Nazi plate........

[d2]

This was found in a trunk that belonged to my neighbor. He fought in WWII though he never talked much about it. I wonder where he got it or if he brought it back from Europe when he was there. Maybe he got it at a reunion. I cant find any info on this at all. I hate doing much searching for nazi items because I figure I will find all sorts of crappy sites I do not wish to visit and was hoping someone here knew something about it. A horrible group of people and a worse time in the history of the world but this plate belonged to someone I thought the world of and I would like some info on this if possible. Thanks...d2

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

While I've never seen this particular plate, I have in the past collected German militaria from WW2, and I have seen quite a bit of it. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself an expert, but I'm fairly knowledgeable on the subject.

During this era there were literally thousands of different kinds of patriotic products marketed to civilians in Germany, pretty much anything you can think of had emblems and heros of the Reich printed on it. I'm not going to say for certain that it is period authentic, but I believe it COULD be, there is absolutely no reason that a company back then could not have gotten hold of military issue plates and redecorated them to sell at parades and shops. The decoration on this plate and the other one pictured is well done and and has the look of something I'd expect to be period. The fact that more of them are not around doesn't mean much since most of this kind of thing was destroyed after the war. The fact that the OPs plate was found in the possession of a vet seems to give it a bit more likelyhood of being an original piece especially if the original owner was not a collector of such things as there wouldn't be any reason for him to have it other than as a souvenir.

The SS was the elite force of the Reich and their exploits were highly publicized. SS related propaganda items and patriotic items were extrememly poular in Germany at the time. It should be noted here that ALL of the units on this plate are Waffen SS, which means they were front line combat units, and NOT Allgemeine SS which were responsible for the camps. BIG DIFFERENCE. I'm not interested in politics, only history, so to me this is a very interesting piece, and I think it should be researched further.

But as mentioned before, there are a LOT of fakes out there. SS items are always HIGHLY suspect because of the high values they can bring. Repros and out right fakes continue to be made to this day so research is needed here. The best proof would be a period photo showing the item or something like that. I'll poke around and see what I can find one way or the other.

 

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[d2]

If you find something please let me know...d2

 

[Retired Sarge]

Ken and D2 I have tried every variation I can think up of SS-Plate-SS Shields-Emblems etc, and the only two mentions I've found so far is the one here, and the one on Wehrmacht-Awards. I'll keep looking to see what else I can find.

 

[Dano Sverige]

It's also possible the date on the back is when this company started supplying the SS with crockery, similar to "since 1937", and the plate was made later in the early 40's.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

ffuries, I've pretty much gone through ever combination I could think of too, still no luck.

Dano, I've seen several other plates with different dates on the back but I'll look into your idea as well.

 

[Discrimination Dave]

Collectors of militaria, and armchair historians, as most of us are, must naturally divorce ourselves from the politics behind many of the regimes behind our hobby. Much that has been said on this thread regarding Nazi Germany could easily be juxtaposed by some with the American Confederacy, Napoleon, the Roman Empire etc. This is not the forum for such views, righteous or otherwise. Lets keep it to the artifacts folks, please.

Spot on! Great point.

 

[gunfighter6]

The emblem that is a skull and cross bones is for the "Totenkopf" battalion, the unit that had the responsibility of running the camps. They were not "front line combat units".

 

[NOLA_Ken]

The emblem that is a skull and cross bones is for the "Totenkopf" battalion, the unit that had the responsibility of running the camps. They were not "front line combat units".

Actually that emblem is 3rd Panzergrenadier "Totenkopf" which was a Waffen SS unit, they were front line combat troops who saw action throughout the war. Although as with most early SS units early recruits were drawn from Allgemeine units and many were former camp guards.

"The SS Division Totenkopf was formed in October 1939. The Totenkopf was initially formed from concentration camp guards of the 1st (Oberbayern), 2nd (Brandenburg) and 3rd (Thüringen) Standarten (regiments) of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, and soldiers from the SS-Heimwehr Danzig. The division had officers from the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT), of whom many had seen action in Poland. The division was commanded by SS-Obergruppenführer Theodor Eicke. " ------Wikipedia.

You're thinking of SS Totenkopfverbande units which wore the same insignia and were responsible for the camps.

EDIT : Also the same skull and cross bones was used by Wehrmacht Panzer troops, and was used by German tankers at least until the 90's I'm not sure if they still use it or not.