History

The SS divided Germany and the occupied territories into Oberabschnitte (districts) that roughly corresponded to the Germany Army's Wehrkreise (army districts). These districts were further divided into three or four SS-Abschnitte (sub-districts), which could be identified by roman numerals. By the end of the war, there were 45 sub-districts.

Each SS sub-district had a motorised unit under its control. Members of the motorised units wore a unit collar tab with a capital “M” and their unit number (an arabic numeral rather than the sub-district's roman numerals).

Officer rank collar tabs were embroidered with silver-coloured aluminium wire, while Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and Enlisted Men (EM) collar tabs were embroidered with silver or grey-coloured thread.

Officer tabs were piped with aluminum twist cord, while those of NCO/EMs was piped with alternating black and aluminum twist cord. NCO/EM piping was eventually discontinued.