Sold

Uniform Removed Variant Kurland Cuff Title

Uniform Removed Variant Kurland Cuff Title

Condition: Excellent

SKU: JW4898 Category: Heer Cloth & Insignia Tags Campaign, cuff title

Sold

Product Description: This Uniform Removed Variant Kurland Cuff Title is an interesting example of a very desirable late-war campaign award. This campaign cuff title was awarded to qualifying members of units who resisted one Soviet offensive after another, in the cut-off Courland pocket in the war’s final months. This is an example that was actually worn on a uniform, which is tough to find. The body of the cuff title is made from a thin gray rayon fabric. The center of the front of the cuff title has the word “Kurland” flanked by two shields, one with the emblem of the Teutonic Knights and the other bearing the emblem of the city of Mitau, the Courland capital. The workmanship of this cuff title is crude, and done by hand; this is typical hasty construction using whatever was available inside the Kurland pocket in 1945. This desirable cuff title shows honest wear throughout, with stitch holes on the edges showing where this was affixed to a soldier’s uniform. It’s a short length, not long enough to encircle a sleeve opening; this is how these were made and issued. This Uniform Removed Variant Kurland Cuff Title is a very evocative piece, with great character. The condition rates as excellent.

Historical Description: Cuff titles (Ärmelstreifen) are uniform accoutrements that have been used in the German military since the 19^thcentury. Intended to foster a certain sense of ‘esprit de corps’ amongst members of the armed forces, they were authorized for wear by members of designated units for the duration of their service time within that unit. In the event of transfer out of the unit, the cuff title was to be removed from the service member’s uniform. During the Third Reich, the German military continued this tradition by instituting honorary cuff titles to certain ‘special’ formations. This practice is perhaps most well-known for its application amongst Waffen- ϟϟ units. Cuff titles were also authorized for wear within all branches of the Wehrmacht (Army, Air Force and Navy) as well. These unit-specific cuff titles are not to be confused with others, which were awarded for participation in a certain campaign. The tradition, within the German military of wearing cuff titles, continues into the 21^st century with certain honor guard contingents of the Bundeswehr being permitted to wear unit-specific cuff titles.