Luftwaffe Generals
Luftwaffe Generals Unnamed Generalleutnant Tunic
Luftwaffe Generals Unnamed Generalleutnant Tunic
Luftwaffe Generals
Luftwaffe Generals
Luftwaffe Generals Luftwaffe General of Engineers Tunic
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Shoulder Board and Collar Tab Insignia In the German Luftwaffe of World War Two there were only six men promoted to the highest rank of Generalfeldmarschall , When you consider that one of them, GFM von Greim, was only promoted in the last 12 days of the war and another, Hermann Goring, was early in the war promoted up to Reichsmarschall, it is a very rare rank indeed. As such, original examples are extremely difficult to find. Of particular interest, note all the different variations in manufacture of the shoulderboards, batons and collar tabs that GFM Milch alone possessed. For such a rare rank it is amazing how diverse the variation. Yet considering the exclusivity of the rank, the elite status and the fact that Hermann Goring may have been involved in some of the design and manufacturing decisions, in the end it is probably not that unusual at all.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Shoulderboards Regulation Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall shoulderboard from the uniform of GFM Milch. All three cords in gold bullion over white underlay with “800” marked, stamped silver batons in the correct Luftwaffe pattern of alternating wehrmacht eagle, Balkan cross and Iron cross. These are the smaller pattern baton devices, similar in size to the Heer examples. Baton length, from end to end is approximately 48mm. Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Milch.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Shoulderboards A standard size tunic shoulderboard belonging to GFM Milch on matte gold bullion with the larger pattern set of aluminium batons, which contrast quite brightly against the aged gold bullion. Note the difference in size of batons between this set and the smaller silver batons on the tunic previous to this photo . Baton length, from end to end is approximately 62mm. Another example of the large pattern, oversized batons with these examples being cast in silver, and fastened to a pair of equally oversized shoulderboards in gold bullion cord. Baton length, from end to end is approximately 62mm.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Shoulderboards A set of the larger boards with bright gold cords and large silver batons. They were likely designed for use on the greatcoat and for more formal, dress occasions, though photographic evidence shows that these were also worn on tunics by Milch and Kesselring. Note that this is not a ‘matched’ pair in that the button loops are both for the same side. If you study period photographs you will notice that it is not unusual at all for field grade and General officers to have a mismatched set of boards like this on their uniforms.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs Regulation Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall collar tab, beautifully hand embroidered in gold bullion, gold wire and silver thread. The design reflects a Luftwaffe eagle overlaying wreath of oakleaves and clutching two crossed, highly detailed batons on a white cloth backing. Gold bullion piping edges the tab. A stunning, textbook example with excellent tightly woven detail. (private collection)
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs Regulation Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall collar tab from the uniform of GFM Milch. Another beautifully executed tab. This one again has gold bullion piping edging the tab.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs A matching set of GFM collar tabs for the left and right collars. Notice that this particular set is edged and highlighted in celleon while the rest of the tab is embroidered in gold bullion/ wire and aluminium. Edging General’s tabs in celleon while the basic design was in bullion seemed to be a common practice in the Luftwaffe.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs Another example from the Generalfeldmarschall Milch collections, this one in all gold bullion with a gold wire swastika.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs Here is a variant pattern Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall tab that is recognized as being of period construction and is also shown as an original example in one of the reference books. A clear photo of this example in wear has yet to be uncovered by the site author. Notice how small the batons are, that they are somewhat “buried” within the wreath, and how the baton embroidery pattern differs from the other original examples shown above. All of the period photos that offer a clear view of Luft GFM collar tabs show the batons having more relief, being much larger and longer, crossed at a more narrow angle and extending out beyond the wreath. This tab exhibits none of those characteristics, yet certainly appears to be period made
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Collar Tabs
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Hugo Sperrle, Generalfeldmarschall of the Luftwaffe, 1940
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim (born Robert Greim; 22 June 1892 – 24 May 1945) was a German field marshal and First World War flying ace. In April 1945, in the last days of World War II, Adolf Hitler appointed Greim commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe after Hermann Göring had been dismissed for treason. He is the last person ever promoted to field marshal in the German armed forces. After the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, Greim was captured by the Allies. He committed suicide in an American-controlled prison on 24 May 1945. Generalfeldmarschall Ritter von Greim
Luftwaffe Generals Shoulder Board and Collar Tab Insignia
Luftwaffe General’s Shoulderboards Single shoulderboard for a Generalmajor in celleon and aluminium. Single shoulderboard for a Generalmajor in bullion and aluminium.
Luftwaffe Generals Shoulderboards Single shoulderboard for a Generalleutnant in matte bullion and silver, with the large, General officer sized pip, from the uniform of Karl Student. Another example of the matte, gold bullion cording for a Generalleutnant, this example with a smaller, silver frosted pip, from the uniform of Ludwig Keiper.
Luftwaffe Generals Shoulderboards Single shoulderboard for a General der Flieger in brite bullion and silver. General der Flieger rank manufactured in brite gold bullion cords, with silver inner cord and two silver frosted pips, from the uniform of Genl. der Flieger Karl Eberth. Notice the large, oversize tunic button that was used by the tailor in place of a shoulderboard button.
Luftwaffe Generals Shoulderboards Generaloberst shoulderboard from the uniform of Alfred Keller. Matte gold bullion cords with aluminium centre cord and small, aluminium pips. Shoulderboard for the rare rank of Generaloberst in matte bullion and silver. This interesting example is from the uniform of Luftwaffe Generaloberst Rudel, and has an underlay of red branch colour to reflect Rudel’s position as head of Flak, along with his regimental numeral.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs A collar tab for the left collar of a Generalmajor, in a twotone bullion. Note how the left, downward slant of the bottom of the collar tab runs parallel to the left, downward angle of the piped collar. This is the correct placement of Luftwaffe collar tabs.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Right side collar tab from the uniform of Generalleutnant Kurt Student. This collar, in contrast to several examples shown above, does not have a severe angle to it and is almost horizontal. The tab is embroidered in gold bullion with bullion edge piping.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Left side collar tab from the uniform of Generalleutnant Ludwig Keiper. It is another example of a nice, two-tone bullion embroidery effect. Notice also how the tab is a right side tab (bottom of tab slants downward and to the right), yet is on the left collar. Also notice that the collar slants downward to the left. This is a trait of French tailors, and Keiper’s uniform was tailored in Paris. Aesthetically, it looks better to have the tab align with the angle of the collar, which is why the tailor positioned it this way.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Left side collar tab from a named Luftwaffe Generals tunic. This example is produced in entirely in celleon. Notice how tightly the celleon is embroidered and the unusual length and straightness of the wings. The size, shape and curvature of the wings can vary quite a bit on Luftwaffe Generals tabs.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Left side collar tab from an un-named Luftwaffe General der Flieger tunic. This particular example is embroidered in all bullion wire with bullion edge piping.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Left side collar tab from the uniform of General der Flieger Karl Eberth. In this example, notice how crowded the three gulls are, with the top gull almost sitting on top of the middle gull. This may be an example of where upon promotion the tailor stitched another gull (the top one) on to the existing tabs on the uniform, rather than replace the collar tabs. The other possibility is that the tabs were manufactured this way. In either case, they are nice examples of original tabs and if you study enough period photos you will occasionally find examples similar to this.
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall Ritter von Greim pictured here wearing his Generaloberst Collar tabs prier to his promotion to Generalfeldmarschall
Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall These Generaloberst Collar Tabs above appear to be the same type worn by von Greim. A beautiful piece of embroidery in celleon gold thread
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Generaloberst Alfred Keller
Luftwaffe Generals Generaloberst Collar Tabs Right side collar tab from the uniform of Generaloberst Alfred Keller. A classic, textbook example of the very rarely encountered rank of Generaloberst.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Left side collar tab from the uniform of Generaloberst Alfred Keller. Rank collar tab indicated by the flying Luftwaffe eagle surmounting the laurel wreath, for the left side of the tunic. Next to Generalfeldmarschall, these are the rarest high ranking collar tabs to encounter, and a truly a work of art when examined in hand.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Another example of a Generaloberst collar tab, this one having been de-nazified with the removal of the swastika. Notice how similar this loose example is to the tab from the Keller uniform in the previous picture.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Air Ministry (RLM) Generaloberst A Luftwaffe eagle superimposed over a wreath, rendered in celleon over a black underlay. Erhard Milch was known to have worn this insignia during his time as Generaloberst in the Reich's Air Ministry, as period photographs show him wearing the black backed insignia.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Generaloberst of Flak Troops A Luftwaffe eagle superimposed over a wreath, rendered in celleon over a red underlay. This example is from the uniform of Flak Troops Generaloberst Rudel.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Generaloberst Rudel wearing the red branch colour backing on his collar tabs and shoulderboards indicating his position as Chief of Flak.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs A beautiful pair of Luftwaffe Generaloberst collar tabs in celleon, from the same manufacturer as the Generaloberst Rudeltabs shown in the previous photos.
Luftwaffe Generals Collar Tabs Generaloberst collar tabs, a very rare find, manufactured in gold bullion with celleon highlights and edging around the tabs.
Luftwaffe Generals Generals Breast Eagle Insignia Hand-embroidered breast eagles for officers are often small works of art in which the embroiderer had an opportunity to display his or her personal skills at detail and execution which can lead to a wide variety of designs and features. Some of these individual details are quickly recognized by long time collectors and highly valued over other, more common varieties. Two of the three basic Wehrmacht branches, the Heer and the Luftwaffe, used gold bullion embroidery to indicate the rank of a General officer. Officer ranks generally used hand-embroidered breast eagles as opposed to the machine-embroidered breast eagles as issued to EM/NCO ranks. Officer ranks were permitted optional wear of a white summer uniform from the 1st April to the 30th September annually and generally the insignia worn on these uniforms was removable for ease of cleaning. As a result, a removable metal breast eagle was manufactured exclusively for wear on the white summer tunic. Officers holding ranks of Generalmajor to Generalfeldmarschall (including Reichsmarschall Goering) wore gold coloured accoutrements, including breast eagles, as opposed to the silver versions worn by all other officer ranks
Luftwaffe Generals Generals Breast Eagle Insignia 1st Pattern First Pattern Drop tail General/Field Marshal Eagle - Feb 1935 Luftwaffe General’s Breast Eagle, Type I, hand embroidered in gilded flat wire on Luftwaffe coloured Gray thick wool, 93mm from wing tip to wing tip, tunic removed.
Luftwaffe Generals Generals Breast Eagle Insignia This tightly woven, early pattern white backed eagle belonged to Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch. Yet another excellent specimen from Generalfeldmarschall Milch's Uniform
Luftwaffe Generals Generals Breast Eagle Insignia First pattern Generals Drop Tail eagle, the hand embroidery on this Example is exceptionally good with its sharp clean stitching. Generals hand embroiled eagles come in many different styles and shapes, as the styles of individual tailors differ.
Luftwaffe Generals Generals Breast Eagle Insignia 2nd Pattern Luftwaffe Generalmajor tunic, second pattern Breast Eagle in Gold bullion and wire. This is one of the nicer examples of Generals Breast Eagles , very tightly embroidered and of the highest quality. This piece is from the uniform of an Engineering Corps General.
Luftwaffe Generals Generals Breast Eagle Insignia Bullion Eagle with yellow thread highlights. A stunning contrast of gold bullion wire over a white backing, from a General’s kleiner rock dress tunic.