German soldiers mistakenly issued uniforms with ‘SS’ labels
German soldiers have been ordered to rip the labels on their uniforms off after they were mistakenly issued ones marked with the unfortunate initials “SS.”
The ministry recently distributed about 313,000 uniforms, helmets, sleeping bags, trousers and jackets to the troops at a cost of $2.4 billion (2.3 billion euros), the Times of London reported.
Most of the uniforms were labeled as S, M, L or XL, as is the norm in English.
But the most diminutive soldiers received jackets bearing “SS,” apparently for “small, short” — though the initials are also associated with the notorious Nazi paramilitary organization Schutzstaffel from the days of the Third Reich.