Original World War Two German Waffen SS Albanian Volunteers Sleeve Shield Insignia.
German (Dachau) manufactured, black wool construction, flat topped, rounded bottom, shield shape base features a machine embroidered red shield with the black, double headed, Albanian eagle, with fanned wings and white eye detailing.
As early as 1938 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and the Allgemeine-SS (General-SS) began recruiting volunteer "Germanische" (Germanic) personnel who were considered to be suitably "Nordic" to serve in the SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-Special Purpose Troops). Initially, these Germanic personnel were sourced from Dutch, Belgian, Danish, and Norwegian origin. In March 1940, with the establishment of the Waffen-SS, the recruitment of Germanic personnel increased, and with the start of WWII, additional volunteers from other Germanic regions joined the ranks of the Waffen-SS. The Balkans invasion in 1941 resulted in new eligible Volksdeutsche (Ethnic Germans) joining the Waffen-SS and with the onset of the war against Bolshevism and the invasion of Russia on June 22nd, 1941, the Waffen-SS saw a even more significant increase in recruits eager to serve.
As the war progressed and shortages of manpower intensified, the requirements for joining the Waffen-SS were significantly lowered. As a result, many individuals who would have been rejected in 1939 were quickly enlisted into the Waffen-SS. By the war's end, more than half of the Waffen-SS consisted of non-German personnel. The 21st Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Skanderbeg", comprised mostly of Albanian Muslims, was established in April 1944 to combat partisan activities in the Balkan region. The division caused so much trouble for the Germans, with an alleged 3500 desertions in its first two months, that it was dissolved after only six months. The reliable personnel of the division were transferred to the 7th SS-Freiwilligen-Gerbirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen", to form the SS-Gebirgs-Jäger Regiment 14. As with other foreign volunteer units; the Germans devised and produced a national sleeve shield for wear by the divisional personnel. The Albanian volunteer shield design is based on the ancient Byzantine Empire flag that had been carried by the traditional Albanian national hero, George Castoria who was also known as Iskander Beg, or Skanderbeg.
