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Two
German Soldiers' Rings
By
Eric Tobey
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The
following was taken from the Die Neue Feldpost newsletter
& was done so with permission of the publisher.
We would like to thank him for his generosity as well
as thank all those who have contributed to this
article. It is with their efforts, we are able
to share this valuable research with the rest of you.
One
popular souvenir of the Landser was the finger ring.
These were purchased in a myriad of materials and
styles, a few of them instantly recognizable to
collectors and militaria buffs: the death's head ring,
and the "Afrika" ring to name a few.
One particular ring, the SS honor ring, was not really
a souvenir at all, but rather a sort of decoration for
meritorious service in the SS.
The
typical soldier's ring would not fall into any of the
above categories any more than the typical soldier was
a member of the Afrika Korps or the SS. Some of
their rings carried rather mundane military designs on
them like soldiers or aircraft. Some bore
political emblems or miniature facsimiles of medals.
Many rings do not have any outward appearances of
being military at all: there were school rings, rings
with city and regional crests on them, and souvenir
rings from every place that the German Soldier found
himself. Signet rings were also popular.
One ring
illustrated here combines the characteristics of the
last two types. The other is the typical
commemorative signet ring. Made from a flat
piece of silver, they have the soldier's initials and
at least the date engraved on the inside. Ring
"A" also has the name of a place which the
Landser wished to remember engraved on the inside.
One rather
interesting note to keep in mind is that in Germany,
wedding rings are worn on the right hand. If you
are engaged, the ring is worn on your left hand.
Sources:
- Rommel's Army in Africa by Dal
McGuirk
- Uniforms and Traditions
of the German Army by J.R. Angolia and A. Schlicht
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