Totenkopf
Encyclopedia
The Totenkopf is the German word for the death's head and an old symbol for death or the dead. It consists usually of the skull and the mandible of the human skeleton. Beyond that it can include two crossed long-bones (femurs).
The German word Totenschädel means literally dead man's skull.
Use of the symbol as a military insignia began with the cavalry of the Prussian army
under Frederick the Great. Frederick formed Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch), a Hussar
regiment commanded by Colonel von Ruesch. These Hussars adopted a black uniform with a Totenkopf emblazoned on the front of their mirlitons and wore it on the field in the War of Austrian Succession and in the Seven Years' War
.
In 1808, when the regiment was reformed into Leib-Husaren Regiments Nr.1 and Nr.2, the Totenkopf remained a part of the uniform. During the Napoleonic Wars
, when Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
, was killed in battle, his troops changed the colour of their uniforms to black, with a Totenkopf on their shako
s in mourning their dead leader (Other sources claim that the "Black Brunswickers
" were so equipped while Friedrich Wilhelm of Brunswick lived, as a sign of revenge on the French.
The "death's head" continued to be used throughout the Prussian and Brunswick Armed forces until 1918, and some of the stormtrooper
s that led the last German offensives on the Western Front in 1918 used Death's Head badges.
. In 1933, it was in use by the regimental staff and the 1st, 5th, and 11th squadrons of the Reichswehr
s 5th Cavalry Regiment as a continuation of a tradition from the Kaiserreich.
, the leader of the Stabswache
(Adolf Hitler
's bodyguard unit), resurrected the use of the Totenkopf as the unit's insignia. This unit grew into the Schutzstaffel
(SS), which continued to use the Totenkopf as insignia throughout its history.
The Totenkopf was also used as the unit insignia of the Panzer forces of the German Heer (Army), and also by the Panzer units of the Luftwaffe, including those of the elite Fallschirm-Panzerdivision HG.
Both the 3rd SS Panzer Division
of the Waffen-SS
, and the World War II era Luftwaffes 54th Bomber Wing Kampfgeschwader 54
were given the unit name "Totenkopf", and used virtually the same graphic skull-crossbones insignia as the SS units of the same name.
The German word Totenschädel means literally dead man's skull.
Prussia
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
under Frederick the Great. Frederick formed Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch), a Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
regiment commanded by Colonel von Ruesch. These Hussars adopted a black uniform with a Totenkopf emblazoned on the front of their mirlitons and wore it on the field in the War of Austrian Succession and in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
.
In 1808, when the regiment was reformed into Leib-Husaren Regiments Nr.1 and Nr.2, the Totenkopf remained a part of the uniform. During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, when Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
Prince Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a German prince and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Oels. Nicknamed "The Black Dude", he was a military officer who led the Black Brunswickers against Napoleonic domination in Germany...
, was killed in battle, his troops changed the colour of their uniforms to black, with a Totenkopf on their shako
Shako
A shako is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a peak or visor and sometimes tapered at the top...
s in mourning their dead leader (Other sources claim that the "Black Brunswickers
Black Brunswickers
The Black Brunswickers were a volunteer corps raised by German-born Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. The Duke was a harsh opponent of Napoleon Bonaparte's occupation of his native Germany...
" were so equipped while Friedrich Wilhelm of Brunswick lived, as a sign of revenge on the French.
The "death's head" continued to be used throughout the Prussian and Brunswick Armed forces until 1918, and some of the stormtrooper
Stormtrooper
Stormtroopers were specialist soldiers of the German Army in World War I. In the last years of the war, Stoßtruppen were trained to fight with "infiltration tactics", part of the Germans' new method of attack on enemy trenches...
s that led the last German offensives on the Western Front in 1918 used Death's Head badges.
Weimar Republic
The Totenkopf was used in Germany throughout the inter-war period, most prominently by the FreikorpsFreikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
. In 1933, it was in use by the regimental staff and the 1st, 5th, and 11th squadrons of the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
s 5th Cavalry Regiment as a continuation of a tradition from the Kaiserreich.
Third Reich
In the early days of the NSDAP, Julius SchreckJulius Schreck
Julius Schreck was an early Nazi Party member and also the first commander of the Schutzstaffel .-Biography:...
, the leader of the Stabswache
1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
(Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's bodyguard unit), resurrected the use of the Totenkopf as the unit's insignia. This unit grew into the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS), which continued to use the Totenkopf as insignia throughout its history.
The Totenkopf was also used as the unit insignia of the Panzer forces of the German Heer (Army), and also by the Panzer units of the Luftwaffe, including those of the elite Fallschirm-Panzerdivision HG.
Both the 3rd SS Panzer Division
3rd SS Division Totenkopf
The SS Division Totenkopf , also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf, was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke...
of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
, and the World War II era Luftwaffes 54th Bomber Wing Kampfgeschwader 54
Kampfgeschwader 54
Kampfgeschwader 54 "Totenkopf" was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II .Its units participated on all of the fronts in the European Theatre until it was disbanded in May 1945. It operated two of the major German bomber types; the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88...
were given the unit name "Totenkopf", and used virtually the same graphic skull-crossbones insignia as the SS units of the same name.
Non-German Military
- The Italian elite storm-troopers of the ArditiArditiArditi was the name adopted by Italian Army elite storm troops of World War I. The name derives from the Italian verb Ardire and translates as "The Daring Ones"....
used a skull with a dagger between its teeth as a symbol during late 1800 and early 1900. - The British Army's Queen's Royal Lancers continue to use the skull and crossbones in their emblem, inherited from its use by the 17th Lancers17th LancersThe 17th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War...
- a unit raised in 1759 following General Wolfe's death in Quebec, with an emblem of a death's head and the words 'Or Glory' chosen in commemoration of him. - In 1792, a regiment of Hussards de la mort (Death Hussars) was raised to defend the young French Republic from the Austrian attempt to invade France.
- South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's 3rd Infantry Division3rd Infantry Division (South Korea)-History:The 3rd Infantry Division is a unit of the Republic of Korea Army. First formed as the 3rd brigade on December 1, 1947. On December 24 1949, the division conducted Mungyeong massacre...
(백골부대) also uses the skull and crossbones in their emblem. - The primarily Prussian 41st Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, Mustered in: June 6, 1861-Mustered out: December 9, 1865 wore a death's head insignia.New York Military State Military Museum
- The Portuguese Military PolicePortuguese Army PoliceThe Army Police , usually called the Lanceiros, is the provost of the Portuguese Army — being the speciality designated as Polícia Militar between 1953 and 1976...
, the lancers, of the Regimento de Lanceiros 2 use a skull-and-bones image, similar to the totenkopf, in their emblem, itself similar to the one used by the Queen's Royal Lancers. - The Kingdom of Sweden's Hussar Regiments wore it in the Prussian Style on the front of the Mirleton.
- Ramón CabreraRamón CabreraRamon Cabrera y Griñó was a Carlist general of Spain.He was born at Tortosa, province of Tarragona, Spain. As his family had in their gift two chaplaincies, young Cabrera was sent to the seminary of Tortosa, where he made himself conspicuous as an unruly pupil, ever mixed up in disturbances and...
's regiment adopted in 1838 a skull with crossbones flanked by an olive branchOlive branchThe olive branch in Western culture, derived from the customs of Ancient Greece, symbolizes peace or victory and was worn by brides.-Ancient Greece and Rome:...
and a sword on a black flag during the Spanish Carlist WarsCarlist WarsThe Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which contenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists — followers of Infante Carlos and his descendants — rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and...
. - The White RussianWhite movementThe White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
KornilovLavr KornilovLavr Georgiyevich Kornilov was a military intelligence officer, explorer, and general in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and the ensuing Russian Civil War...
regiment adopted it in 1917. - The Estonian Kuperjanov's Partisan BattalionKuperjanov's Partisan BattalionThe Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion, now the Kuperjanov Independent Infantry Battalion is an elite Estonian military unit established during the Estonian War of Independence. The commando-type unit composed of volunteers was established after the Estonian Provisional government call for volunteers to...
used the skull and crossbones as their insignia; the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion continues to use the skull and crossbones as their insignia today. - Two Polish small cavalry units used death's head emblem during Polish–Ukrainian War and Polish–Soviet War - Dywizjon Jazdy Ochotniczej (also known as Death Hussar) and Poznański Ochotniczy Batalion Śmierci.
- During 1943-1945 the Italian Black BrigadesBlack BrigadesBlack Brigades were one of the Fascist paramilitary groups operating in the Italian Social Republic , during the final years of World War II, and after the signing of the Italian Armistice in 1943...
and numerous other forces fighting for the Italian Social RepublicItalian Social RepublicThe Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
, wore various versions of skulls on their uniforms, berets and caps. - Although not exactly a Totenkopf per se, the ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an guerrilla leader Manuel Rodriguez used the symbol on his elite forces called "Husares de la muerte" ("Hussars of death"). - United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance BattalionsUnited States Marine Corps Reconnaissance BattalionsThe United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions are the reconnaissance assets of Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provide division-level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps...
use the skull and crossbones symbol in their emblem. - DFSW PL (Direct Fire Support Weapons Platoon) of the 3rd Battalion RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) use the same designed Totenkopf of the 3rd SS
- No. 100 Squadron RAFNo. 100 Squadron RAFNo. 100 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK, and operates the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk.-World War I:No. 100 was established on 23 February 1917 at Hingham in Norfolk as the Royal Flying Corps' first squadron formed specifically as a night bombing unit and...
(Royal Air Force) continue to use a flag depicting a skull and crossbones supposedly in reference to a flag stolen from a French brothel in 1918.
Popular culture
- LaibachLaibach (band)Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
, during their 2003/2004 WAT tour, used the SS Totenkopf with a bullet hole in the forehead. The defaced symbol is also on the cover of the CD single Tanz Mit Laibach. - Dr. Totenkopf is the name of the supervillain from the science fiction film Sky Captain and the World of TomorrowSky Captain and the World of TomorrowSky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American pulp adventure science-fiction film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut. The film is set in an alternative 1939 and follows the adventures of Polly Perkins , a newspaper reporter, and Harry Joseph "Joe" Sullivan ,...
(2004), and was played by Sir Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
posthumously, using archived footage and computer graphics. - In the game Empire Total War, the Death's Head Hussars appears as a special forces unit
- Marilyn MansonMarilyn MansonMarilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
combined the Totenkopf insignia with Mickey MouseMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
's likeness for varied use, leading up to and throughout The Golden Age of GrotesqueThe Golden Age of GrotesqueInitial critical response to The Golden Age of Grotesque was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 60, indicating mixed or average reviews, based on 12 publications...
era.
See also
- Memento MoriMemento moriMemento mori is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die". It names a genre of artistic work which varies widely, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality...
- Skull and crossbones (poison)
- Jolly RogerJolly RogerThe Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
- Fascist symbolismFascist symbolismAs there were many different manifestations of fascism, especially during the interwar years, there were also many different symbols of Fascist movements...
- 3rd SS Division Totenkopf3rd SS Division TotenkopfThe SS Division Totenkopf , also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf, was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke...
- SS-TotenkopfverbändeSS-TotenkopfverbändeSS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
- Kuperjanov BattalionKuperjanov BattalionThe Kuperjanov Battalion is an Estonian Army infantry battalion of the Estonian Defence Forces...
- Skull and BonesSkull and BonesSkull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....