Hugo Boss - Hitler's personal stylist and Nazi uniform creator: truths and myths about the famous designer. Form of the Waffen SS: the history of the creation and insignia of the military uniform of the Wehrmacht

A few years ago, a scandal erupted around the published facts about the involvement of the world famous brand " Hugo Boss» to create military uniform for soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht. famous designer Hugo Bossa accused of complicity with the Nazis and personal ties with Hitler. The company even turned to historians for help to sort out this issue. And although the results of a scientific study disproved many of the replicated myths about the designer, the company had to admit the fact of creating the Nazi uniform and apologize for the exploitation of prisoners of war and prisoners from concentration camps in labor factories.

In those days, the name of Hugo Boss did not yet exist. famous brand. He started his professional path as an employee of a garment factory in 1902. After 6 years, a textile shop was inherited from his parents, and in 1923 Hugo Boss opened his own sewing enterprise - a workshop for sewing overalls, windbreakers, overalls and raincoats for workers. In 1930, his firm was on the verge of bankruptcy. To save her from ruin, he took up sewing Wehrmacht uniforms.

Rumors that the world famous company "Hugo Boss" profited from cooperation with the Nazis, appeared in the late 1990s, stirred up society and caused loud scandal. In 1997, the company publicly acknowledged the fact of cooperation with the Nazis. Since this negatively affected the brand image, the company sponsored Scientific research these facts, which was carried out by the Munich historian Roman Kester. In 2012 he published a book called Hugo Boss, 1924-1945. A garment factory between the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich”, in which he detailed the results of his research.

As it turned out, Hugo Boss was really engaged in tailoring military uniforms for the Wehrmacht and received large profits from these orders. And the factory used forced labor of 140 immigrants from Poland and 40 French prisoners. However, no written evidence that Hugo Boss was Adolf Hitler's personal tailor has survived. In addition, the designer was not involved in the development of sketches and creating patterns, and his factory was one of many, far from the largest, of all companies that were engaged in sewing uniforms.

In fact, the designer of the black SS uniform was not Hugo Boss, but Karl Diebich, a German artist, designer and officer of the SS, and the SS emblem in the form of two “Sieg” runes was designed by graphic artist Walter Heck. The black color of the uniform of SS officers was intended to evoke respect and fear, but it soon turned out that this color had a significant drawback: summer time he absorbs solar radiation and causes profuse sweating. Therefore, black was soon replaced by gray, although black continued to be used in the ceremonial uniforms of officers of the highest echelon of the SS. The factory of Hugo Boss only made uniforms designed by Karl Diebitsch.

But the fact that Hugo Boss collaborated with the Nazis not under duress, but because of personal convictions, was confirmed even by his son. In 2007, Siegfried Boss publicly admitted that his father was a member of the Nazi Party and commented on this fact: “ And who was not a member at that time? The whole industry worked for the Nazis". Back in 1931, the designer voluntarily joined the National Socialist Workers' Party of the NSDAP and was himself staunch Nazi. It has become main reason, according to which his factory was registered as an important military enterprise and received a large order for sewing Wehrmacht uniforms. The German historian Henning Kober claims that all of the Hugo Boss management were Nazis and Hitler supporters.

After the end of the war, the factory again took up the production of overalls for postmen, policemen and railway workers. And its owner was tried, he escaped prison, but was sentenced to pay a fine of 100 thousand marks. True, later Hugo Boss was partially rehabilitated, and his status was changed: from the "accused" he turned into a "sympathizer." In 1948, the designer passed away at the age of 63. His company became a world famous brand after his death.

Following the publication of Roman Kester's book, Hugo Boss posted a statement on its website in which it stated " deep regret for the suffering that befell those who had to work in the factory of Hugo Boss under the Nazis”, which recognized the legitimacy of the conclusions of the historian.

And in the world of fashion, the uniform of the Third Reich, created by the Hugo Boss company, is considered the most beautiful and stylish military uniform. In the 1990s even a new movement was born - Nazi chic - Nazi chic. It was especially popular in Japan, where neo-Nazi organizations appeared. True, such a fashion is dictated rather not by aesthetic preferences, but by socio-political views, and is very far from ethical considerations - what is called "beyond good and evil."

Similar rumors circulated about the founder of another famous brand:

The Germans, having gathered a group of wounded and women, including Savina, decided to hide behind her. Especially for those who will create drawings dedicated to the Day Victory. To achieve authenticity, draw the shape of the soldiers correctly. Today we own Germany, tomorrow the whole world! Today, a dozen broken-down quarters. To the new flannel-lined jacket and trousers, they added mittens, a woolen scarf, and additional woolen and fur-lined gloves. During the German occupation, hundreds of thousands of Germans and volunteers from other countries served in the SS. European countries. Smolensk bus route map

War is war, but sex is on schedule! War is war, but sex is on schedule! AT post-war years, raising the archives of this period, the researchers were horrified by the cruelty shown by the police during the war. An analysis was made of more than 360 filtration cases of Volga German prisoners of war transferred from the archives of the FSB department in the Saratov region for storage in State Archive recent history Saratov region, shows that only in nine cases there was surrender. Military uniform of the times of the Great Patriotic War. The company of the same name sewed not only uniforms for soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, but also for the SS. The German took out a pistol from his holster, put it to the forehead of the Mousetrap and fired, then turned to the Jewish guy and said not all Germans are fascists, and ordered to get out of the village immediately, showed which way the front line was. German male H B, which is just. Shake the dust off the plan

SS military organization of Germany during Hitler's reign, translated from German guard units, the name comes from the Squadron cover aviation term of the First World War, which meant a group of fighters. Changes and innovations were carried out on the basis of the experience gained from the Winter War with Finland in the years, which gave impetus to a number of changes to the Soviet Red military uniform. War means strife, disorder, problems in life in the family, affairs, business. The list of films will be regularly edited and supplemented, in addition, you can always see the current list of films on our website using the tag About the Germans. During the war appeared to stay forever in women's fashion, bags with a long strap over the shoulder. Types of pigeons their photo. Post subject Soviet Ostarbeiters through the eyes of the Germans during the war

During the war, the Hugo Boss factory began to sew uniforms for the Wehrmacht. Before the start of the offensive against the USSR, the Germans threw saboteurs into our territory in the form of officers of the Red Army. Some fighters sewed bras, something like a modern unloading canvas vest, where. At the end of November, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive, crushing and repelling the Germans. Recall that in 2013 a sensational book was published What do soldiers have sex and the American military in France during the Second World War.

Hugo Boss began his career in 1902 as a garment factory worker in Metzingen. In 1908, he became the owner of a textile shop, which was left to him by his deceased parents. Fought on the fronts of the First World War. In 1923, he created his own clothing company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1930. To save his business, Hugo joined the NSDAP in 1931. At his factory, uniforms are sewn for the SS assault squads (Adolf Hitler's bodyguard), SA stormtroopers and the youth movement of the Hitler Youth.

The uniform of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War was sewn at the Hugo factory. He was the official tailor of the Nazis. Slaves from the Baltic countries, Russia, France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia worked for him. After the end of the war, the garment manufacturer dramatically restructured his business into the market for work clothes and civilian uniforms. He was recognized as an accomplice of the Nazis and died in 1948. The clothing business was taken over by his son-in-law, Eugen Holy. Since 1985, with the American company Procter & Gamble, eau de toilette has been produced.

SS is the abbreviation of the German Schutzstaffel - "protective division". The elite of the fascist troops. Initially, the squadron was formed for the personal protection of Hitler, but grew into a leading military organization. And the uniform for the SS was designed carefully, but looked intimidating. The SS wore black uniforms with breeches and knee-high boots, brown shirts with a black tie, black caps with a death's head cockade, and insignia in the form of two Zig runes. But during combat training, it turned out that the black uniform was not suitable for war and the gray SS uniform for combat operations was introduced. Also for operations in Italy and the Balkans, SS units were dressed in yellow uniforms. The whole form was constantly undergoing changes and refined over the years of the war. This variety of outfits required large capacities for the production of uniforms, and many enterprises were engaged in the production of weapons and could not produce anything else. So the provision of military needs was a profitable business.
In 1930, Hugo Boss (Hugo Boss) was on the verge of bankruptcy. Hugo, the owner of the factory, made up his mind and joined the NSDAP (Nazi Party) and immediately received an order for the production of uniforms for the SA, SS and Hitler Youth. In principle, the choice is quite predictable. It was difficult to exist outside the party, and members received assistance and benefits. Although principles did not allow someone to do this ... In 1937, almost a hundred people already worked for Hugo Boss. With the outbreak of World War II, his company was registered as an important military enterprise and received an order for the manufacture of Wehrmacht uniforms. Indeed, some of the SS uniform designs were designed by Hugo Boss, not by Hugo himself, but by Professor Karl Oberführer and designer Diebitschen Walter Kech. After the war, Hugo Boss quickly switched to making uniforms for railroad workers and postmen. And the brand entered high fashion only in the 90s. And at this time, a new movement was born - Nazi chic - Nazi chic. The costumes have undergone a significant redesign and are made from completely different fabrics. Nazi uniforms are especially popular in Japan, where neo-Nazi organizations are active, and young people dress up in Nazi costumes "for fun." It is a pity that not everyone thinks about the ethics of their actions. Although you can not blame people for wanting to stand out, especially children. Even the Nazi uniform is very popular with fetishists, but the photo was not uploaded for ethical reasons. In general, there are quite sexy images:) How do you like the fetish? Updated on 04/10/10 19:15: I run my fashion design blog, if anyone is interested, see my profile. Updated on 04/10/10 23:04: I do NOT approve of wearing fascist symbols.

The SS troops belonged to the SS organization, service in them was not considered a state service, even if it was legally equated with such. The military uniform of the SS soldiers is quite recognizable around the world, most often this black uniform is associated with the organization itself. It is known that the uniforms for the SS during the Holocaust were sewn by prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

History of the SS military uniform

Initially, the soldiers of the SS troops (also "Waffen SS") dressed in a gray uniform, extremely similar to the uniform of regular attack aircraft. german army. In 1930, the very well-known black uniform was introduced, which was supposed to emphasize the difference between the troops and the rest, to determine the elitism of the unit. By 1939, SS officers received a white dress uniform, and from 1934 a gray one was introduced, intended for field battles. The gray military uniform differed from black only in color.

In addition, the SS soldiers relied on a black overcoat, which, with the introduction of a gray uniform, was replaced by a double-breasted one, respectively. gray color. Officers of high ranks were allowed to wear their overcoat unbuttoned on the top three buttons so that the colored distinctive stripes were visible. Following the same right (in 1941) received the holders of the Knight's Cross, who were allowed to demonstrate the award.

The women's uniform of the Waffen SS consisted of a gray jacket and skirt, as well as a black cap with the image of an SS eagle.

A black ceremonial club tunic with the symbols of the organization for officers was also developed.

It should be noted that in fact the black uniform was the uniform of the SS organization specifically, and not the troops: only SS members had the right to wear this uniform, the transferred Wehrmacht soldiers were not allowed to use it. By 1944, the wearing of this black uniform was officially abolished, although in fact by 1939 it was used only on solemn occasions.

Distinctive features of the Nazi uniform

The SS uniform had a number hallmarks, which are easily remembered even now, after the dissolution of the organization:

• The SS emblem in the form of two Germanic runes "zig" was used on uniform insignia. Runes on uniforms were only allowed to be worn by ethnic Germans - Aryans, foreign members of the Waffen SS were not allowed to use this symbolism.
• "Dead Head" - at first, a metal round cockade with the image of a skull was used on the cap of SS soldiers. Later it was used on the buttonholes of the soldiers of the 3rd tank division.
• Red armband with a black swastika on a white background was worn by members of the SS and stood out significantly against the background of the black full dress uniform.
• The image of an eagle with outstretched wings and a swastika (which was the emblem of Nazi Germany) eventually replaced the skulls on cap badges and began to be embroidered on the sleeves of the uniform.

The camouflage of the Waffen SS differed from the camouflage of the Wehrmacht in its pattern. Instead of the accepted pattern design with applied parallel lines, creating the so-called "rain effect", wood and plant drawings were used. Since 1938, have been adopted the following items SS uniform camouflage: camouflage jackets, reversible helmet covers and face masks. On camouflage clothing, it was necessary to wear green stripes indicating the rank on both sleeves, although for the most part this requirement was not respected by the officers. In the campaigns, a set of stripes was also used, each of which denoted one or another military qualification.

SS uniform insignia

The ranks of the Waffen SS soldiers did not differ from the ranks of the Wehrmacht employees: there were differences only in form. The same distinctive signs were used on the uniform, such as shoulder straps and embroidered buttonholes. SS officers wore insignia with the symbols of the organization both on shoulder straps and in buttonholes.

The shoulder straps of SS officers had a double backing, the upper one differed in color depending on the type of troops. The backing was edged with a silver cord. On shoulder straps there were signs of belonging to one or another part, metal or embroidered with silk threads. The shoulder straps themselves were made of gray galloon, while their lining was invariably black. The bumps (or "stars") on the shoulder straps, designed to denote the rank of an officer, were bronze or gilded.

On the buttonholes, runic "ridges" were depicted on one, and insignia by rank on the other. Employees of the 3rd tank division, which was nicknamed " dead head” instead of “zig”, there was an image of a skull, which was previously worn in the form of a cockade on the caps of the SS. Along the edge of the buttonholes, they were edged with twisted silk cords, and the generals were covered with black velvet. They also knocked out the general's caps.

Video: SS form

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