Original German WWII Unissued DAK Afrikakorps Machine Embroidered Cuff Title - 11 ¼" Long

Original Items: Only One Available. This is an exceptional unissued machine woven cuff title features a horizontal, dark green, cotton center stripe with diagonally ribbed, horizontal, bright silver aluminum flat-wire edge trim and narrow, horizontal, tan rayon borders to both the top and bottom edges. The dark green center stripe features machine woven, block, Latin script, AFRIKAKORPS in bright silver/aluminum flat-wire threads. This is the type used from 1941 to mid 1943. Measures 1 ¼ inches wide by 11 ¼ inches in length, which is a bit shorter than we usually see, but it does not look to have been cut down.

The cuff title shows no signs of having been installed on a uniform, so the only wear is from storage. There is some wear to the aluminum threads, but no major damage or fraying. There is also a small stain on the reverse near one end. A lovely example that would be hard to improve upon.

The “Afrikakorps” cuff title became an official award from the 18th July 1941 (Prior to this date the various locally made black unofficial Afrikakorps cuff titles had been worn by some German soldiers from all branches of the Wehrmacht) Criteria for the award was a minimum of two months service in North Africa, before the award could be worn on the tropical blouse, or woolen greatcoat. However, many German soldiers decided to keep their titles as souvenirs and many of these titles were taken from German POW’s by allied soldiers throughout the Desert Campaign and in Tunisia.

The "Afrikakorps" cuff title was to be worn approximately 15cm from the bottom of the lower right sleeve on the tropical field blouse and the woolen tropical greatcoat. The wearing of the cuff title was permitted when wearing the field-grey tunic on leave in Europe, and on the tropical uniform in the summer months when on leave in Europe.

With the introduction of the "Afrika" campaign title on January 15th 1943 the “Afrikakorps” cuff title was ordered to be removed, but this order was probably ignored in the front line by some soldiers, as the official Afrika title was slow to be awarded and it is doubtful that any actual titles made it to Tunisia before the surrender in May 1943.