NSKK Cufftitle, SS format

[wilhelm Saris]

NSKK-Staffel W, also known as NSKK-Sonderstaffel "W" im Auswärtigen Amt was always around when the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg was active. They performed duties for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NSDAP Department for Foreign Politics (Aussenpolitisches Amt der NSDAP). This unit, which had been active in the Netherlands, Belgium and France and later at the Balkan and Greece and during the Rusian campaign, had nothing to do with Staffel "F". No photograph is known where a cuffband with the "W" was worn, just the right collar-patch shows the "W".

As said the "F" cuffband is very rare!

[tgn]

Originally Posted by Guymauve

Hi

a view of the back please?

As you requested. Also a photo of the other insignia that came with this sleeveband.

Tom

[Guymauve]

Hi
thanks, Tom
Greetings

[davy177]

Hi could I ask please your opinion on this Cuff

[Darin S.]

The early H.J. straps that came with that group are very nice examples.

[ivbaust]

Although this topic about the cuff title „NSKK Staffel F“ is already a few years old, it may be of interest to the one or other collector what this „Staffel F“ (squadron F) is all about.

The „F“ stands for the German word „Filmvorführung“, which is in English „cinema show“ or „movie screening“.

I have enclosed this German newspaper article from the NSKK war correspondent Gerhard Köhler (published in February 1945) describing the „NSKK Staffel F“ and its purpose.

Title: „Soldiers cinema in 1600 meters altitude“
Subtitle: „About the deployment of the NSKK squadron in Italy - 14.407 cinema shows last year“

The newspaper article reports about a small German unit (8 to 9 soldiers) in the lonely mountains of Northern Italy. They have been visited by a NSKK Rottenführer of the squadron F. He took 2 donkeys to transport the entire movie equipment and the organize a cinema show (with movies, the newscast „Wochenschau“ and cultural movies) for this small unit in the mountains. The purpose was to inform and to motivate the soldiers.

I appreciate your understanding that I won’t translate the entire article. However I have underlined the most interesting sentence in red, which says:

„This is known also by the men of the NSKK squadron F, which are deployed to all frontlines and which have the task, in particular to take cinematic care of these units, which have taken up lonely and forlorn positions, away from village and city.“

Also very interesting is that the newspaper article mentions that obviously only 20 people served this NSKK squadron in Italy organizing 14.407 cinema shows in Italy within just one year, which would be 2 cinema shows per person per day. Quite an effort!

[tgn]

Ivbaust, I can't thank you enough for posting this! Do you mind if I make capt of the newspaper article to go with the cufftitle?

Tom