Waffen SS red fez acquired by a US soldier following the liberation of Dachau concentration camp
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 9.125 inches (23.178 cm) | Width: 6.500 inches (16.51 cm) | Depth: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm)
Archival History
The fez was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992 by Anthony Price, the son of Richard Price.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Anthony T. Price
Scope and Content
Red fez with a swastika and Death's head given to Lt. Colonel Lee Israel by a German camp guard immediately after the liberation of the camp by US troops on April 29, 1945. Lt. Col. Israel gave it to Richard Price n the circa 1950s. 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, with one division from Albania. There was a green/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.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Red felt fez with a a black tassel. The front of the cap has two patched embroidered in silver thread: the top patch is in the shape of a Reichsadler, a sinistra eagle with outstretched wings holding a wreath encircling a swastika in its talons. Below this is a Totenkopf [a Death’s head], or skull and crossbones.
Corporate Bodies
- Waffen-SS
Subjects
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany--Dachau--Liberation.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.
Genre
- Object
- Dress Accessories