Felix Steiner's aftershave

[PiretBCN]

Léon Degrelle writes in his book that every time he met Felix Steiner, Steiner was in a good mood and well perfumed. Does anyone know which fragrance/aftershave Steiner used? Is it still being made?

Which fragrances were popular back then among senior officers? Are some of these fragrances still available and popular?

[Ian Hulley]

*sighs*

[Richie B]

Hugo Boss perhaps ?

[PiretBCN]

Hugo Boss already had a fragrance during WW2? I wasn't aware of that.

[tolhurst]

Léon Degrelle writes in his book that every time he met Felix Steiner, Steiner was in a good mood and well perfumed. Does anyone know which fragrance/aftershave Steiner used? Is it still being made?

Which fragrances were popular back then among senior officers? Are some of these fragrances still available and popular?

Hello!

I quote from Len Deighton's novel SS-GB (1978) set after a fictional successful German invasion of the UK: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... 2k&cad=rja (p6)

Kellerman leaned over to light the cigar. Douglas was not yet used to the way that the German officers put Cologne on their faces after shaving, and the perfume surprised him.

Deighton was born in 1929 and did his National Service with the RAF in the late 1940s, so I am not sure what experience he might have based this comment on.

I know that German men old enough to have fought in the war retained a fondness for the leading brand of "Eau de Cologne", (Kölnisch Wasser) 4711 which is still very widely available - http://www.4711.com/index.php/en/ ,

This may be the fragrance which Steiner used.

[PiretBCN]

I will buy a bottle of 4711 immediately.

[Mark in Cleveland, Tn.]

Come on fellow AHF member..after shave???
Maybe he was passing gas!!!!

[Frech]

4711 was and is used by grannys. I don´t think Steiner did ....

[PiretBCN]

Frech, what do you think he used?

[tolhurst]

4711 was and is used by grannys. I don´t think Steiner did ....

It's a classic unisex perfume and your reaction suggests what age of person now might go for it. Men certainly use it, especially those old enough to have served in the war were using it in their older years.

Today, it is maybe seen in Germany (EDIT and Austria) a little like "Old Spice" might be seen in the UK by the grandchildren of those who were young men in the 1950s and 1960s.

Or is there better evidence of what a German officer, or even Steiner himself, would have preferred?

[Harro]

Does anybody know which brand of dog food Steiner gave his dog? I'm also quite keen to learn where he bought his nail clippers.

[Marcus Wendel]

The question about which aftershaves were popular in Germany during this era is valid so please keep the discussion focused on that.

/Marcus

[PiretBCN]

Does anybody know which brand of dog food Steiner gave his dog? I'm also quite keen to learn where he bought his nail clippers.

I understand your sarcasm. However, these tiny details interest me a lot because they give colour to those difficult and brutal times. Should I apologise for my interests? Okay, that was sarcastic as well.
I didn't know Steiner had a dog. I suppose if he had one, it got normal human food and leftovers like all dogs at those times. So the question about the brand of dog food doesn't make any sense. Nail clippers? I suppose in those days people mostly used small scissors. I grew up in Estonia during the Soviet occupation and we had no dog food and no nail clippers.

[PiretBCN]

The question about which aftershaves were popular in Germany during this era is valid so please keep the discussion focused on that.

/Marcus

Yes, I also think it's a valid and serious question. It got mentioned in Degrelle's book (the book was about military matters). So I think it's really interesting to know what type of fragrances were preferred by the German officers. Bitter? Fruity? Flowery?

[Harro]

I grew up in Estonia during the Soviet occupation and we had no dog food and no nail clippers.

I'd say there was a big difference between being a senior SS officer in the Third Reich or being a teenager in Estonia. Commercial dog food was available in Germany at least from the beginning of the 20th century. Never seen the famous poster Ludwig Hohlwein made for Wulco Hundefutter in 1914? But offcourse there were numerous brands so it is quite difficult to determin which Steiner gave his dog