B Hellqvist
Company Commander
Here's the photo of resting LAH troops in Poland, 1939. It is from the Time-Life book The Reach For Empire, p 159. I have some questions about the insignia worn by the soldiers. I've read that during the invasion of the Low Countries in 1940, SS troops had to remove their collar patches due to security reasons. Researching a figure centered on SS-VT/LAH troops in Poland, 1939, I've had trouble finding reliable information on the uniforms worn. This photo is the only one with good detail that I've found so far. To begin with, the photo is very likely somewhat retouched, as the gas mask canister carried by the guy in the centre of the pic appears "enhanced". The cuff titles are either retouched, or covered up. The shoulderboards of the guy to the left appears to be covered with a cloth sleeve. No LAH cyphers are visible on the shoulderboards of the Oberscharführer to the right - removed or retouched? The collar patches appears to be retouched; this seems to be the case with the other NCO (2nd guy from the left). Another interesting feature is the OScha's bayonet Troddel. Was this carried by all NCOs and enlisted men at his stage of the war, or just NCOs? Comments?