Can anyone ID the man in overcoat with white lapels standing next to Gauleiter Bürckel? This man is wearing an unusual overcoat. It is either a Luftwaffe or NSFK Generals overcoat but with a strange sleeve eagle and a strange visor cap. I do not recognize the uniform at all. Very few organizations used white/silver gray lapels. Thanks.
Mark Costa
ID Request
Re: ID Request
The uniform is enigmatic, but the man looks like Fritz Schwitzgebel. So far, I only knew him as SA group leader or in SA uniform.
- Schwitzgebel, Fritz, SA-Oberf.[AHFpicLH].jpg (161.25 KiB) Viewed 636 times
Re: ID Request
While I can't identify "the man in overcoat with white lapels standing next to Gauleiter Bürckel" in the first photo above, I'd say he's wearing an SS greatcoat and holding a peaked cap. We can't see what his collar tabs look like, but another clue might be the fact that he's not wearing a cuff title...that may be an indication of which group within the SS he belonged to. Just my impression...
Cheers,
Br. James
Cheers,
Br. James
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Mark Costa
- Member
- Posts: 2775
- Joined: 26 Jul 2002, 18:41
- Location: USA
Re: ID Request
Br. James:
It is definitely not an SS greatcoat. The collar tabs are white indicating a possible Luftwaffe uniform or maybe an RLB uniform of some sort. The hat insignia does not have any SS skull but seems to be a diamond shape. It could be an HJ Aeronautical Preparatory Technical Leaders uniform that wore leftover Luftwaffe style uniforms, but that is only a guess and those uniforms wore Luftwaffe eagles which this uniform does not have. That uniform is rarely seen. It may just be a combination of insignias from a couple of organizations, but it is definitely a generals rank uniform as the lapels suggest. I believe that Mapugu is correct in identifying him as Schwitzgebel. But nothing in his records suggest such any type of position for any RLB, NSFK, HJ uniform. Nor was he a member of the SS.
Mark
It is definitely not an SS greatcoat. The collar tabs are white indicating a possible Luftwaffe uniform or maybe an RLB uniform of some sort. The hat insignia does not have any SS skull but seems to be a diamond shape. It could be an HJ Aeronautical Preparatory Technical Leaders uniform that wore leftover Luftwaffe style uniforms, but that is only a guess and those uniforms wore Luftwaffe eagles which this uniform does not have. That uniform is rarely seen. It may just be a combination of insignias from a couple of organizations, but it is definitely a generals rank uniform as the lapels suggest. I believe that Mapugu is correct in identifying him as Schwitzgebel. But nothing in his records suggest such any type of position for any RLB, NSFK, HJ uniform. Nor was he a member of the SS.
Mark
Re: ID Request
Thanks, Mark...just a guess on my part...!
Br. James
Br. James