The fate of the Diamonds.

[August von Mackensen]

Probably to tidy up the collection, trim off the fat, in order to target something big.

These are exactly my thoughts!

[chen]

These are exactly my thoughts!

This should be the best pilgrimage in Europe for Third Reich items collectors no matter fat is trimmed off or not.

[Brian George]

Probably to tidy up the collection, trim off the fat, in order to target something big.

More like getting out while the getting's good. Don't want to be looking for a chair when the music stops...

[chen]

Yes, 2 schools of thought.
I tend to be in Bob Hritz's school.

[Sepp45]

This is a bigger shot of Rommel's B-piece currently stored at his Stuttgart Museum, among other items such as his Marschallstab.

[chen]

That will be the ultimate KC together with the ultimate diamond as both worn by Rommel before.

[chen]

Collector's dream of the Rommel's ultimate artifacts beside his A diamond.

[Ludwig]

Excellent!

[hkusp40]

Collector's dream of the Rommel's ultimate artifacts beside his A diamond.

Wow. Just...wow. You are right that this would be the ultimate collection. No doubt about that. -Ger

[Sepp45]

Fregattenkapitän Albrecht Brandi

(Photo credits to Adrian Forman)

[Leroy]

Can anyone tell for sure who is the maker of the cross attached to Brandi's Brilliants?

[tony james]

The "3" in the date looks very odd.

[Sepp45]

Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel formal award document for the diamonds, awarded to him on March 29th, 1944

This document is still in the hands of the family.

[Sepp45]

Zoom on Rudel's

[Sepp45]

These are the medals that were on display in the old Luftwaffen-Museum in the Marseille-Barracks in Appen (a village close to Uetersen) and were attributed to Hans Joachim Marseille.
According to current information the Marseille Diamonds were never presented to Hans Joachim Marseille - he died in Africa - or his family.

I took these photos in 1987. A couple of years later there was a break in at the Museum and many Medals were stolen. Probably this one as well, because at the new Luftwaffen-Museum in Berlin-Gatow there is only Marseille's Me-109 rudder on display (which was also on display in the old museum) but not these medals.

A different photo of the "Marseille set" before stolen.