SCHUMA ? Insignia, Headgear, Uniforms & Other

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SCHUMA Cloth Items fill a kind of mystical niche for me. They are just beautiful & some of the most artistic of the TR period.

My understanding of the Schuma Organization, is that they were essentially Non-Germanic Members serving the Polizei and Sipo/SD in occupied areas (outside of Germany). Primarily in the Baltics and Ukraine. (They filled the manpower void in these areas.) There were German Officers in the ultimate control of each Schuma Unit - but did he wear SCHUMA Cloth? Don't know. The Cloth Items are nothing short of exquisite, with fine machine embroidery & colors. The SCHUMA Motto of "Faithfullness, Bravery & Obedience" is found on the sleeve Patches. I got interested in the Schuma when I found 2 sets of Shoulder Boards & 3 Patches. Txs, Dave / dblmed

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SCHUMA Shoulder Boards .... Reverse

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The Quality of the SCHUMA Patches is some of the best TR Cloth Items. Here are all 3 together. (I have subsequently learned that EM & NCO's wore the same patches.)

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SCHUMA EM/NCO Patch - Black Center with Grey-Green Thread. (If incorrect, please correct me Dave / dblmed

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SCHUMA OFFICER's Patch - Silver / Aluminum wire thread. Dave / dblmed

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SCHUMA EM/NCO Gendarmerie Patch - It's a Beauty! Txs, Dave / dblmed

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Only by chance, I just acquired 2 Schuma Officers Collar Tabs. The Collar tabs are attributed to the Ukrainian Schuma.

This would be for the rank of Brigadefuhrer or Major. These are both for the left collar - so maybe someone has the 2 right Collar Tabs. Txs, Dave / dblmed

FRONT of Brigadefuhrer Schuma Tabs......

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REVERSE of Brigadefuhrer - Schuma Tabs..

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Here is a pair of Orange Piped Schuma Police Boards with Orange Swastikas.

& the Orange Gendarmerie Schuma Sleeve Patch.

The Orange are a tad bit longer then the Green Piped Black Boards,

& the Green Schuma (Police) Sleeve Patch.

Could be for an Overcoat or for larger size tunic?

Great color combinations! Txs, Dave/dblmed)

FRONT

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REVERSE of the Above Items

(You can see the Length difference of the Orange Schuma Gendarmerie Boards)

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Some SCHUMA BACKGROUND: With the invasion of Russia on June 22ND 1941 the German army quickly occupied large tracts of territory resulting in ever extending rear areas that required policing to maintain order amongst the population and to secure open transportation and communication lines to the front.

Originally the army had established small auxiliary police units for these purposes which were followed by SS action groups.

The territories occupied proved to be too large for these small auxiliary units to police effectively which resulted in recruitment of local anti-Communist personnel which were formed into Schuma, short for Schutzmannschaften, (Protection Troops), units in November 1941.

The Schuma personnel fell under the control of the regional H?here SS und Polizeif?hrer, (Higher SS and Police Leader). These Schuma personnel wore a wide variety of uniforms, headgear and insignia including surplus black Allgemeine-SS uniforms, and assorted field-grey and police green items.

In June 1942 distinctive cap and sleeves emblems were introduced for Schuma personnel to distinguish them from Ordnungspolizei, (Order Police), personnel.

Text is Courtesy of: http://www.Germanmilitaria.com

You Advanced guys may be aware of All of this, but the Date of implementation of Schuma 'Cloth' was new info. for me. Txs, Dave/dblmed

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I got Lucky and found this really ?Bright RED/Carmine? Machine Embroidered SCHUMA Sleeve Emblem.

(Other Schuma Sleeve Emblems seem to be BeVo, so I don't know if this RED is a recognized variant? It is on 'Police Green' Wool)

(This RED is really a brighter shade than a usual Fire Eagle. You could see him coming from a mile away!)

I Also found a nice Schutzmannschaften / Schuma ?Dog Tag? to accompany it.

FRONT ??..Txs, Dave/dblmed

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REVERSE ??..Txs, Dave/dblmed

(I'll try to make them Smaller next time!!! Older Eyes like larger Images.....)

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I found this SCHUMA uniform assemblage on a Russian site.

Gives an itea about uniform 'diversity!'

From http://ukr-ww2.onestop.net/schuma.html Txs, Dave/dblmed

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Another GREAT Schuma Uniform from this site....

The man on the FAR Right...

Notice he is wearing a TeNo (Technische Nothilfe) Hewer? Strange, but Oh so interesting.

(I have since learned of a Ukranian TeNo Unit, so this might all fit in.)

......Dave/dblmed

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Also shown was a Schuma Officer's M43 Cap with the BLACK Smaller Schuma patch on it.

(Photos have confirmed the use of this type of cap by the Schuma.)

txs, Dave/dblmed

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Some more great Schuma history, for those of us who have forgotten it.

SD, AND POLICE / SCHUMA BATTALIONS

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With the appointment of SS General von dem Bach-Zelewski as Coordinator of Anti-Partizan in the East, a variety of security formations were beginning to emerge.

As early as 1941, these security formations were beginning to be diluted with Baltic and Ukrainian recruits. These units were supervised by the SS Police and SD/SS Security Staff. In Ukraine and the Baltic provinces all these scattered units were formed into an auxiliary police force known as the Schuetzmannschaft Ordungspolizei (Schuma). The units were either divided into Front or Guard Units. Although the SS and Police operated within Army-administered areas, the Army had its own security formations, known as Security Divisions.

When the Germans split up and conquered Poland in 1939. Large areas were incorporated directly into the Reich, while other lands inocrporated into Reichskommissariats of Ostland (Baltic States and Belarus) and Ukaraine. The repressive german policy towards the Poles led to creation of Ukrainian-Galician police force for the Galicia District. Twelve Schuma Battalions were organized: 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212.

With the rize of partizan warfare, the main duties of such Schuma battalions were to seek out and destroy the Soviet Partizans. Each battalion had a staff and four 124 man companies, each with one machine gun platoon and three infantry platoons; totalling 700 man. The battalions varied from Frontline, Guard, Engineer, Construction and Replacement Battalions deployed along the Army Group Rear Areas. The SD also included Schuma forces (Schuetzmannschaft der Sicherheitspolizei). A number of home guard organisations (SB - Sluzhba Bezpeky / Selbstschuetz) were also created.

Ukrainians joined the German-sponsored forces in large numbers, and in late 1942, 70,000 were in the Schuma, becoming one of the largest Schuma forces. About 35,00 served in 71 Schuma Batallions: 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 61, 62, 63, 101, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 129, 130, 131, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 143 to 169. These battalions included some Cossack, cavalry and artillery units. Home Guards were disignated as the Ukrainian National Self-Defence Force (UNS) and had up to 180,000 man. When in 1944 the Red Army overrun Ukraine, these units were transfered to Ukrainian Self-Defence Legion and others had joined the 14th and 30th divisions of Waffen SS.

From http://ukr-ww2.onestop.net/schuma.html Txs, Dave/dblmed

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SCHUMA UNIFORMS - Transitions of 1941 & 1942 & 1943+

It is very interesting to see the MARKED Schuma Uniform Transition from:

1941 - 'Latvian Army' Uniform Type in 1941,

1942 - to a 'Mixed Czarist Partisan' Look in 1942,

1943 + to the 'Germanic' familiar SCHUMA Uniform of 1943+

Courtesy the Russian Book by Partizany & Karateli (in Russian)

Txs, Dave/dblmed

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Here are a couple of pictures from a magazine called Militaria volume 1 # 1 in 1969,

courtesy from a friend, Vigs 48.

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# 2 - Here are a couple of pictures from a magazine called Militaria volume 1 # 1 in 1969,

courtesy from a friend, Vigs 48.

Schuma Sleeve Patches and Shoulder Boards are seen well. Txs, Dave/dblmed

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# 3 - Here are a couple of pictures from a magazine called Militaria volume 1 # 1 in 1969,

courtesy from a friend, Vigs 48.

More of the Schuma Sleeve Patches and Shoulder Boards which are seen well.

Txs, Dave/dblmed

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DaveJ (WAF) has a very nice cross sectional Schuma Cloth Collection of Patches, Shoulder Boards & a Collar Tab. He has allowed me to Post them here, and to share these Items with us.

From the DaveJ Collection ............. Txs, Dave/dblmed

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A very Nice BLACK Schuma Bullion Sleeve Patch.

From DaveJ Collection ............. Txs, Dave/dblmed

FRONT

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Backside of the very Nice BLACK Schuma Bullion Sleeve Patch.

Shows a fine 'zig zag' stitching around the borders.

From DaveJ Collection ............. Txs, Dave/dblmed

REVERSE

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Schuma OFFICER'S Boards - 2 Variations-TOPS

With the help of a friend (HK), and his keen eyes, I have

been able to match up my mis-matched Schuma OFFICER'S Boards.

They look pretty much the same on the top side - but -.

...... Txs, Dave/dblmed