SS Postschutz embroidered cuff title WWII German

SS-Postschutz cuff title WWII German.

Postschutz (Postal Protection), in 1942 SS-Postschutz, was a paramilitary unit of Deutsche Reichspost with a mission to protect post office installations from armed attacks.  The Postschutz was created in 1933 in order to protect the establishments of the German Post Office from communist attacks. In 1942 the Postschutz was put under the command of the Allgemeine SS, becoming the SS-Postschutz with Gottlob Berger as military leader, and subordinated to the supervision of the SS-Hauptamt.

At the end of 1933 26,000 postal employees had volunteered for the Postschutz. In 1937 an agreement between the Wehrmacht and the Postmaster General Wilhelm Ohnesorge established that in time of war 29,000 men from the Reichspost would be reserved for the Postschutz. In 1939 the Postschutz contained 40 000 men, and was also in charge of air raid precautions for the Reichspost. All male postal employees could become volunteer members of the Postschutz. For all new employees under the age of 35 it was mandatory. Training took place at eight schools, that annually held courses for 20 000 members of the Postschutz.

In 1942 units from the SS-Postschutz staffed the Fronthilfe der Deutschen Reichspost, motor coach units operating with front units of the Waffen-SS. In 1944 the Fronthilfe contained a HQ, five battalions, a motor depot, and about 7,000 men. Members of the SS-Postschutz were also drafted into SS-Sicherungs-Bataillone der Deutschen Reichspost (SS-security battalions of the German post office), combating partisans in occupied Slovenia and Belorussia

The Schutzstaffel SS Armanen runes, literally ‘Protection Squadron’ was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz (“Hall Security”) made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich. In 1925, Heinrich Himmler joined the unit, which had by then been reformed and given its final name. Under his direction (1929–1945) it grew from a small paramilitary formation during the Weimar Republic to one of the most powerful organizations in Nazi Germany. From 1929 until the regime’s collapse in 1945, the SS was the foremost agency of security, surveillance, and terror within Germany and German-occupied Europe.

The two main constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS (Armed SS). The Allgemeine SS was responsible for enforcing the racial policy of Nazi Germany and general policing, whereas the Waffen-SS consisted of combat units within Nazi Germany’s military. A third component of the SS, the SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV), ran the concentration camps and extermination camps. Additional subdivisions of the SS included the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) organizations. They were tasked with the detection of actual or potential enemies of the Nazi state, the neutralization of any opposition, policing the German people for their commitment to Nazi ideology, and providing domestic and foreign intelligence.

Unit Cuff Titles – These generally referred to the name of a division, although some regiments also had distinctive titles.
Branch of Service Cuff Titles – These identified those who served in a specific branch of service like the military police and war correspondents. The cuff title of the Feldgendarmerie (Military Police) wore a distinctive cuff title, often in conjunction with a unit cuff title, if entitled.
Campaign Cuff Titles – Participation in some campaigns, such as the Kurland, Crete or North African campaigns, was recognized by the award of a special commemorative cuff title.