WWII SS dog tag?

[Smokeage]

My friend over xbox live found this and got me interested in what it is. I tried asking on another forum (www.A5OG.net) and they sent me here. Anyways here is the picture and what we think we know about it so far.

from the top this is what it says:

19. / II SS - TV
622
Stiefel Lange

"Steifle Lange" means long boots in German. When I figured that out I thouhgt this may just be a tag from some boots or something....but why would they have the "II SS" then? Im assuming that stands for the 2nd SS Panzer Division.

Someone on A5OG pointed out that the TV could stand for "Totenkopfverbände" I have no idea what that means though.....google translator brought nothing up.

Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

Oh yeah, the back story on this is that the guys grandpa took this off a fallen soldier in WWII, supposedly.

[PhoenixCadet]

My friend over xbox live found this and got me interested in what it is. I tried asking on another forum (www.A5OG.net) and they sent me here. Anyways here is the picture and what we think we know about it so far.

from the top this is what it says:

19. / II SS - TV
622
Stiefel Lange

"Steifle Lange" means long boots in German. When I figured that out I thouhgt this may just be a tag from some boots or something....but why would they have the "II SS" then? Im assuming that stands for the 2nd SS Panzer Division.

Someone on A5OG pointed out that the TV could stand for "Totenkopfverbände" I have no idea what that means though.....google translator brought nothing up.

Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

Oh yeah, the back story on this is that the guys grandpa took this off a fallen soldier in WWII, supposedly.

"Totenkopfverbände" (Free Translation) means "Dead Head Would Connect" (Death's Head). My German isn't all that great, so I'm not sure if there are alternate meanings for this.

The Totenkopfverände (SS-TV) was the unit incharge of SS concentration camps (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS-TV) -- it's Wikipedia, though. YMMV).

I hope this helps!

-PC

[Lee Ragan]

You might go over to www.militariacollecting.com (it's a forum with mostly WWII German subjects), and ask about it over there. You can register for free and look over the topic ares and decide which one may produce the information you desire. If you'r dog tag is WWII German, they can tell you about it.
Good luck.

[Redleg]

The unit in question is the 2.SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich."

"19." was possibly his regiment, "622" would be the dude's service number, his name was likely "Lange Steifle" and "TV" is actually V.T. Division (Motorized) which was formed October 10, 1939-April 1, 1940.
This unit was the the first of many re-organizations before becoming the 2. SS-Panzer-Division:

In progression:

SS-V.T Division (Motorized) 1939-1940
SS-V Division 1940-1940
SS-Division "Deutschland" 1940-1941
SS-Division "Reich" 1941-1942
SS-Division "Das Reich" 1942-1942
SS-Panzer Grenadier-Division "Das Reich" 1942-1944
SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich" 1944-1945

3.SS Panzer-Division was the "Totenkopf" division and as a combat arms unit was not affiliated with the concentration camp guards which also wore "death head" on their headgear after November 9, 1940.
Shortly after the Polish cease-fire the bulk of "Totenkopf" was withdrawn to Germany to be refitted as a SS field division.
Among these were 6,500 members of Theodor Eick'e SS-Totenkopfverbande (concentration camp guards).
The 18,000 SS troops of "Totenkopf" were actually split into three groups, (Leibstandarte (Administrative)-Verfugungstruppe (REMF's)-and "Totenkopf" (Combat Arms) and many were not all combat units in 1939-1940.

Hope this helps.

Resource: Waffen SS Vol 2-Bender/Taylor