Hi, I realise that this should technically be in the photo section, however as it concerns solely the uniform details shown I thought it might be appropriate to post here. I think that Feldherrnhalle / FHH (Wehrmacht units) photographs are relatively rare, and this is in colour! It was used as the front cover illustration for a book by Eric Lefevre published in France in 1986. The caption with it (inside the book) states:-
Illustration de la couverture: Ce Gefreiter de la Panzer-Grenadier Division Feldherrnhalle a ete photographie en 1944. Notez les insignes de pattes d'epaules avec les trois Kampfrunen (runes de combats) et la bande de bras sur le bras gauches. Il s'agit d'un document original.
Photo couleurs Couverture : Hugo Jaeger / Life. Time Inc
My translation (might not be perfect....):-
Cover illustration: This Gefreiter from the Panzer-Grenadier Feldherrnhalle Division was photographed in 1944. Note the shoulder-strap badges with the three Kampfrunen (battle runes) and the arm band on the left arm. This is an original document.
Colour cover photo : Hugo Jaeger / Life. Time Inc
Hugo Jaeger (Jäger) was one of Hitler's personal photographers who took around 2000 colour pictures during the Third Reich period, hid the negatives after the war and then sold them to Time magazine in 1965. Time published the Hitler ones, however I suspect the pictures of the ordinary soldiers were of lesser interest. They seem to be all over the internet now, but not marked as FHH and so not so easy to find.
http://blog.done.gr/history/hugo-jaeger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Jaeger
There are some interesting details that I hope might be informative for uniform buffs.
1) Most obvious is the standard 'political' FHH cuffband being worn. The author of German Military cuffbands Gordon Williamson is of the opinion that this was absolutely the norm and the Bevo band is more or less never seen in wartime pictures.
2) The picture is dated 1944 (and the 'M43' tunic shown is according to Borg and Huart in their Feldbluse book not actually seen in wartime pictures until early 1944), yet the FHH had been a Panzergrenadier Division since 20th June 1943 and the soldier shown is wearing white waffenfarbe, not Panzergrenadier grass-green / Wiesengrün. Although this is not discussed widely in publications about this unit, including the otherwise superb 'Feldherrnhalle: Forgotten Elite' (Alfonso Sanchez) book it is mentioned in the recent Osprey Panzergrenadier book (author Nigel Thomas), essentially that the FHH intentionally kept white waffenfarbe for their Panzergrenadiers 'in recognition of their elite status'; i.e similar to the Grossdeutschland panzergrenadiers and perhaps also (in non-Heer units) the Panzergrenadiers of the Waffen SS and the Herman Goring units. This picture would seem to support that.
(I don't have a link to hand, but I understand from discussions on other forums that some Panzer-Grenadiers in other units absorbed into the FHH as it was increased rapidly to Korps size towards the end of the war kept their grass-green piping, e.g in the Panzer Brigades 106 FHH, 110 FHH etc. Due to the rapid expansion of the FHH at a time when the supply situation was chaotic this seems highly plausible - IMHO.)
3) Although it is generally regarded that only NCO's 'mit portepee' and Officers wore shoulder cyphers this EM wears them. This is the second example I have seen of this. Many are aware that a single example exists (and has been shown on the WAF) of an unfinished EM FHH shoulderstrap with embroidered cypher (i.e GD style, not a slip-on) that was probably (?) a 'probe' example.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...feldherrnhalle - see post #10 (Jim Pool collection)
I have also read that there was an intention to issue metal cyphers to EM ranks in bronze (white metal for NCO's, gilt for officers), but this clearly wasn't at all common (from wartime pictures I've viewed). Perhaps this individual was following regulations in this sense, after all he was possibly photographed on this occasion with senior ranks so it seems unlikely that it was forbidden? Looking at the picture in hand with magnification I would say that he is wearing metal cyphers, probably white metal NCO types, and that they are not embroidered.
4) Early war dark-green shoulderstraps are worn, although this is not particularly unusual, just less common.
5) He has been awarded both EK classes but does not have an Assault badge. I have since noticed that this is not that uncommon, i.e a soldier can have seen combat without actually being in an assault (or counter attack), perhaps where the lines are static, or he has taken part in two (but not the qualifying three) 'highly eventful' assaults. It's also possible that soldiers did not wear their assault badges on every occasion for other reasons (lost, damaged, still awaiting the award etc).
I hope you enjoy it. On another note, no doubt collectors would frown at those shoulderstraps if seen at a militaria fair!
Regards, Paul
Illustration de la couverture: Ce Gefreiter de la Panzer-Grenadier Division Feldherrnhalle a ete photographie en 1944. Notez les insignes de pattes d'epaules avec les trois Kampfrunen (runes de combats) et la bande de bras sur le bras gauches. Il s'agit d'un document original.
Photo couleurs Couverture : Hugo Jaeger / Life. Time Inc
My translation (might not be perfect....):-
Cover illustration: This Gefreiter from the Panzer-Grenadier Feldherrnhalle Division was photographed in 1944. Note the shoulder-strap badges with the three Kampfrunen (battle runes) and the arm band on the left arm. This is an original document.
Colour cover photo : Hugo Jaeger / Life. Time Inc
Hugo Jaeger (Jäger) was one of Hitler's personal photographers who took around 2000 colour pictures during the Third Reich period, hid the negatives after the war and then sold them to Time magazine in 1965. Time published the Hitler ones, however I suspect the pictures of the ordinary soldiers were of lesser interest. They seem to be all over the internet now, but not marked as FHH and so not so easy to find.
http://blog.done.gr/history/hugo-jaeger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Jaeger
There are some interesting details that I hope might be informative for uniform buffs.
1) Most obvious is the standard 'political' FHH cuffband being worn. The author of German Military cuffbands Gordon Williamson is of the opinion that this was absolutely the norm and the Bevo band is more or less never seen in wartime pictures.
2) The picture is dated 1944 (and the 'M43' tunic shown is according to Borg and Huart in their Feldbluse book not actually seen in wartime pictures until early 1944), yet the FHH had been a Panzergrenadier Division since 20th June 1943 and the soldier shown is wearing white waffenfarbe, not Panzergrenadier grass-green / Wiesengrün. Although this is not discussed widely in publications about this unit, including the otherwise superb 'Feldherrnhalle: Forgotten Elite' (Alfonso Sanchez) book it is mentioned in the recent Osprey Panzergrenadier book (author Nigel Thomas), essentially that the FHH intentionally kept white waffenfarbe for their Panzergrenadiers 'in recognition of their elite status'; i.e similar to the Grossdeutschland panzergrenadiers and perhaps also (in non-Heer units) the Panzergrenadiers of the Waffen SS and the Herman Goring units. This picture would seem to support that.
(I don't have a link to hand, but I understand from discussions on other forums that some Panzer-Grenadiers in other units absorbed into the FHH as it was increased rapidly to Korps size towards the end of the war kept their grass-green piping, e.g in the Panzer Brigades 106 FHH, 110 FHH etc. Due to the rapid expansion of the FHH at a time when the supply situation was chaotic this seems highly plausible - IMHO.)
3) Although it is generally regarded that only NCO's 'mit portepee' and Officers wore shoulder cyphers this EM wears them. This is the second example I have seen of this. Many are aware that a single example exists (and has been shown on the WAF) of an unfinished EM FHH shoulderstrap with embroidered cypher (i.e GD style, not a slip-on) that was probably (?) a 'probe' example.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...feldherrnhalle - see post #10 (Jim Pool collection)
I have also read that there was an intention to issue metal cyphers to EM ranks in bronze (white metal for NCO's, gilt for officers), but this clearly wasn't at all common (from wartime pictures I've viewed). Perhaps this individual was following regulations in this sense, after all he was possibly photographed on this occasion with senior ranks so it seems unlikely that it was forbidden? Looking at the picture in hand with magnification I would say that he is wearing metal cyphers, probably white metal NCO types, and that they are not embroidered.
4) Early war dark-green shoulderstraps are worn, although this is not particularly unusual, just less common.
5) He has been awarded both EK classes but does not have an Assault badge. I have since noticed that this is not that uncommon, i.e a soldier can have seen combat without actually being in an assault (or counter attack), perhaps where the lines are static, or he has taken part in two (but not the qualifying three) 'highly eventful' assaults. It's also possible that soldiers did not wear their assault badges on every occasion for other reasons (lost, damaged, still awaiting the award etc).
I hope you enjoy it. On another note, no doubt collectors would frown at those shoulderstraps if seen at a militaria fair!
Regards, Paul
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