Waffen-SS Muslim red fez found by a US soldier at Ohrdruf concentration camp
Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Red fez with a swastika and Death's head found by James Howard Edwards, a US army soldier, in Ohrdruf concentration camp, following the liberation of the camp by the United States Army on April 29, 1945. He found the fez in the commandant’s barracks. The red fez was part of the dress uniform of a Waffen-SS military detachment composed of Muslims from Bosnia, Croatia, and Herzegovina in occupied Yugoslavia. There was a field gray one for combat. 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:
after 1945 April
- Geography
-
found:
Ohrdruf (Concentration camp);
Ohrdruf (Germany)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of James H. Edwards
- Markings
- front underside of head band, black ink : 55
- Contributor
-
Subject:
James H. Edwards
- Biography
-
James Howard Edwards served in the United States Army, European Theater, during World War II. He entered Ohrdruf concentration camp in Germany following its liberation in 1945. Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp, was the first concentration camp liberated by the U.S. Army.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Dress Accessories
- Category
-
Headgear
- Object Type
-
Fezes (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Dark red wool fez with a black tassel. On the front is a triangular white and green emblem of an eagle holding a wreath containing a swastika with a Death’s head (skull and crossbones) below. A tan leather band is sewn around the interior.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 5.000 inches (12.7 cm) | Width: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm)
- Materials
- overall : wool, cotton, leather, cord, thread, dye, ink
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The fez was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2006 by James Howard Edwards.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-28 08:11:03
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn523648
