Gefreiter

That's an excellent reference source thankyou.

Following on from your lead that they are RAD administrative, I think that they might be rank of Hauptamtswalter. I found this in a discussion on another forum but unfortunately there were no pics they were just discussing ranks. I will need to try and find pics to back this up. Best Regards

Would that still be the rank of Oberfeldmeister ? Or is it different for the administration section.

That certainly fits what I originally thought. Then it was suggested by someone else that it could be customs Oberzollinspektor Landzollbeamte . It is a fascinating subject but very confusing for a non expert like myself. I will take it all on board. Many thanks. No Joe they didn't have the cyphers. I am still torn between RAD and Customs as I have had conflicting opinions. Unfortunately I don't have any reference books for this subject and rely on others input. However I am taking it all on board and will no doubt arrive at the correct answer in the end. Thanks for your comments.

That's it. Well done Bayern I have found some illustrations now for Landzollbeamte. I just needed pointing in the right direction and you were spot on again. Best Regards

Hi Bayern. I think the chevrons on Bundesgrenzschutz were green. Mine are definitely black.

Thanks Gordon you've confirmed what I thought. I need to keep searching then. Best Regards Garry

I have just had a further thought could it be RAD oberstfeldmeister . However didn't they have a black backing?

I thought that yhese SB's were Customs originally but they can't be because they do not have the RSV cypher. Can anyone help with id please? The chevrons are black thread and the backing is dark green. Two gilt pips to front. Thanks

That's fantastic information Michael. Great research thank you very much that tells me everything I wanted to know. Would be great to find a dagger and portapee to go with it. Best Regards Garry

All clear I think and your experience in the 1990's confirmed it . Many thanks.

That's very interesting Bayern and as you say a little strange. I would like to try and find out more.

You remembered correctly Rohleder. I found them illustrated on the net and as you said rank was Reichsbahn Oberassistent. Great stuff. Thanks

Thanks for that information Bayern. That would seem to be the answer I believe.

Yes that’s what I found. I have only ever seen them with 2 before. I will see if I can find out about GDR ones. Thanks for that thought.

That’s an interesting possibility. Thanks I’ll look into that.

I have this pair of KG boatswain shoulder boards which have two bars to the lower section. Can anyone tell me what these bars signify please? Are they in place of pips? Many thanks

That's brilliant. Thank you very much I was looking at the wrong era.

I am trying to identify this shoulder strap and collar tab. Can't match it with anuthing in my reference books or on the web. Any help appreciated. Thankyou

Hi. I am trying to identify this shoulderstrap. I know it's Reichbahn but I would like to find out rank and paygroup if possible. Would be grateful for any help. Thanks

Thanks for your expert advice as always. I could see their was a fair bit of work and attention gone into this and that is what hooked me. I will add to my fantasy collection. Best Regards Garry

I picked up this cuff title at a flea market for a couple of pounds. I thought it was wrong straight away but curiosity got the better of me. I didn't think that gold braid was used on feldgendarmerie cuff titles firstly and secondly I had read somewhere that most fakes were on wool backing. I have no doubt that it is old and the moth holes are genuine. Can someone confirm my suspicions or better still tell me I'm wrong and it could be genuine. Many thanks

That's a great idea. Thanks for the link it looks very interesting. Kind regards Garry

I was at an auction recently and I saw this armband amongst the militaria lots. The immediate thing that struck me was the fact that it had the initials HJ on it. I cannot ever recall or even find anywhere on the net an image of a HJ armband with initials. Does anyone know if this was ever the case.

Hopefully not racing too much. Already had one heart attack but hey you are right collecting research and learning, nothing better. Best Regards Garry