Cuff title

A cuff title (German: Ärmelstreifen) is a form of insignia placed on the sleeve, near the cuff of German military and paramilitary uniforms, most commonly seen in the Second World War but also seen postwar.

Cuff titles are generally associated with units of the Waffen SS but were widely used by other branches of the German military, including paramilitary and civilian organizations. The Großdeutschland Infantry Regiment (later Großdeutschland Division) was also well known for their use of cuff titles. The Deutsches Afrikakorps was famous for its cuff title, which was the genesis of future campaign cuff titles (see below).

The base portion of a cuff title is made of either wool, cotton, rayon or a cotton/rayon mix. It is approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide and bears a name or symbol that identifies the wearer belonging to a particular unit or serving in a specific campaign. On cuff titles where the ribbon was of wool, cotton or blended materials, the embroidery of the name or symbol was usually done with rayon or cotton (some wire embroidery was worn on "officer's pattern" titles). These cuff titles were often edged with "Russia braid" (similar to the material used in waffenfarbe soutaches on early pattern German field caps). Cuff titles that were made entirely of rayon were machine woven. The name or symbol on the ribbon is not really embroidered, but rather falsely embroidered into the ribbon during its manufacturing. This is known as the Jacquard weaving method. "Bevo" is a common term used by collectors to describe this type of insignia manufactured with this method in much the same way that "Kleenex" is used to describe facial tissue. Machine woven cuff titles became more common as the war progressed and newer titles were introduced. Waffen SS cuff titles reflected the colours of the SS, (black and silver) and were generally black in colour with grey or white lettering.

Lettering could be in Latin, Gothic or Sütterlin style script, as shown on the Grossdeutschland cuff title above right. Block letters were also used. For other unique uses of devices or script styles, see below.

...
Wikipedia