- 925 Silver• SS Honour Ring (Totenkopfring) of Kurt "Panzer" Meyer

Before telling you the actual story of the original ring, we would like to thank Alessio and Stefano for the historical reconstruction work carried out and for their passion, which allowed us to bring to light today this incredible object, full of historical significance and ready to revolutionize quality standards in the collecting field.

Our reproduction of this ring is entirely made of 925 Sterling Silver. Completely made in Italy, from the 3D design, to the wax printing, to the finishing, casting and chasing under the microscope.

The reconstruction of this ring required almost 5 months of design, discussions, redesigns from scratch, and also brought with it some bickering between us, driven by the desire to achieve the maximum result.

The model we wanted to reconstruct is the 1941 one, in particular the one assigned to Kurt "Panzer" Meyer.

The ring is accompanied by:

• Collectible case with magnetic closure, entirely handmade in Italy.
• Certificate of authenticity and guarantee with purchase date.
• Reconstruction of the original ring award letter, on aged paper.
• Cylindrical box, as it was for the original ring.

Not only will you be able to ensure a unique and absolutely exclusive object, but it will already be equipped with everything needed to be included in your collection, safe from damage of any kind thanks to the double layer of flocked foam, and ready to be admired inside its collector's case, which creates an exclusive set never seen before.

Speaking of details, you will notice the internal engraving, reconstructed by hand, which simulates those created by the instruments of the time. In fact, by observing it under the microscope you will notice that it is not absolutely smooth and homogeneous, but has those differences in height and those steps of material typical of the work of the 1930s.

The skull, on the other hand, was one of the most complicated parts to reproduce, also because each ring was quite different, due to the handwork of the time. In fact, we based ourselves on that of Kurt Meyer, for whom we had a fair amount of photographic sources.
We therefore recreated the exact number of teeth, their exact shape, and reconstructed to the micron every curve of the head, of the bones and every imperfection in the roundness of the eyes and nose.

To faithfully reproduce the leaves surrounding the ring and the runes inside them, various mathematical calculations were made to recreate the exact proportions, with advanced statistical models and hundreds of tests.

To reconstruct the assignment letter, the War Militaria team did exhausting research and completed the perfect reproduction of two forgotten fonts: SS-Gothic and SS-Typewriter.
Not only that, we have reconstructed the stamp and signature, which we place by hand on each copy of the document.

In the lower part of the ring band, to guarantee the authenticity of the object, you will find the manufacturer's legal mark and the "925" stamp, indicating the precious metal used.

Here we leave you some links for in-depth details of the cylindrical box and the assignment letter:

BOX

AWARD LETTER

Now a little history of this ring and the soldier who received it:

The SS ring of honor was never an official decoration, but a personal gift from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler to certain men in his departments.

The ring was born as a personal "gift" from H. Himmler to a small group of collaborators and members of the SS on the occasion of Christmas 1933.
Only later did it transform into a real honor granted to those who satisfied certain requirements of loyalty and commitment to the cause, not necessarily political.
Revocation was also foreseen, as a consequence of violations by the assignee.
Together with the ring, the beneficiaries also received a certificate of award signed by Himmler.
Upon the recipient's death, each ring was sent back to the SS Personnel Department, headed by Himmler, to be kept at Wewelsburg Castle in honor of the fallen member.

The ring was awarded only on very specific dates, symbolic for the Third Reich.

It is estimated that around 20,000 rings were produced, but only a few thousand survived the wars intact. Therefore, to date they are among the most sought after objects by collectors.

Kurt Adolph Wilhelm Meyer was a classic example of an aggressive, ruthless Waffen-SS officer and a first-rate leader who pushed his troops (and himself) to the limit.

Meyer earned the nickname "Panzer" during his training at the police academy, after falling from a roof while playing a prank on a classmate. He broke 18 bones in the accident and his friends began calling him "Panzer" because they claimed he was as tough as a tank.

Later, while in the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, his keen tactical sense and mental agility earned him his second nickname "Schnelle Meyer" or "Speedy Meyer" for darting ahead of advancing troops on his motorcycle. he.

His unorthodox methods were further tested on the Eastern Front, where he and his troops used to venture far away from enemy lines, tearing them apart from behind.

By early 1943, his reckless fighting style, although very effective, had already earned him the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, the Knight's Cross and the Oak Leaves for the latter.

It is believed that he earned his SS-Ehrenring for his actions in Operation Barbarossa which began in June 1941:

During Operation Barbarossa, in the Battle of Mariupol on the Black Sea, while he and his troops were in enormous difficulty under enemy suppressing fire, Meyer ordered his men to "angriff auf die gewehre" (load the cannons) and, carrying out a crazy, unexpected and determined infantry and artillery war action, he managed to capture the city and also an entire Soviet division, routing the enemy defenses and charging the entire army of the Third Reich with the conviction that the war would soon be won.
Mariupol had significant strategic importance due to its deep-water port and heavy industry.

This battle was a typical example of Meyer's leadership style: lightning-fast, bold and courageous. Like his commander SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich, Meyer preferred to lead his assaults usually from the saddle of a motorbike.

At the time of the awarding of the ring, Meyer was an SS-Sturmbannführer, in fact his SS Honor Ring is dated 12.21.41. Less than a year later he was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer.

On September 6, 1944, "Panzer" Meyer was captured by partisans in Durnal, Belgium, and promptly handed over to the Americans. While in custody he was severely beaten and robbed of all his medals, rings, watch and money.

However, he died in 1961, having ended his life as a free man.