It was dedicated to his service rather than "a suspect mass" of the party, such as the SA.[3] Originally the unit was composed of only eight men, commanded by Julius Schreck and Joseph Berchtold.[4] It was designated the Stabswache (staff guard).[5] The Stabswache were issued unique badges, but at this point the Stabswache was still under overall SA control. Schreck resurrected the use of the Totenkopf (i.e. skull) as the unit's insignia, a symbol various elite forces had used throughout the Prussian kingdom and the later German Empire.[6]