Uncategorised Hermann Göring's Most Obscure Uniform Insignia

[Guest Rick Research]

Today's "drive through" by the Traveling Museum brought in this pair of Mysterious Shoulder Boards:



These bear a striking resemblance to those worn by top uniformed civil srvants in the Kingdom of Prussia BUT

1) the highest pay grade then was TWO pips and

2) those bore the crowned Prussian shield

The ONLY person with this rank was Fat Hermann.

Can I find a photo of him wearing either of the two uniforms that these might have been worn on?


Noooooooooooooooooooooo.


(Reichsjägermeister wore a different pattern of boards. I have never seen what a Forestry Generaal wore for boards.)

[Guest Rick Research]

Most German shoulder boards were ready made by rank group (generals or field officers or company officers) and simply had desired rank pips and numbers etc added as each customer required.

This pair was custom made to order for a single individual-- the pips were applied BEFORE the underlay was sewn onto the gold metallic bullion and green braid:

[Paul R]

Very interesting set.

Could they be post war DDR? (Early)?

[Guest Rick Research]

There is a certain similarity to Weimar era police insignia, but no one held a Police rank at this level with this sort of boards (only after merger of the police and SS under Himmler did Kurt Daluege rank as a Police-Colonel-General). The old Prussian civil service ones also had gold pips on gold and green braid, which continues to cloud my dim memories of that type insignia.



I've seen Fat Herman in his costume as General der Infanterie wearing a "telephone talker" helmet (shades of Mike Dukakis) but never in one of his "civil" uniforms. One often sees those pouty or gloating photos in Tyrolean hat and leather shorts posing with a shotgun or rifle over some dead critter-- but I've never seen him in the UNIFORM of either Chief Forester or Chief Huntmaster.

Anybody?

[Guest Rick Research]

Helmut Weitze had these Major level Imperial civil service boards many years ago:

[Naxos]

Rick, don't Forstbeamte have Eicheln instead of Sterne as pips?

Edited February 21, 2009 by Naxos

[Naxos]

Can't see the boards

Edited February 21, 2009 by Naxos

[Guest Rick Research]

ARGH!!!!! Some had acorns, others had pips-- never knew why. Maybe a question of WHEN?

I think that's Hermann in his Reichsjägermeister outfit, though, not as Reichsforstmeister.

Great find on the Forestry rank. That seems to bring us back to civil service and Ministerpr?sident of Prussia/Reichsstatthalter.

Thanks!

[Naxos]

Have a look here - not the same branch but the Generaloberst der Ordnungspolizei had 3 pips after 1942

http://www.volny.cz/lbsr/dr/pol/bschr_36-45.html

Edited February 21, 2009 by Naxos

[Naxos]

The East German Generals arrange their pips differently

[Naxos]

I believe the boards are from a civilian Sch?tzen Uniform perhaps Weimar era.

Here you can see the Sch?tzen shoulder boards still availabe today: http://bekleidungshaus-wessendorf.de/index...rt&Itemid=1

note some of them are very much like the ones above

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2009/post-1062-1235250565.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2009/post-1062-1235250632.jpg

[speedytop]

Rick,

I assist Naxos.

You know, that we had and stll have thousands of "Sch?tzenvereine" in Germany, with ranks like Major, General and Feldmarschall. And unbelievable many uniform parts.

Please see one example, page 5, Ehrenfunktionen:

http://www.tsv1681.de/Download/Uniformordnung.pdf

Regards

Uwe

[Mike Dwyer]

Rick,

I assist Naxos.

You know, that we had and stll have thousands of "Sch?tzenvereine" in Germany, with ranks like Major, General and Feldmarschall. And unbelievable many uniform parts.

Please see one example, page 5, Ehrenfunktionen:

http://www.tsv1681.de/Download/Uniformordnung.pdf

Regards

Uwe

You mean like this one? A photo of the current head of the ducal house of Anhalt, Prinz Eduard von Anhalt wearing the uniform of the Anhalt Sch?tzenvereine, along with the grand collar of the Order of Albrecht the Bear (which according t the prince's web site he will be awarding again!) http://www.anhalt-askanien.de/index.php?id=48&L=1

[Deruelle]

Another interresting photo, have a look

Christophe

[Gordon Craig]

ARGH!!!!! Some had acorns, others had pips-- never knew why. Maybe a question of WHEN?

I think that's Hermann in his Reichsj?germeister outfit, though, not as Reichsforstmeister.

Great find on the Forestry rank. That seems to bring us back to civil service and Ministerpr?sident of Prussia/Reichsstatthalter.

Thanks!

Rick,

Members of the Heer and Luft Forestry Services wore Forestry Service boards but with Wehrmacht stars on them instead of acorns. In their book "Uniforms and Traditions of the Luftwaffe" Angolia and Schlicht cover the Luftwaffe Forestry Service very well. Below are a picture of some Luft. Forestry boards and a picture of Uncle Hermann in his uniform as Reichs Forestry and Hunting Master from their book. Can not see his boards though.

I should also mention that some pre Third Reich Forestry Services used rank stars as well.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited February 22, 2009 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

Uncle Herman.

[bob lembke]

Only vaguely related. My wife, the "super-librarian" brought me an interesting book from her library, entitled, I believe, The Nazi War on Cancer, about the nazi efforts to imrove health, suppress smoking, a more healthy diet, etc. A serious and interesting book; I generally don't study German history post 1926, when my father sailed for the US.

In the book there is a really funny cartoon. I gather that Hermann, in some ways a serious animal lover, supposedly abolished vivasection in Germany. The cartoon shows dicke Hermann striding thru a medical labratory, and several dozen lab animals, rabbits, lab mice, etc. are standing on cages and lab benches giving good ol' Hermann the Nazi salute as he walks by.

The above material was not posted in any attempt to rehabilitate or endear pudgy Hermann or his buddies, but I have always been amused on how eccentric and "New Wave" some of them were; vegitarians, astrology, etc., sort of like flower-power on steroids and bad acid.

Bob

[Naxos]

Bob, Flowerpower was all about bad acid - I remember (some of it)

[Alexandre]

Hello Gentlemen,

I found this picture in www.germaniainternational.com.

In spite of being a painting, it lets to have an idea of would be the Reichsj?germeister shoulder board.

Cheers

[all1knew]

Hello all,

I have a similar pair of boards here, any ideas on mine?

William Kramer

[all1knew]

or these?

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

These last posts look like Schutzenverein shoulder boards to me. I can not find pictures of these exact boards in wear but if you follow the link below you will see similar boards in wear in the picture. Scroll to the bottom and you will find a list of ranks used in this particular Schutzenverein. A lot of them will look familiar. Unfortunately, no shoulder boards are illustrated with the rank designations.

Regards,

Gordon

http://www.schuetzenverein-haaren.de/vorstand.html

[LarryT]

Gentlemen,

These last posts look like Schutzenverein shoulder boards to me. I can not find pictures of these exact boards in wear but if you follow the link below you will see similar boards in wear in the picture. Scroll to the bottom and you will find a list of ranks used in this particular Schutzenverein. A lot of them will look familiar. Unfortunately, no shoulder boards are illustrated with the rank designations.

Regards,

Gordon

http://www.schuetzen...e/vorstand.html

Here's a portrait from my collection. "Deutscher Schützenverband"

Larry

Edited November 15, 2012 by LarryT

[LarryT]

Closeup of board.

Larry