I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere thanks to David Delich for his kindness and generosity with not only his hard-earned knowledge, but with his collection- a collection that is the most inclusive collection of SS-related items known to be in private hands. We are all fortunate at this forum, and this forum exclusively, to have a rare glimpse into and enjoy Mr. Delich’s items. Furthermore, we are able to discuss these items in a collegiate manner with the good intentions of placing said items into historical perspective and, perhaps, gleaning some insight into the period regalia which is not common knowledge. We have the benefit of trained historians, authors and lecturers with intimate knowledge of both the U.S. and German military’s innermost workings and customs, avid readers of scholastic works that are only published in German who are willing to share and translate pertinent data for us all, and, most important to the continued function of this environment, we have a membership that possess a sense of proper etiquette.

Recently, there has been a departure from our good form here and I am respectfully raising a flag of caution. When a member posts an item for other members to study, it does not necessarily mean it is posted up for review for authenticity, especially when the majority of those reviews are prefaced with “I have never handled one of these, but…” Items that have been passed around for seventy to eighty years, either in the hands of Russian film studios or private collectors, have the potential to have some tampering with. I own two tunics that are from Russian studios and when I have posted them to share with our members they elicit unsolicited private messages dissecting the item from afar by unknown individuals who have thinly veiled ulterior motives. I, for one, am in favor of these items being as costly as they are because at this point it mitigates the likelihood of someone treating the item as a toy rather than a historical object. Regardless, these items come to their current custodians as is, and the item’s state of preservation is part of the history of the item, a history that, as we have witnessed, is convoluted and inflammatory. It is shameful how we have allowed others with larcenous intentions to force us to adopt a type of hyper vigilance towards any items that is unearthed for others with less experience to view and then responded to this generosity with accusations and innuendo.

If we wish to continue our forward progress into the true academic study of these items and their relationship to a brutal and violent time in humanity’s past, we must not divert from, nor tolerate, a lack of proper decorum. Finger-pointing and accusatory remarks have no place when a clearly authentic items is displayed. To do so will only chase away those who are generous with their knowledge and collections and leave this forum a materially and intellectually defunct wasteland, a prospect that should conjure for our members a time that harkens back to the general condition of a populace smothered by thuggery within the period of human history that is the focus of our studies. Note the quote in my signature below.

Regards,

CMH