Presented here is a beautiful amaranth red fez, made by the Waffen SS for its Muslim troops from the Balkans, specifically for members of the "Handschar" and "Kama" divisions. It was recovered years ago in the UK and brought home by a British soldier who took it from a prisoner in 1945, upon the surrender of Austria. As was customary among SS troops at the time, the soldier removed the eagle and skull before surrendering and being captured.
A very rare piece of clothing to find in original condition like this, worn and actually used in war. These headpieces are usually brand new, and are obviously reproductions. This one, however, is a guaranteed original; all the materials are old and there is absolutely nothing synthetic.
The absence of a visor, in accordance with Koranic law, allowed Muslims to rest their foreheads on the ground three times, facing Mecca, during the five daily prayers. The fez is uncovered, but traces of the original decorations (skull and eagle) remain clearly visible, as seen in the photos.
The internal sweatband is made of soft leather.
This type of headgear, completely non-standard for SS uniforms, was authorized by Himmler himself in 1943 for Muslim SS volunteers who were already wearing a locally produced conical fez. This, known as the "first type," had no fringe and was solely gray-green. After official approval, a green and a red fez of the second type, conical in shape and with a black fringe, were produced and distributed to each volunteer. The green fez was worn with the field uniform, while the red fez was used on formal occasions. With the same circular of 30 April 1943, the SS command clarified that the fez had to be worn by Croatian-Bosnian volunteers (even if atheists, Christians and in any case non-Muslims), ethnic Germans and the Germans themselves serving in the 13th Waffen-Mountains-Division of the SS "Handschar", who were however left the option of also using the caps of the German Alpine troops.
A large quantity of these fezzes were found in the SS clothing depot at Dachau when the camp was liberated at the end of April 1945.
A great example for anyone looking to add an SS piece to their collection.
