History

The Technische Nothilfe (Technical Emergency Help), often abbreviated to TN or TeNo, was founded on September 30, 1919. Its stated purpose was to maintain vital infrastructure and facilities, and protect them during a time of economical and political turmoil. When the economy improved and political tensions became less pronounced during the mid to late 1920s, the TeNo was able to shift its focus to disaster relief, roadside assistance, and general civil defence, including civil air protection. In 1936, the organisation came under the control of the German police as an auxiliary force of the Ordnungspolizei (Order Police). During the war, TeNo units were deployed to virtually all occupied countries and front lines for technical support.

Initially, aluminum identification numbers were attached directly to the collar, but after early 1933 they were placed on black parallelogram shaped collar patches. The number of the local group was worn on the left side in Arabic numerals, while the number on the right side in Roman numerals was that of the Landesführung (transregional group). These early collar tabs were not used to distinguish between ranks, but merely between unit.