DonC

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Any close up pics of the warrior by any chance?

Jim

Ask, and ye shall receive...

Herr Steiner is correct - "P" = Pommern

Don

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While sitting at the Anson Inn outside Portsmouth Dockyard and having a few pints I had a great photo op fall into my lap - I could see Warrior outside the window from the Anson and then suddenly a US Guided Missile Destroyer glided past (I found out later that she was the Churchill - ironic, huh?). So now we have the oldest existing ironclad warship in the world and one of the newest and most modern guided missile destroyers tied up nearly stern to bow. Hope you like these as much as I did!

Don

Hi Jani -

Upon further review, I would bet my car that this is a Latvian Special - does the white piping overlap in the back, or but together with stiching?

Don

I may be wrong, Jani, but I don't think you would find an RZM tag on a private-purchase officer's cap.

Don

Great photos, Rudi -

Thanks for sharing!

Don

Hola, Alonso -

I have never seen a eagle quite like that one. The back of the IAB is also all wrong.

Don

A great but sad story. I am glad you found out more about your uncle's fate. A lot of people don't realize that the German Army went to war in 1939 with roughly twice the number of horses that they did in 1914.

Don

Anyone know if the Berlin Zoo Bunker still exists? I've read that it was a massive structure.

It is no more. The only Flak Bunker still in existence is the one pictured in the Humbolthain Park. If you ever get to see Tony Le Tissier's Berlin Then and Now, he goes into some detail on what it took to demolish those structures.

Don

Rudi, we were there for four full days and one evening both times.

Don

Always good to hear from a fellow Clash fan!

Don

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Alrighty, then - to the tunic itself!

There were six things that really fascinated me about this tunic - first, it was absolutely stone mint - not a nip, rip or stain. Second, it is named -Rittmeister von Doering. Third - the tailor is Holters, and I love the quality of their uniforms. Fourth - it has the Johanniter Order, which I have always loved for its simplicity and beauty (and it helped to positively ID the owner, because, as Rick has kindly pointed out, he was the only von Doering to receive the JO). Fifth, it was tailored in April 1936 - so it is a very early Waffenrock. Finally, if you look closely at the breast eagle, you will see the head faces the wearer's right shoulder, the opposite of what is normally encountered and something that was standardized later in 1936 - I have never seen one of these on an officer's eagle before - only on EM eagles and Belt buckles.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Don

Nice lid! The "Reichspatent" visors were made using the Pek?ro licensed Stirndruckfrei method - you can always tell by the black felted cap band. These were a lower-end private-purchase visor, but they are very similar in quality to the Pek?ro's. I have always liked these caps as they have a great shape to them.

Don

Thanks, Rick. Figure he made Leutnant at 20, that would make him about 48-50 in 1936. If he didn't make the 100000-man Reichswehr, he could potentially have joined up as a part-timer when the Army expanded again.

Could I ask what the following mean?

Leutnant 18.8.08 Z2z with the Reuss younger line Honor Cross 3rd Class before the war

Oberleutnant 25.2.15 V16v

Rittmeister 28.11.17 P

As always, muchas gracias for your help!

Don

Hi Rick -

Orange piped recruiting Waffenrock to Wehrkreis II. Loops for two pin-back awards and five loops for what looks like a pretty long ribbon/medal bar, plus of course the cloth Johanniter Order. 'Rock is dated 1936. Potential retread or creative use of a tailor's label???

Don

Hi All -

Here's a scan of a Holter's tag in a Recruiting Hauptmann Waffenrock. Interesting in that he was originally a Cav guy as evidenced by the Rittmeister tag. The 'Rock has a Johanniter Order sewn to it. Any way to trace the guy based on the JH, or is it too common of an "award"?

As always, any help appreciated!

Don

I actually asked Rick's opinion of the bar on the forum about a year ago because I noticed the stand-alone 18 year service medal, which is a no-no on TR bars. Her confirmed that it was Scheisse...

Don

Hi Paul -

It's not mine - I was intertested in it if I could prove provenance, but alas....

Don

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