History

During the Second World War, German troops stationed in northern Africa are generally referred to as the Afrikakorps. Technically, this is not entirely correct, since some German units operating in Africa were not actually part of the DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps), and some units of it were, in fact, Italian ones. However, for the purpose of collecting so-called “tropical” uniforms and insignia, collectors have simplified the meaning of the term.

The first German troops were sent to northern Africa in February of 1941, to support their Italian allies against the British. The climate of the African continent made it necessary to wear specialised uniforms and gear that not only supported the soldiers in serving in a hot and arid environment, but also helped them in blending in with the landscape, which, in general, presented itself as brown, olive, khaki, or sand/tan in colour. Worn over long periods of time under the blistering desert sun, some uniforms were eventually bleached to white or off-white. Uniforms and insignia in these colours are often referred to as “tropical”, and it is worth noting that they weren’t just worn by members of units stationed in Africa, but in the entire Mediterranean theatre of war, including southern France, Italy, the Balkans, and Greece, as well as in southern Russia during the summer months. Tropical uniforms were worn by members of all three branches of the Wehrmacht: the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force). Members of the Waffen-SS stationed in southerly regions also wore tropical-style uniforms, and even though they technically have no connection to the DAK, all tropical uniforms and insignia of all branches of the German military are listed here.

The cloth cap insignia of the Waffen-SS were essentially smaller versions of sleeve insignia. The basic types of insignia are machine-woven cotton or aluminum wire and hand-embroidered metal wire.

The SS eagle is usually placed on a black background and the wings of the eagle are tapered to a point, with the longest feather in the centre.

Near the end of the Second World War, there were 24 manufacturing firms producing cloth insignia for Waffen-SS personnel. Each company produced death’s heads and eagles in a slightly different way and as such, there are many different slight differences in the appearance of cloth insignia.

The main difference between the insignia found on Officer’s and Non-Commissioned Officer/Enlisted Men’s caps is the quality of material used. Officer’s caps were primarily made with silver bullion or aluminum wire. In the early years of the Third Reich, it was discovered that silver wire quickly becomes black and so it was replaced with aluminum thread.

Another difference is the method of manufacture; early examples of Officer Insignia were hand embroidered, while examples from the caps of NCOs and Enlisted Men were machine embroidered.

Machine woven insignia is often referred to as “BeVo” or “BeVo weave.”

Tropical field caps may feature tan-coloured insignia.