Totenkopf

This article is about the military symbol. For other uses, seeTotenkopf (disambiguation)andDeath's head.

Totenkopf(German:[ˈtoːtn̩ˌkɔpf],i.e.skull,literally "dead person's head" ) is theGermanword for skull. The word is often used to denote a figurative, graphic or sculptural symbol, common in Western culture, consisting of the representation of ahuman skull– usually frontal, more rarely in profile with or without themandible.In some cases, other human skeletal parts may be added, often including two crossed long bones (femurs) depicted below or behind the skull (when it may be referred to in English as a "skull and crossbones"). The human skull is an internationally used symbol for death, the defiance of death, danger, or the dead, as well aspiracyortoxicity.

August von Mackensen,German field marshal in hussar full dress prior to 1914, with theTotenkopfon his furbusby

In English, the termTotenkopfis commonly associated with 19th- and 20th-century German military use, particularly inNazi Germany.

Naval use

In early modern sea warfare to early modern sea piracy,buccaneersandpiratesused theTotenkopfas a pirate flag: a skull or other skeletal parts as a death threat and as a demand to hand over a ship. The symbol continues to be used by modern navies.

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  Emanuel Wynne's flag flown in 1700
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  Bartholomew Roberts' flag as described in a report from 1720
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  Edward EnglandandSamuel Bellamy's flag as described by eyewitness Thomas Baker (Bellamy's crew)
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  Stede Bonnet's flag as described in a report from the 1718 Boston News-Letter
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  19th centuryJolly Rogerused byBarbary corsairs
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  Insignia for theUSMCMarine Raiders

German military

Prussia

Hussarfrom Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch) in 1744 with the Totenkopf on themirliton(Ger.Flügelmütze)

Use of theTotenkopfas a military emblem began underFrederick the Great,who formed a regiment ofHussarcavalry in thePrussian armycommanded by Colonel von Ruesch, the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch). It adopted a black uniform with aTotenkopfemblazoned on the front of itsmirlitonsand wore it on the field in theWar of Austrian Successionand in theSeven Years' War.TheTotenkopfremained a part of the uniform when the regiment was reformed into Leib-Husaren Regiments Nr.1 and Nr.2 in 1808.

Brunswick

Totenkopfbadge worn by the BrunswickLeibbataillon( "Life-Guard Battalion" ) at theBattle of Waterlooin 1815

In 1809, during theWar of the Fifth Coalition,Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttelraised a force of volunteers to fightNapoleon Bonaparte,who had conquered the Duke's lands. The Brunswick corps was provided with black uniforms, giving rise to their nickname, theBlack Brunswickers.Both hussar cavalry and infantry in the force wore aTotenkopfbadge, either in mourning for the duke's father,Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel,who had been killed at theBattle of Jena–Auerstedtin 1806, or according to some sources, as a sign of revenge against the French. After fighting their way through Germany, the Black Brunswickers entered British service and fought with them in thePeninsular Warand at theBattle of Waterloo.The Brunswick corps was eventually incorporated into the Prussian Army in 1866.

German Empire

German Empire era Totenkopf

The skull continued to be used by the Prussian and Brunswick armed forces until 1918, and some of thestormtroopersthat led the last German offensives on the Western Front in 1918 used skull badges.Luftstreitkräftefighter pilotsGeorg von HantelmannandKurt Adolf Monningtonare just two of a number ofCentral Powersmilitary pilots who used theTotenkopfas their personal aircraft insignia.

Weimar Republic

TheTotenkopfwas used in Germany throughout theinterwar period,most prominently by theFreikorps.In 1933, it was in use by the regimental staff and the 1st, 5th, and 11th squadrons of theReichswehr's 5th Cavalry Regiment as a continuation of a tradition from theKaiserreich.

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  Flag of theIron Division Freikorps
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  Armed Freikorps troops in Berlin in 1919
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  AGarford-Putilov Armoured Carused by theFreikorpsin 1919
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  Flag at a meeting of formerBrüssow Freikorpsmembers in 1934

Nazi Germany

In the early days of theNazi Party,Julius Schreck,the leader of theStabswache(Adolf Hitler's bodyguard unit), resurrected the use of theTotenkopfas the unit's insignia. This unit grew into theSchutzstaffel(SS), which continued to use theTotenkopfas insignia throughout its history. According to a writing byReichsführer-SSHeinrich Himmler,theTotenkopfhad the following meaning:

TheSkullis the reminder that you shall always be willing to put your self at stake for the life of the whole community.

SS-Totenkopfverbände('Death's Head Units') was the Schutzstaffel (SS) organization responsible for administering theNazi concentration campsandextermination campsforNazi Germany,among similar duties. While theTotenkopfwas the universal cap badge of the SS, the SS-TV also wore this insignia on the rightcollar tabto distinguish itself from other SS formations.

TheTotenkopfwas also used as the unit insignia of thePanzerforces of the GermanHeer(Army), and also by thePanzerunits of theLuftwaffe,including those of the eliteFallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring.

Both the3rd SS Panzer Divisionof theWaffen-SS,and the World War II era Luftwaffe's 54th Bomber WingKampfgeschwader 54were given the unit name "Totenkopf",and used a strikingly similar-looking graphic skull-crossbones insignia as theSSunits of the same name. The 3rd SS Panzer Division also had skull patches on their uniform collars instead of the SS sieg rune.

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  The first version of the SS-Totenkopf; used from 1923 to 1934
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  The second version of the SS-Totenkopf; used from 1934 to 1945
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  Junkers Ju 88 ofKampfgeschwader 54(KG 54) in France, November 1940
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  The "standalone" version of the WW II Luftwaffe KG 54 wing'sdead's headunit insignia
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  German Panzertotenkopf
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  German SS uniform. Peaked visor cap with skull emblem (Totenkopf)
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  Members ofSS Handschar;the SS-Totenkopf was printed on their fez cap.

Non-German military

Infante Fernandowearing the uniform of Spain's 8th Light Armoured Cavalry Regiment "Lusitania", 1915

Australian commandosin New Guinea, 1945

• Askull and crossboneshas often been a symbol of pirates, especially in the form of theJolly Roger,but usually having the crossbonesbelowthe skull's lower mandibile (if present) rather than behind it, as used by pirateSamuel Bellamyin one example.
• The uniform of theSpanish Army's Lusitania Dragoon Regiment during part of the 18th century included three skull and crossbones in the cuffs,and in 1902 the skull and crossbones insignia was authorized again to replace the regiment number on the sides of the collar.
• It was used as the emblem on the uniforms of Greek revolutionaries ofAlexander Ypsilantis'Sacred Band (1821)during theWallachian uprising of 1821
• Armenian fedayis, during theFirst World Waragainst the Ottoman Empire, used a skull with two bolt rifles under the words "revenge revenge" in their flags.
• The British Army'sRoyal Lancerscontinue to use the skull and crossbones in their emblem, inherited from its use by the17th Lancers,a unit raised in 1759 followingGeneral Wolfe's death in Quebec. The emblem contains an image of a death's head, and the words 'Or Glory', chosen in commemoration of Wolfe.
• In 1792, a regiment ofHussards de la Mort(Death Hussars) was formed during theFrench Revolutionby theFrench National Assemblyand were organized and named byKellerman.The group of 200 volunteers were from wealthy families and their horses were supplied from the King's Stables. They were formed to defend against various other European states in the wake of the revolution. They participated in theBattle of Valmyand its members also participated in theBattle of Fleurus (1794).They had the following mottos:Vaincre ou mourir,La liberté ou la mortandVivre libre ou mourir– Victory or death; Freedom or death; and Live free or die.
• Although not exactly aTotenkopfper se, theChileanguerrilla leaderManuel Rodríguezused the symbol on his elite forces calledHusares de la muerte( "Hussarsof death "). It is still used by theChilean Army's 3rd Cavalry Regiment.
• The primarily Prussian 41st Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry (mustered on 6 June 1861; mustered out 9 December 1865) wore a skull insignia.
• TheVengeurs de la Mort( "death avengers" ), an irregular unit ofCommune de Paris,1871.
• The PortugueseArmy Police2nd Lancers Regimentuse a skull-and-crossbones image in their emblem, similar to the one used by the Queen's Royal Lancers.
• TheKingdom of Sweden's Hussar Regiments wore a death's head emblem in the Prussian Style on the front of the mirleton.
• Ramón Cabrera's regiment adopted in 1838 a skull with crossbones flanked by anolive branchand a sword on a black flag during the SpanishCarlist Wars.
• SerbianChetnikswore a death's head emblem in several conflicts:guerrillainOld Serbia,First and Second Balkan Wars,World War I(both defense andresistance) andWorld War II.
• Some Macedonian-Bulgariankomitasthat were members of theInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organizationwore a death's head emblem, usually with crossed revolver andqamabelow the skull and crossbones (similar to the Serbian ones) throughout the existence of the organization in several conflicts:Macedonian Struggle(Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising,theBalkan Wars),World War I,during the interwar period in Macedonia,Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes,and inWorld War II.The most prominent example beingPitu Guliwho wears one in his only known photo, and his sonSteryu Gulev.
• The Italian elite storm-troopers of theArditiused a skull with a dagger between its teeth as a symbol during World War I. Various versions of skulls were also later used by the Italian Fascists.
• The RussianKornilov'sShock Detachment (8th Army) adopted a death's head emblem in 1917. Then after World War I, the unit became Kornilov's Shock Regiment as a part of theWhite RussianVolunteer Armyduring theRussian Civil War.Also a death's head emblem was depicted on17th Don Cossack regimentandMariupol 4th Hussar regimentbadges ofRussian Imperial Army.
• The EstonianKuperjanov's Partisan Battalionused the skull-and-crossbones as their insignia (since 1918); theKuperjanovInfantry Battalion continues to use the skull and crossbones as their insignia today.
• Two Polish small cavalry units used death's head emblem duringPolish–Ukrainian Warand Polish–Soviet War –Dywizjon Jazdy Ochotniczej(also known asHuzarzy Śmiercii.e.Death Hussars) andPoznański Ochotniczy Batalion Śmierci.
• During 1943–1945 the ItalianBlack Brigadesand numerous other forces fighting for theItalian Social Republicwore various versions of skulls on their uniforms, berets, and caps.
• TheUnited States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalionsuse the skull-and-crossbones symbol in their emblem.
• TheNo. 100 Squadron RAF(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.
• TheBatalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais,a special unit within the military police of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, uses the skull emblem to differentiate their team from the regular units.
• South Korea's3rd Infantry Division(백골부대) have a skull-and-crossbones in their emblem.
• ManyUnited States Cavalryreconnaissance troops or squadrons utilize a skull insignia, often wearing the traditional Stetson hat, and backed by either crossed cavalry sabers, crossed rifles, or some other variation, as an unofficial unit logo. These logos are incorporated into troop T-shirts, challenge coins, or other items designed to enhance morale and esprit de corps.
• A version of thePunisher skull symbolhas been used by U.S. military personnel since theIraq War.
• Members of theAzov Regimentof the Ukrainian National Guard have used the totenkopf.
• 72nd Mechanized Brigadeof Ukrainian Ground Forces have a skull in their emblem.
• The skull andcrosshairwere the main symbol of theWagner Groupuntil it was merged with theRosgvardiya.

Gallery

Flags

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  Flag used from 1811 to 1812 byRegimiento de la muerte(Death Regiment) afterHidalgo'sdeath in theIndependence War
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  One of the flags used byArgentinecaudilloFacundo Quiroga,"Rn.o M." means "Religion or Death" (1825-1834)
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  Spanish Carlist flag (1838)
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  Flag used byFilipino revolutionarygeneralMariano Llanera(1896–1899)
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  Banner of one of Russian "Death Units", formed inEastern Frontin 1917
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  Sailors of thePetropavlovskin Helsinki, before theFinnish Civil War(Summer 1917); Flag calls for "death to thebourgeoisie",the flag was later used during theKronstadt uprisingand the occupation ofNaissaar Island.
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  Kornilov's Shock Detachment flag bearer and honor guard (1917)
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  Polish Voluntary II Death Squad in Lviv, Ukraine (1920)
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  Flag used bySvyryd Kotsur's Dnipro Division, with the slogan "Death to all who stand in the way of freedom for the working people" (1920)
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  Reconstruction of the insignia used by theArditi del Popolo(1921–1924)
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  A flag captured byU.S. marinesfromSandino'sforces in 1932

Other

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  A FrenchHussard de la mort(1792)
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  Alexander Ypsilantis,founder of the military forceThe Sacred Band,shown wearing the fighting force's uniform, complete with mandible-less totenkopf (1821)
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  Cap badge of the British17th Lancers
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  Swedish hussars in 1761
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  Pin worn by veterans of theBattle of Lwów.The G.S. stands forGóra Stracenia(Execution Mount) (1918).
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  The "death's head" was the insignia ofPolishDeath Hussar Divisions,1920 (Polish–Soviet War).
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  Early symbol of theFire Cross League
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  Helmet of aFinnishLight detachment 4(World War II) in skeletal paint scheme
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  Insignia of the EstonianKuperjanov Infantry Battalion
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  Stylized Totenkopf onshoulder sleeve insigniaof the United States Air Force400th Missile Squadronuniform sometime between 1995 and 2005
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  United States Army's 24th Infantry Regiment's "Deuce four skull" symbol used to mark buildings where enemy combatants had been killed in Iraq as part ofOperation Iraqi Freedom(2004)
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  Totenkopf inspired patch depictingPunisher(Marvel character) skull symbol, without optional leg bones, worn byUS Navy SEALs(2012)
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  Insignia of theSyrian Republican Guard(2021)

Police use

• The uniform of theOrdnungspolizei-- Nazi Germany's uniformedpolicecould feature the totenkopf. Peaked visor cap of theSicherheitsdienstSD with skull emblem.
• "Punisher"variations of the totenkopf appear on police vehicles.
• Challenge coinsas used by the Firearms Training Team for theCalgary,Canadapolice force.

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  Peaked visor cap of theSicherheitsdienstSD with skull emblem. Norwegian Armed Forces Museum, Oslo, Norway (1936).
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  "Thin blue line" variation of thePunisherskull used on police vehicles inSolvay, New York(2017)
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  Armored personnel carrierused by theBatalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais(BOPE). According to the official BOPE website, the logo represents victory over death(2018).
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  Challenge coin used by the Firearms Training branch of the Calgary Police Service (2020).
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Commercial use

• Craft Internationallogo, military training company founded byChris Kyle
• Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse,a major antagonist in theWolfensteinseries
• Sometimes placed within a circle next to a 6 to representDeath in June

Other uses

Theskull and crossbonessymbol is used internationally to indicate poisonous substances (see alsoHazard symbol).

Etymology

Toten-Kopftranslates literally to "Dead's Head", meaning exactly "dead person's head". Semantically, it refers to a skull, literally aSchädel.As a term,Totenkopfconnotes the human skull as a symbol, typically one with crossed thigh bones as part of a grouping.

The common translation of "Totenkopf" asdeath's headis incorrect; it would beTodeskopf,but no such word is in use -- the English termdeath squadis calledTodesschwadron,notTotenschwadron.It would be alogical fallacyto conclude that usage varies only because of the German naming of thedeath's-head hawkmoth,which is calledskull hawkmoth(Totenkopfschwärmer)in German, in the same way that it would be a fallacy to conclude that the German word fornight candle(i.e.Nachtkerze) would meanwillowherb,just because thewillowherb hawkmoth(Proserpinus proserpina) is callednight candle hawkmoth(Nachtkerzenschwärmer,Proserpinus proserpina ) in German.

Contemporary German language meaning of the wordTotenkopfhas not changed for at least two centuries. For example, the German poetClemens Brentano(1778–1842) wrote in the story"Baron Hüpfenstich":
"Lauter Totenbeine und Totenköpfe, die standen oben herum..."(i.e. "A lot of bones and skulls, they were placed above..." ).

See also

• 3rd SS Division Totenkopf
• Fascist symbolism
• Human skull symbolism
• Kampfgeschwader 54
• Black Brunswickers
• Jolly Roger
• Kuperjanov Battalion
• Memento mori
• The Punisher
• Skull and Bones
• SS-Totenkopfverbände

Bibliography

• Klaus D. Patzwall: Der SS-Totenkopfring. 5th edition: Patzwall, Melbeck 2010,ISBN978-3-931533-07-6.
• Joost Hølscher (Author, Illustrator): Death's Head, The History of the Military Skull & Crossbones Badge (The History of Uniform). 1st edition: Éditions Chamerelle 2013,ISBN978-90-820326-0-4
• Adrian Ruda:Der Totenkopf als Motiv. Eine historisch-kulturanthropologische Analyse zwischen Militär und Moden (The Skull as Motif: A Historical-Cultural Anthropological Analysis between Military and Fashion).Böhlau, Köln 2023,ISBN978-3-412-52890-4.