
28. Storm Troops and Naval Storm Troops: SA-Marine Oberscharf�hrer, 1935, Service Uniform.
29. Storm Troops and Naval Storm Troops: SA-Sturmf�hrer, 1938, Special Service Uniform.
30. Storm Troops and Naval Storm Troops: SA-Marine Sturmf�hrer, SA-Marine Service Dress.
A naval (Marine) section of the SA had existed from as early as 1933. As a branch of the SA it was intended to bring together all those members who were sailors by profession, deep sea, coastal waters and inland waterways or who had served in the Reichsmarine during the 1914-18 war. Their peace-time function was two-fold. To act as a form of naval ambassador for the German people in being representatives of the new National Socialist Movement when coming into contact with seamen from other maritime nations, and to be available to assist in cases of disaster concerning waterborne craft. Towards these ends the members of the Marine-SA were trained professionally in seamanship and were indoctrinated politically. During the war, those members of the Marine-SA that were not drafted into the Kriegsmarine were used as instructors to teach members of the Marine-HJ the art of seamanship in preparation for their joining the regular war-time navy. Members of Marine-SA units wore uniforms of navy blue material with practically all their metal insignia, buttons, some braiding and metal fittings in gilt. No. 28 shows the first pattern Marine-SA uniform, similar in general appearance to the SA Brown Shirt uniform of the same period, except of course for the basic colour and the use of a peaked cap in place of the SA kepi. No. 30 shows the uniform introduced for all ranks of the Marine-SA after 1934. Members of SA units from the SA districts of 'Hochland' (No. 29),'Alpenland', 'Donau' and 'S�dmark' were permitted to wear the traditional German Lederhosen or leather shorts as part of their summer uniform. This privilege applied to Political Leaders from these same areas. It is recorded that Reichsf�hrer-SS Himmler had entertained the idea of attiring guard units of his men from those SS districts in the south of Germany also in Lederhosen.
31. National Socialist Motorised Corps: NSKK-Obersturmf�hrer, Technical Leaders School Instructor, 1940, Service Uniform.
32. National Socialist Motorised Corps: NSKK-Obersturmf�hrer, NSKK-Detachment 'Ernst von Path', 1939, Traditional Brown Shirt Uniform.
33. National Socialist Motorised Corps: NSKK-Oberscharf�hrer, Stahe der Motorobergruppe 'Ost', 1942, Protective Motoring Suit.
The origins of the NSKK (Nationalsozialistischen Kraftfahrkorps) can be found in two distinct motor vehicle organisations; the Nationalsozialistischen Automobil Korps (NSAK) and the Motor-SA (MSA). The NSAK was founded on 1 April 1930 and as part of the SA its first leader was the Supreme SA Leader Hauptmann Franz Pfeffer von Salomon. The purpose of the NSAK was to mobilize all National Socialist motorists or motor enthusiasts into motoring units whereby the use of their vehicles enabled the SA and other Party formations to be more mobile and to encourage the Party membership to become more motor-minded. AdolfHiihnlein took over the leadership of the NSAK from von Pfeffer when the latter was removed from his post as Oberste Sturmabteilungenf�hrer (OSAF) at the end of 1930. H�hnlein re-organised the NSAK into Motorstandarten, Motorstaffeln and Motorsturme and the membership of the organisation increased correspondingly. The name of the NSAK was officially changed to that of NSKK as from 1 May 1931. The Motor-SA (MSA) was officially founded on 15 May 1931 but this formation claimed to trace its ancestry back to the small fleet of motor bikes, cars and lorries which the Munich Nazis acquired after 1922 and which, under the leadership of Christian Weber, were used for the purposes of transporting their shock troops and propaganda material. Party members were encouraged to loan to the MSA their own vehicles for varying lengths of time. These were organised into SA and SS Motorsturmen and Motorstaffeln. On 23 August 1934 after the great re-organisation that took place throughout the SA, the Motor-SA was absorbed into the NSKK, losing its separate identity and coming under the leadership of the then NSKK SA-Obergruppenf�hrer Adolf H�nhlein, later to become NSKK-Korpsf�hrer. With the NSAK becoming the NSKK and the Motor-SA being absorbed into the NSKK three years later, after 30 June 1934 the NSKK was declared a separate branch of the Party, independent of the SA and under the command of the F�hrer. By this time the membership had grown to 350,000 men and by the end of 1938 it counted some 500,000 members organised within Germany into five Motor Obergruppen, Nord, Ost, Slid, West and Mitte. Each of these upper groups contained four to five Motorgruppen, which in turn included five to six Motorstaffeln. These were each in turn sub-divided into six Motorsturmr with Truppen and Scharen as sub units. Membership to the NSKK was on a voluntary basis.The dependence of war and modern industry on mechanisation and transportation increased the importance of the NSKK. In peace-time the primary function of the NSKK had included the teaching of Nazi ideology, promoting the understanding of the internal combustion engine together with motor mechanics in general and driving instruction all in anticipation of mechanical military campaigns as well as assisting the Police to enforce traffic regulations. During the war the NSKK became a major asset for the Party within Germany and throughout all German-held territories. Its primary war tasks included: the pre-military training of men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, as well as the Motor-HJ, to ensure the provision of recruits for the motorised and armoured units of the Armed Forces. Training of Army pioneers and assault engineers in the handling of assault boats, a task undertaken by instructors from the Marine-NSKK. Organising NSKK Transport Companies which moved supplies for the Armed Forces and other formations, such as the Organisation Todt (see No. 211-213 and 215). These companies provided courier and other road communication services; the training and forming of Transport Companies consisting of non-German personnel, in the main of Dutch, Flemings, Walloons and Frenchmen; and finally assisted the Police by forming traffic control and transport control squads. The wartime leader of the NSKK was NSKK-Korpsf�hrer Erwin Kraus.Once the NSKK had become a separate organisation independent of the SA the rank insignia introduced into the NSKK surprisingly underwent only one change between 1934 and 1945. With only a few exceptions (Nos. 31 and 35 being just two) collar patches for the NSKK were black in colour. White metal insignia, including buttons were worn by all ranks including that of NSKK-Korpsf�hrer. Two items of distinctive headdress were used. The black cloth side-cap which after 1936 also displayed the wearer's rank up to and including the rank of NSKK-Haupttruppf�hrer by a system of white metal pips and or SS pattern silver braiding matching the rank insignia shown on his left hand collar patch (Nos. 32 and 35). The second item was the black leather 'Sturzhelm' or crash helmet. Worn with or without the leatherneck flap and displaying the white metal NSKK emblem across the front (No. 33 shows the later pattern emblem and No. 36 the pre-war early pattern, which, however, continued in use even after the second type had been introduced). Black breeches were a feature of the NSKK uniform and were used even when the earlier Motor-SA existed to distinguish its members from the regular SA personnel. The black and white metal gorget shown in No. 35 was known as the 'Verkehrserziehungsdienst Ringkragen' or Traffic Education Service gorget worn by members of the NSKK Traffic Instruction Service when on duty.