BACKGROUND: Originally members of the fledgling SS had no official uniform until April 1925 when they adopted, what was to become known as the, "Tradition Uniform" and personnel were outfitted with the same brown shirt uniform and kepi as the SA. In November 1925 personnel of the newly formed SS adopted a black kepi, necktie, breeches and border trim on their armbands to distinguish themselves from their SA counterparts. On July 7TH 1932 the black and earth grey service uniforms, for Allgemeine-SS, (General SS), SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops), SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units), and SS-SD, SS-Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei, (SS-Security Service and Security Police) personnel was first introduced to replace the brown shirt, "Tradition", uniform. The service uniforms were outfitted with two special belt support ramp buttons which were positioned at the top edge of both sides of the central reverse tail skirt vents. The belt support ramp buttons were designed to help distributed the weight of the belt. Of Note: The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was official founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster’s Department. The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and were marked with a combined SS/RZM acceptance/approval mark. In 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Two roughly, 21mm diameter, silver washed, die stamped, alloy construction belt support ramp buttons with a pebbled finish and a roughly, 30mm tall, 23mm wide, integral, vertically rectangular, base plate with eight evenly spaced, punched stitch holes to each. The base plates have a small horizontal panel at the bottom edges that extend out to the bottom edges of the buttons. The horizontal panels are both well marked with the faint, impressed manufacturer’s RZM/SS contract code number and date, "36/39", flanked by SS runes and the RZM logo within dual circular outer borders.