BACKGROUND: The Geschwader Horst Wessel, (Horst Wessel Squadron), Commemorative Honor cufftitle was one of a series of commemorative honor cufftitles introduced by the Luftwaffe to honor fallen comrades and heroic pilots of WWI. The Geschwader Horst Wessel cufftitle was introduced on March 24TH 1936 for wear by all personnel of Flieger Geschwader Dortmund, (Flight Squadron Dortmund). The cufftitle was to be worn by all ranks on the lower right sleeve of the service tunic and officers were also authorized wear of the cufftitle on the lower right sleeve of the flight blouse and the optional white summer tunic. Officer’s cufftitle were produced in hand embroidered silver/aluminum wire threads while EM/NCO’s were produced in machine embroidered silver/grey threads. Of Note: Born in Bielefeld on October 9TH 1907, Horst Wessel joined the NSDAP in 1926 and had advanced to the rank of SA-Sturmführer by May 1929. In early 1929 Wessel had penned the lyrics to an SA propaganda marching song entitled, Die Fahn Hoch, (Raise the Flag High), set to the tune of an old folk song. Wessel submitted the song to Reichsminister Dr. Josef Goebbels’ newspaper, Der Angriff, (The Assault), for public consumption in October 1929. In early 1930 Wessel was living with a former prostitute in the slums of Berlin and was shot and mortally wounded by a rival suitor, who happened to be a communist, on January 14TH 1930. Goebbels’ seized the propaganda opportunity of Wessel’s shooting and mutated it into a politically motivated assassination attempt. In Goebbels version of the events Wessel was wounded in a street brawl instigated by the communists in Berlin. Goebbels had Wessel’s song performed publicly for the first time at an NSDAP rally at the Berlin Sportplatz on February 7TH 1930 where it became an immediate success. Wessel succumbed to his wounds and died on February 23RD 1930 and was instantly hailed as a political martyr of the NSDAP. Also Of Note: During the war Flieger Geschwader Dortmund was re-designated Zerstörer Geschwader 142, (Destroyer Squadron 142), and finally Zerstörer Geschwader 26, but personnel retained the right to wear the cufftitle.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly 27mm tall, 33cm long, EM/NCO's pattern, deep navy blue, woven wool/felt construction cufftitle with machine embroidered, Gothic styled script, "Horst Wessel", in silvery/grey cotton threads. The cufftitle has the typical opened back construction with the top and bottom edges folded over and machine stitched to the reverse. The reverse of the embroidery has a loosely woven, protective, grey fabric backing.