German army accidentally issues uniforms with 'SS' labels

German law bans the display of any Nazi iconography, with the combination of “S” and “S” even being forbidden from car number plates

Anti-Nazi demonstrators hold a placard as neo-Nazi groups attend the "Day of Honour" in Budapest, Hungary, February 8, 2020, to commemorate the breakout attempt by Schutzstaffel (SS) troops from Soviet-surrounded Budapest during World War Two. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Anti-Nazi demonstrators hold a placard as neo-Nazi groups attend the "Day of Honour" in Budapest, Hungary, February 8, 2020, to commemorate the breakout attempt by Schutzstaffel (SS) troops from Soviet-surrounded Budapest during World War Two.
(photo credit: REUTERS)

German army uniforms have been mistakenly issued with "SS" size labels after a "production problem" reportedly occurred when the initials were thought to be an acronym for the size: “small, short." 

As reported by The Jewish Chronicle, The German Federal Ministry of Defense has since ordered removal of the labeled combat equipment, which includes helmets, sleeping bags and waterproof jackets to its troops.

A Nazi armband with a swastika displayed in the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, Germany (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A Nazi armband with a swastika displayed in the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, Germany (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The ministry reportedly chalked the incident up to a "production problem." 

Forbidden initials

The initials "SS" are often associated with the Schutzstaffel, Adolph Hitler's agency of surveillance and terror in Nazi Germany who orchestrated the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. 

German law bans the display of any Nazi iconography, with the combination of “S” and “S” even being forbidden from car number plates in all of the country's states.