Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Red fez that was part of the dress uniform of a Waffen-SS military detachment composed of Muslims from Bosnia, Croatia, and Herzegovina in occupied Yugoslavia, woth one divison from Albania. There was a field gray fez for the combat uniform. The creation of this unit was authorized by Hitler in 1943. The original purpose was to combat Tito’s partisans. Through recruitment and conscription, the unit had 26,000 soldiers within a few months. The group was commanded by German or ethnic German officers, and the uniforms were designed to reflect the religion/ethnicity of the recruits.
- Date
-
found:
approximately 1945
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Anonymous
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Anonymous
Issuer: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei. Schutzstaffel.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Dress Accessories
- Category
-
Headgear
- Object Type
-
Fezes (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Dark red felt fez with a flat circular top, a cylindrical body that widens at the bottom, and a tassel of 7 inch black cord. The top knot of the tassel is inserted into a 1 inch felt tube sewn on the top center. Two insignia patches are sewn on the front center: a 2nd pattern Waffen SS Reichsadler, a right facing eagle with angular, outspread wings clutching an oak leaf wreath with a swastika above a 1934 pattern Totenkopf, [Death's head], a left facing skull and crossbones, both machine embroidered in silver thread on black rayon backing. A textured, brown leather sweatband is stitched along 1 edge to the bottom interior brim with red thread. The felt has pockmarked sections on the top.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm) | Width: 7.125 inches (18.097 cm) | Depth: 7.625 inches (19.368 cm)
- Materials
- overall : wool, cloth, leather, thread
: cord
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Corporate Name
- Waffen-SS
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The fez was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by an anonymous donor.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2024-05-30 13:12:17
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn512981
Download & Licensing
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