and trousers and only wore their camo smocks at night to keep warm when he was in Italy.

[Paulkd]

Yay Fred!

Is he still alive?

I was looking at the pics he signed for me years ago and his write up in those SS books and i wondered if he still about?

[Brigardefuhrer]

Hi Paul.Yes he is still around,he contacts me twice a year.

[Paulkd]

Good, very glad to hear it!

I like the tropical SS uniform as well... But no waffenSS in North Afrika, it was all 90th light, Ramke brigade and 21st pz!

90th light, what soldiers those men were!

[SchnellMeyer]

While there were no Waffen SS troops in North Afrika , there was a SD unit who wore the SS tropical uniform . Great to see that Fred W is still alive and well .He has a super photo collection of his time in the Waffen SS.

[kiler]

Again I post my favourite SS-tropical from ... 1938





And again I admire costume designer`s ingeniousness each time I watch this movie

[FMROMMEL]

No Waffen-SS units served in North Africa. According to some published sources, this was due to personal intervention by Erwin Rommel, who had acquired a strong dislike for the Waffen-SS during the french campaign in 1940. He reportedly was disgusted by reports of atrocities carried out by W-SS troops, most notably the infamous mass killing of 100+ Canadian or Norfolk Regt (I have conflicting reports) POWs by members of the 3rd SS-Panzergrenadier Division 'Totenkopf'. At least one source has quoted Rommel as saying something to the effect that '...wherever those thugs from the SS go, rape and murder follow.' When Hitler offered Rommel command of the DAK, Rommel accepted on the condition that he could choose his units and that the Waffen-SS was kept out of 'his' theatre of operations.

During the final stages of fighting in Tunisia in early 1943, the Army units were augmented by some Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager units.

A lot has been written about the gentlemanly sort of war that was fought in North Africa, that the opposing sides respected each other and there were not a lot of atrocities like you hear of in other campaigns.
I also was struck by a comment I just read in David Rolf's The Bloody Road to Tunis. Rolf quotes Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein as saying "Thank God we didn't have any SS divisions in the desert or heaven knows what would have happened. It would have been a very different sort of war."

I'm aware of the reputation of the SS, but this comment from a German officer still struck me as a little strange. What was it about the SS that even fellow German soldiers were wary of them? Was it the way they were trained? Were the ranks of SS divisions filled with inherently evil men?
How would the North African campaign been different if an SS division had been sent to Tripoli in 1941?
Thoughts...

PS THIS IT NOT TO GO OVER THE SAME OLD STUFF ABOUT THE CAMPS AND STUFF BUT WHAT THE RELEATIONSHIP WAS BETWEEN THE THE SS AND HEER TROOPS AND TROPICAL UNIFORM.

[JDR]

No Waffen-SS in north africa.

The use of tropical uniforms within the SS was limited compared to the army. the 1st pattern ss tropical uniform were not introduced until 1943. they were for units staioned in the southern part of Europe including Southern Russia, Balkans and Adriatic areas.

The items of the tropical uniform were cut in the same pattern as the normal field grey uniforms but made of the light drill material in sand colour.
Some exceptions were made usually of Italian material and cut in the fashion as the Italian army ie the Italian "sahariana"

Even thou the use of ss collar patches were not authorized with the tropical uniform many photos shows theses items and rank insigina to be worn.

shirts were either long or short sleeves cut in the same fastion as the Italian bush jacket.

Trousers in the same pattern as the field grey trousers with draw strings and footstraps at the bottom.

Taken from the book uniforms organization and history leicstandarte SS volume one. by Stan Cook and RJ Bender.

[JDR]

How would the North African campaign been different if an SS division had been sent to Tripoli in 1941?
Thoughts...

IMHO the LAH would of stream rolled through Northern Africa if they had bee sent/staioned there.

[Krupp]

Here are some pics from GMAX that have the SS Sahariana Feldbluse.

[FMROMMEL]

Here is one of Rommel in the same style jacket

DAK_ROMMEL_02.jpg (30.68 KiB) Viewed 8989 times

[Franz repper]

I thought that the Sahariana Feldbluse was an Italian uniform item

[grenmartens]

The second pattern SS tropical uniform was produced following the pattern of the Italian jacket. It was modeled after the Sahariana but with certain 'german' features added. In 1945 some SS guards at concentration camps were captured wearing the Saharina style uniforms; most likely obtained from clothing depots located at specific camps. I have photographic evidence of 4th SS-Polizei Div and 16th Reichsfuhrer-SS Div members wearing the Saharina jacket. Most intriguing is a photograph of a vey young SS soldier wearing complete tropical uniform with full insignia with a Volksturm armband on the lower left sleeve?