UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SS Dagger Forum SS Numbers

I was very pleased to discover that a professional (i.e. money making) researcher like Ross Kelbaugh stepped up to the plate and began giving away information about the Goldene Ehrenzeichen and the Blutorden. It is about time! If fact, I am so impressed with Ross� actions that I decided to pitch in and contribute free information to fellow members of the Medal & Badges of the Third Reich Forum, the SS Dagger Forum, the SS & SA Uniform Forum, the Helmet Forum and the German Swords Forum. I rarely enter the forums because I am always short on time. My free information is about starting or improving a database of SS numbers. You say, �What do SS numbers have to do with Golden Party Badges?� Maybe the connection is that many SS men were awarded the Golden Party Badge? No, the answer is that SS numbers and Golden Party Badge numbers provide the same kicks: detective work and greenbacks. So lets get started with my free disclosures to help you get into the numbers game or become more proficient.

There is a National Archives microfilm collection titled, �SS Lists, Microfilm Publication A3343� consisting of 26 rolls of 16mm microfilm (Rolls SS-A0001 through SS-A0023, SS-B0001, SS-I0001 and SS-I0002. The rolls hold 7,455 numbered lists with 240,000 named members of SS, both enlisted men and officers. The great thing about this particular microfilm collection is that it functions as a very good source when gathering the names of SS personnel and their assigned SS numbers. Lists, lists and more lists. Even though SS numbers do not appear on all of lists, the SS Dienstalterslisten are peanuts compared with this treasure trove of names and numbers. The microfilm collection is housed in the Microfilm Reading Room on the fourth floor of the National Archives II, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. The first step is to collect the information.

By examining Ross Kelbaugh�s proven research methods, the novice and the veteran database builder can learn some helpful tricks. I have to credit Ross for grasping the value of the digital camera in recording names and numbers appearing on lists. When Ross goes to the National Archives II, he uses his trusty digital camera and tripod to take a photograph of the document image as it appears on the screen of the microfilm reader. Ross takes so many shots that he uses a black eye patch to cover the eye that is not glued to the viewfinder. If you visit the Microfilm Room, look for the pirate gear and introduce yourself to him. As you watch Ross taking photos of the microfilm reader screen, it is important to understand that each image (microfilm frame) has a displayed frame number that will also appear in his photos. Processing is the next step.

After returning home, Ross opens the digital photo file on his computer. I suspect that he types the SS numbers into one database field and the corresponding digital photo file name in another field. You really only need two data fields in your database. Typing the names of the SS men is a waste of time. This is all about rapid data entry of numbers. Think about it, everything is cross-referenced: every SS number in the database is referenced to a specific digital photo and every digital photo has a microfilm frame number appearing in the photo. Perfection! Ross in not working with text or optical character recognition, he is working with photos. Why use a keyboard or scanner for data entry when you can click a camera and get the whole page? When a collector contacts Ross for the identification of an SS number, he searches for the SS number in his database, identifies the digital photo file which holds that particular SS number and opens the file to acquire the name of the SS member and any other information appearing in the photograph. A fast, inexpensive method for building an SS number database, if you live near College Park, Maryland. Wait a minute; what about the guys who cannot commute to College Park.

Let us say you want to build an SS number database or enhance an existing database but you live in Illinois or Canada, anywhere but near the National Archives II, like a Ron Weinand and a Bernie Brule (both old players in the numbers game). Rent the microfilm rolls through the Microfilm Rental Program (www.archives.gov/research/order/renting-microfilm.html). Another option would be to purchase the rolls of microfilm for $85.00 per roll (www.archives.gov/research/notices/mircofilm-increase-2009.html). For an investment of $2,200.00 you can purchase all 26 rolls of microfilm containing the entire collection of SS Lists. That is not a big outlay. Just sell two of your Golden Party Badges or set your research fee the same as Ross Kelbaugh. You would only have to identify 15 SS numbers to cover your investment in microfilm.

You will need access to some other items to make this whole thing work. You probably already have the digital camera and I know you have a computer or you would not be reading this community service message. Yes, you will need access to a microfilm reader. The microfilm reader does not need print capability because you are using a digital camera to capture the screen images. Go out and buy an inexpensive used microfilm reader or use the microfilm reader at your public library or local college library. If you are not retired (we all know that most Third Reich collectors are old geezers), possibly your employer has a microfilm reader. Spend your lunch hour with your digital camera. Oh yes, you might need to invest in a bigger hard drive for your computer. Now you are in a position to start working, all you need is time.

Ross Kelbaugh told me that he first got into the numbers game by identifying serial numbered Civil War pistols and their owners. According to Ross, the Civil War market is a mature market with collectors willing to pay the price for information. As you know, Third Reich collectors have only been around since the 1940�s and most of us are looking for the free stuff. Once you become a proficient identifier of SS numbers, hopefully you too will provide free information to your fellow collectors, everything except those valuable SS numbers. Welcome to the numbers game. I am a professional researcher; use my free information wisely. Good hunting!

And you can now buy the microfilm roll on DVD for $125.00. The SS Lists on the 26 rolls Robert mentions yielded 19,257 SS numbers of my total current database of about 85,000 numbers not in the SS-Dienstalterslistes. And you really only need the first 10 and the last 2 of those rolls to get started! Those from the war years (the documents are basically arranged chronologically) yield many long lists, particularly of casualties, but few SS numbers since the Waffen-SS members did not receive SS numbers (birthdates were then used to track them). I have currently documented about 400 numbered (most are under the 300,000 range) SS daggers world-wide ranging from Australia in the west to South Africa to Russia in the east whose numbers are not in the SS-Dienstalterslistes. As to be expected, most of these are now in the U.S., Britain, or Russia. Of these 400, the SS Lists helped identify about a twenty-five daggers. The other 65,000 plus SS numbers in my database came from another 288 rolls of microfilm I have searched in 2 � years scattered throughout the Foreign Records Seized, Record Group 242. I am confident that these rolls contained just about all of the major lists with numbers that are to be found. They enabled me to identify about another 100 SS daggers for a total so far of 125 whose original owners who were unknown just a little more than two years ago. Ultimately, the best source for the rest of the current unknowns would be found in the �Rasse-und-Siedlungs� (RuSha) or Race & Settlement Records (7,811 rolls of microfilm!). As I have stated on here before, all SS men (and just about all of those issued daggers fall into this category) and their perspective spouses had to got through an application process to get married to ensure the �purity� of the SS. Usually about 30 or so individual files filled with varying amounts of information including SS numbers are found on the approximately 3000 frames on a 35 mm roll of microfilm. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to go through one RuSha roll. I average about 5-10 rolls on a visit (6-11 hours) since I am also doing research for others. Ideally I could search about 520 rolls a year and 5200 in a decade with luck and maybe the rest in another five years at which time after this 15 year project I would be 75 years old. But virtually all of the daggers will be identified! I have already done 100 RuSha rolls so far and started concentrating on last names beginning with �S� (the largest group of German names). So jump on in with the research. I could use the help.

Enjoy!

Ross Kelbaugh
www.ssdaggers.com

It always seems Ross is willing to help out collectors, dedicated, and is generous with the information he has.
IMO a valuable part of the forum.

Ross is doing a major project for our hobby and his work is worth every cent he is charging and then some, so don't be negative concerning his fees. He should be paid much more for his personal investment of effort. I should know as I have been there and done that so to speak.
Next, my original research was done well before the days of knowing about Microfilm and the National Archives. I was lucky enough to find one of the first known original 1937 Dienstaltersliste and was early into computer programing and wrote a program to use the information available in the DAL as my original data base and expanded it with other years as I found other information and additional lists. So Mr. McDivitt was a little off on the origin of my efforts from Illinois.
I was the first one that I know of in this hobby who ever was interested in attaching a name to the dagger number and this was out of my own interest in my personal SS M33 Daggers with numbers. I even wrote to Simon Wiesenthal for help with this project and got an answer back from him personally (I have it framed in my office) concerning the owner of one of my daggers.
So, I contributed what I could and charged a minor fee of $15 to research a number (and many felt this was TOO MUCH) to offset the required data entry person to put the 37 list into the program (I didn't have the time to do the work as I was still a Pharmacist at the time). It took me over 3 years to just break even, not counting the $1750.00 the original 1937 DAL cost me at the time (a record price in the early years for one).
So, everyone who sent in the money thought I was ripping off the public for such minor information, but I still had the satisfaction that I was contributing something of value to this shadowy hobby in my own mind.
It was this project that led me to the NPEA Dagger markings and my interest in finding out what markings represented and you all know how this worked out: Two NPEA Books that I will eventually break even on after a couple of more years, but at least I have felt that I answered some of the more complexing questions about Nazi edged weapons with unusual markings.
Ron Weinand