WEDDINGS - Here come the BRIDES!

[colt45]

KARL ERNST looks like GORING & ROHM behind them?

Colt45, nice picture! Could you give us the source for it? If it's from your own collection you can of course just say that.

Best,
~Vikki

no ,i found it in a GESTAPO book that is on auction now, thanks

[MrPeanut05]

Along the same lines minus the historical figures - from my own collection

[Larrister]

Nice photos Guys, thanks for posting.

Another from my collection.

Cheers
Larry

[Larrister]

Another.

Cheers
Larry

[mobelwagon]

these are some very interesting pictures...wow!

[Jeff McCulloch]

Hubert:

Yes-that's a Blood Order-almost certainly an Austrian Honorary one from @ 1940-41.

Larrister-that one from April 17th is really good-the old style flat medal mount is unusual. In the one below-this is the only TR flat/imperial style pure TR bar I have ever seen.

[Mauser K98k]

Getting married wearing your steel helmet strikes me as being a bit of over-the-top bravado.

[Larrister]

Hubert:

Yes-that's a Blood Order-almost certainly an Austrian Honorary one from @ 1940-41.

Larrister-that one from April 17th is really good-the old style flat medal mount is unusual. In the one below-this is the only TR flat/imperial style pure TR bar I have ever seen.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the information regarding the flat medal mount. I never noticed that. I guess its the type more often seen being worn by WW1 vets.

Another from my collection.

Cheers,
Larry

[colt45]

this is my friend's great uncle

[Vikki]

Nice photo, colt45!

Best,
~Vikki

[colt45]

Nice photo, colt45!

Best,
~Vikki

Heres a picture of my Great Uncle getting married in his Allgemine SS uniform, he was a very early member of the NSDAP also took part in the 9 Nov 23 Munich March, he was awarded the Blood Order - He was killed in Italy.

Horst

[Sewer King]

A Luftwaffe Oberleutnant pilot in Formal Evening Full-Dress.

from Brian L, Davis' Uniforms and Insignia of the Luftwaffe volume 1: 1933-1940

Bride and groom have a decided height difference here. But in the photo this might be emphasized by a natural optical illusion. A floor-length straight dress that obscures the waist might make her look shorter, while the officer's short mess jacket worn high up his waist emphasizes his relative tallness.

The Luftwaffe officer's evening full-dress is close to that of the Kriegsmarine, but I think that it looks better in air force gray-blue than the darker blue of the Navy.

=============================

Most of the grooms had seen combat in one form or another as evidenced by their medals. At some time they have received leave (urlaub) to marry their sweethearts.

Their uniforms and medals are worn with pride, the bride's look lovely in their wedding attire.

Sometimes I think I can see a little sadness in their eyes. They both know that this happy occasion together could be their last.

That certainly would be found among some of the wartime photos, but in others it might be something more mundane.

• Some people are not entirely comfortable with their photos being taken, even when the occasion demands it -- or even because it does so. This can apply to wedding photos too. A good photographer will try to coax the subjects out of this reticence.
  
  Still others may be normally inclined to have straight faces in formal photos in the belief that it is more proper for the occasion. In America there can be some tendency to think our 19th century ancestors were all dour and stern because of the straight faces in their old photos. That had been actually due mainly to the long exposure times of the old photo plates, which demanded a facial expression that could be held for as long as 30 seconds or more. Otherwise the portraits could come out with distorted faces. Despite the advances in cameras and film by World War II, some subjects may have still held to the idea of keeping a straight face.

When I look through my portrait and photo album collection I often wonder who of those young men made it home after the war. Some of my albums contain death cards showing that some of them never made it.

What are death cards? Were they formal things of some regular if simple design? If so who made them, and if posted, who sent them?

Were wedding photos of help in any kind of widows' administrative claims during the chaos of postwar Germany, when the survival of other official records could be uncertain?

-- Alan

[Vikki]

When I look through my portrait and photo album collection I often wonder who of those young men made it home after the war. Some of my albums contain death cards showing that some of them never made it.

What are death cards? Were they formal things of some regular if simple design? If so who made them, and if posted, who sent them?

Hello Alan,

Death cards were, and still are, given out in Germany to commemorate the death of a loved one. They are given out to visitors at funerals and to friends and relatives by the family of the deceased. Designs vary, but they often include a picture of the deceased and general information about them, including age and date of death. For examples and more information, see:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=70703
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 6&t=122940


Best,
~Vikki

[Larrister]

Obergefreiter of Inf. Rgt. 78 and bride in formal unsmiling pose.

Cheers
Larry

[colt45]