Early SA/SS Standard Bearer's Gorget.

Early SA/SS Standard Bearer's Gorget.

Gorgets were originally part of a knight's armor during medieval times.
Long after suits of armor were abandoned, the gorget continued to be used in many European armies as a form of military insignia.In the Imperial German Army until 1914, gorgets were worn as a special mark of distinction by certain elite units.
Following WWI, German paramilitary and police organizations used gorgets for standard bearers, as insignia, and to denote personnel assigned special tasks.
Following the Nazi rise to power, there was a vast increase in the number of uniformed organizations, and a variety of new gorgets were instituted for use by these civil, political and paramiliary organizations, as well as by the military. Standard bearers of most organizations, who were entrusted with carrying flags at rallies and in parades, wore gorgets. Other gorgets indicated assignment to guard or security forces. The military police personnel of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS had their own gorgets as a part of their uniforms, and were nicknamed "chained dogs" by the troops due to the chain used to suspend the gorget around the wearer's neck.
Because gorgets were never general issue to all personnel of any organization or military branch, they were manufactured in limited numbers, and are generally scarce to encounter today.

Early SA/SS Standard Bearer's Gorget (Fahnentrager Ringkragen).

It was introduced prior to the Reichsparteitag rallies of August 1929 and was worn by all standard bearers of the SA and SS at that time, both those who carried the "Deutschland Erwache" standards and those who carried unit flags. It was worn with the brown shirt as well as with the four pocket uniform.

It is a multi-piece die stamped nickel-silver / tombak construction. The obverse roundel features a 1st pattern SA open winged eagle clutching a wreathed sun wheel swastika within its talons which is encircled by a detailed lined pattern that is enclosed by two twisted ropes and is above a laurel leaf pattern. The roundel lies on top of an eight-pointed sun burst pattern and a heart shaped nickel background with two peened on decorative flowers to the top corners.

The rear of the SA/SS gorget features two metal hooks that were used to secure it to the uniform when worn. The original dark blue backing felt and affixed to this is a large metal button with the "RZM" logo of the Reichszeugmeisterei, the authority that oversaw the quality of items manufactured for use by Nazi organizations.

This gorget is exceptionally nice in that it is marked to an SA regiment where it has the letters: 23/205 O.M.
SA-Standarten 205 / Sturm 23 (Kreis Beskow-Storkow, Gruppe Berlin-Brandenburg).

This gorget is complete with its original chain, made of closely formed wire links, nickel plated, and with no condition issues to note.(Nickel chain mail type chain).

Gorget measures 5 7/8 inches wide by 5 ½ inches tall. The chain measures 24 ½ inches long.

Overall, an attractive example of regalia used by the standard bearers of the SA and SS, even in the time of the "Kampfzeit."They are hard to come by with unit designations.

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