ᛋᛋ-Frw.Pzgr.Rgt.48 'General Seyffardt' Cufftitle (BeVo)

This machine-woven Cufftitle by 'BeVo' of 'Wuppertal' is in absolute mint condition. Its approx. 48cms in length.

General Hendrik Alexander Seyffardt ('Seijffardt') was the former Chief of the Dutch Army General Staff and became the (nominal) Commander of the Dutch SS Volunteer Legion Niederlande ('Niederländischen Freiwilligen legion') under occupied Holland.

On Friday 5 February 1943 Seyffardt was shot (by order of the Dutch government in London) in the doorway of his home in 'Scheveningen' around 21:00 by 'Gerrit Willem Kastein' and 'Jan Verleun', two members of the Dutch resistance group 'CS-6' and died about 24 hours later. On 8 February 1943 (after a request from Rauter' & Seys-Inquart to Himmler), approval was given by Hitler to give the first company of the Dutch Legion the name 'General Seyffardt'. In the autumn of 1943, this name was transferred to 'Regiment 48' of the then formed SS-Pz.Gren.Brig 'Nederland'.

Besides supporting units, the 'SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Brigade Nederland' consisted of two regiments: the 'SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 48 ‘General Seyffardt’ and the 'SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 49 'De Ruiter'.

The volunteers of these elite units fought on the bridgehead Narwa (Estonia) and after being ordered to retreat because of the danger of being encircled by the advancing Russians, the commander 'SS-Ostubaf. Richard Benner' of regiment 'Seyffardt' unfortunately chose the wrong route back, cutting the regiment off from the other intact units assigned to support the retreat. As a result, the regiment was surrounded by the Russians and was annihilated ('26 July 1944') after a frantic attempt to escape to there own lines in the west. According to a post-war report by Unterscharfuhrer 'Joop Cuypers' (who was involved in the fighting in that region, with his sturmgeschutz), only 27 soldiers of the regiment had managed to reach there own lines.

Attached a small map (copy) of the regiments retreat.

Extremely rare and hard-to-find piece.