Reichsleiter Dr. Robert Ley

[J. Duncan]

The Duke of Windsor wears a pained expression, almost as if to say..."Don't light a match near your breath Robert!".

[Igor Karpov]

Karl Hanke, Baldur von Schirach and Dr. Robert Ley.

Regards,
Igor

[pavel michalek]

Nice shots of Robert Ley in Holland during his visit in 1942.

[Michal78]

Photo of R.L.
Michal

[J. Duncan]

Thumbing through a book and discovered to my chagrin (co-incidental) that today (Feb. 15) is Robert Ley's 112th birthday. Not that this means anything, but strange that I happened to be looking at an entry on him in the "Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right from 1900" by Philip Rees, on his very birthdate. Noticed afterwards that Streicher's was Feb. 12, 1885.
Interesting figure, that Ley. I still think that his untreated alcoholism played a major factor in his erratic life. Too bad they didn't have treatment centers or AA back then. His brain was supposedly underdeveloped in his "frontal lobes" (whatever that means). Some attributed his condition to a WWI flying injury to his head. For a man with a brain disorder, he went pretty far, obtaining a doctorate, a job as an agricultural chemist, and a top position within Hitler's NSDAP (Labor Front, Strength Through Joy). He treated his wife rather shabbily (so critics have written) and his drinking almost killed the Windsors in what could have been a DWI auto wreck. Strange man. He was also quick with his fists in the early days, crashing beer mugs into heads and knocking Socialists and Communists about. He also took a few lumps on his own.
For a good biography on Robert Ley, see Ronald Smelser's "Robert Ley: Hitler's Labor Front Leader". For the German Labor Front, see Roger Bender's definitive title "Nazi Labor Organizations".

Life magazine article on Ley's brain, photo of doctor dissecting it.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hUgEAA ... in&f=false

[Helge]

I do not know if this photograph was published: it is a double picture I apologize

Photo: this is an official press photo of the arrest of Nuremberg trial defendant and former Minister of Labor, Dr. Robert Ley.

[jeffhan373]

The two photos of Robert Ley attached were taken in late 1944 or 1945. It's odd to note that in neither of them he is wearing his Blood Order ribbon. I wonder why anyone who received this prestigious award would not have been displaying it - especially at his level in the Party...

[Halfdan S.]

Hi Jeff,

thanks for posting - which armband ist he wearing?

Regards
Halfdan S.

[Michael Miller]

"... which armband ist he wearing?"


Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht.

[Helge]

There is a photograph of Dr. Robert Ley wearing this badge?

[jeffhan373]

By the way, does anyone have photos of other Political Leaders wearing the Volkssturm armband on their uniforms? I think I've only seen Ley & Erich Koch with this on...

[trespasser07]

Detention report for Dr Ley;

http://collections.yadvashem.org/photos ... 34990.html

[von thoma]

Which is this uniform ?
He hasn't rank on the shoulder.

250px-Bundesarchiv_.jpg (19.74 KiB) Viewed 1595 times

Photo:http://people.famouswhy.com/robert_ley/robert_ley_1.jpg

[Mark Costa]

This type of uniform had no regulations related to it. It is considered to be a forerunner of the later Reichsleiter uniform. In early 1933 these "Grüppenführer" style collar tabs were produced for departmental leaders of the Reichsleitung. They were Carmine based with gold oakleaves and gold piping. Men like Ley, Rosenberg, Bouhler, Buch, Grimm, Feder, Buttmann, Schwarz all wore these type tabs for a short period in the 1933. In mid-1933, these tabs were abolished and changed to resemble "gauleiter" tabs also in Carmine with gold piping and gold oakleaves. These two styles were replaced by what is commonly referred to as the first style Reichsleiter collar tabs. In mid 1933 one can see both this style here and the "gauleiter" style tabs being worn by Reichsleitung men at the same time. No regulations exist for them.
The tabs shown here with Ley are often confused with SA Grüppenführer" tabs but are not.

Mark Costa

[Matt Gibbs]

Jeff
I've seen that first photo of Ley with the weirdly oversized looking brim to the cap [angle of the shot] but not the other one. I didn't realise at the time before he's not wearing the blood order ribbon, and as you say, how unusual! Perhaps he just couldn't find a spare, or forgot to take it off another tunic. I don't suppose it was something to do with that economy looking style of uniform,[?] since he is wearing most of his other awards. You certainly don't see so many high ranking officials wearing that Volksturm armband. I think I've seen another gauleiter wearing it though. Maybe Alfred Meyer, I seem to recall a wintery picture and an overcoat but I may be wrong.