who were political prisoners and who were criminals, and in searching for Nazis who had been identified as possible war criminals. Disbanding SAARF was disbanded on 1 July 1945. A short-lived and secretive unit, most of the hardened veterans came from the airborne and special operations units. Some judgement has been made on the effectiveness of the SHAEF attempts to alleviate suffering of those interned by the Germans as the Nazi Reich collapsed. Insignia The wing is silver-blue Schiffli embroidery on royal blue wool, sometimes on a black background; it terminates in a red arrow symbolically breaking the chains of oppression, which are embroidered in red. SAARF's non-American personnel usually wore the wing on the right shoulder, as a true SSI, while the Americans generally preferred to wear it near the right cuff in a fashion reminiscent of the pathfinder wing. Because of its obscurity, the SAARF crest for many years escaped the attention of most collectors and few reproductions of the unit's insignia were to be found. This, however, is changing, as the unit and its insignia are exposed to more of the collecting public. SAARF insignia are one of the rarest Allied airborne insignia of the Second World War that were approved and issued. References External links Multinational army units and formations International special forces Special forces of the United Kingdom Special Operations Forces of the United States