Reichsleitung / Gauleiters Tabs

[Pitino]

Another example of Rosenberg wearing "confusing" Reichsleitung collar-tabs (but, thanks to Mark Costa, they are becoming less confusing). Source: NARA

Fred

Who is that with Rosenberg???? My mind is drawing a blank to this familiar face!

Pitino

[freddiefro]

Who is that with Rosenberg???? My mind is drawing a blank to this familiar face!

Gauleiter Erich Koch.

Fred

[Pitino]

Who is that with Rosenberg???? My mind is drawing a blank to this familiar face!

Gauleiter Erich Koch.

Fred

It looks like Koch is wearing the Black Tabs to me. Why would he be wearing the Black Tabs? Thanks for dispelling my brainfreeze!

Pitino

[Mark Costa]

I doubt very much he is wearing black tabs here, probably just the angle of the camera and lighting etc. But this is great example of "custom made" gauleiter tabs as they are piped in gold. Note the early PL shoulder boards that were abolished within months of adoption.

Mark Costa

[Mark Costa]

Here is a photo of Theo Habicht wearing the Reichsleitung tabs in carmine with gold piping and Streicher wearing gauleiter tabs. Photo taken at the 1933 RPT. Great example of how hard it is to discern which type of tabs are being worn. Knowing the face and position of the man at the time the photo was taken can determine the tabs. Habicht was not a gauleiter at this time but would be made an honorary one years later. In 1933 he was attached for special duties to the Reichsleitung. Streicher is wearing the new uniform whereas Hofer is wearing the early 1933 uniform. Note the difference in gauleiter tabs. Hofer was an illegal gauleiter at this time but wearing the first style gauleiter tabs whereas Streicher is wearing the new tabs. ALL being used in 1933 !! Very confusing indeed.
Mark Costa

[freddiefro]

Here is a photo of Theo Habicht wearing the Reichsleitung tabs in carmine with gold piping

Another photo of Habicht from the same event (RPT 1933). (Source: NARA)

Fred

[Mark Costa]

Fred :

Nice close up of Habicht. Also a great example of how the angle of the camera and light sources can distort the colors on tabs. In my photo above the light carmine color is very apparent, but in photo shown by you, it shows them almost being darker in color. This is why so many photos are deceiving as to what is actually being worn.

Mark Costa

[freddiefro]

Thank you, Mark!

Fred

[Mark Costa]

A couple more great examples of the 1933 Reichsleitung tabs.

First photo shows Robert Ley wearing the first style Reichsleitung "SA style" tabs on his new dark brown Political leaders uniform.

Second Photo shows Ley wearing the "Reichsorganizationleiter" tabs that he and other RL members wore in 1933. Note the shortlived shoulder straps.

As stated in an earlier post, the "SA style" tabs were replaced by the "Reichsorganizationleiter" tabs although both styles can be seen being worn simultaneously in mid to late 1933. By the end of 1933 both styles had been completely abolished. No documentation exists for either style other than one NSDAP chart that shows the Reichsorganizationleiter tabs.

Mark Costa

[Mark Costa]

Here is a photo I found on the internet many years ago showing an original Reichsorganizationleiter tab and two gauleiter tabs. Note how similiar they are. Even the colors are very close but that might be because of age wear. But the RL tab is piped in gold with a carmine base and the gauleiter tabs on a Red base with red piping.

Mark Costa

[freddiefro]

I believe the photo below is Regierungspräsident and SS-Gruppenführer Wilhelm Freiherr von Holzschuher wearing early "SA-style" Reichsleitung collar-tabs (he was Reichsinspektor z.b.V. der Reichsleitung der NSDAP in 1934 when this photo was taken). Source: NARA.

Fred

[Michal78]

Hello Fred,
I can confirm that it is him.
Michal

[freddiefro]

Once again, thank you Michal!

Fred

[Mark Costa]

Fred:

You will find several photos of Holzschuher in the sets of the NARA that you have, wearing his PL uniform with the these first style Reichsleitung tabs even as late as the late July 1934 Reichsleiter/Gauleiter conference that are also in the sets. He and Feder seem to be the only ones to wear them after Jan 1934. It is interesting to note that neither of them wore the abolished second style tabs. I can only assume that their positions were not yet established to warrant new tabs. Feder of course was ousted from the party leadership around the same time and Holzschuher continued to be assigned to Hess' staff as one of his "trouble shooters". But after 1934 he only wears his SS uniform.

Mark Costa

[freddiefro]

Thank you very much, Mark! It helps to explain things.

Fred