Waffen SS red fez found at Dachau concentration camp after liberation
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 7.500 inches (19.05 cm) | Width: 4.250 inches (10.795 cm) | Depth: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm)
Archival History
The fez was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992 by Rabbi Aaron Landes
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Aaron Landes
Scope and Content
Red fez with a swastika and Death's head owned by Rabbi Aaron Landes. The fez was found at Dachau concentration camp in Germany following the April 29 liberation by US troops. 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
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Red felt fez with 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
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany--Dachau--Liberation.
Genre
- Dress Accessories
- Object