1931 Bad Harzburg - Who is in the photo?

[max history]

Max, I see your point; both Hildebrandt and Herzog have similar facial attributes, but it still looks more like the former than the latter to my eye. I agree that Hildebrandt was apparently never a member of the SA and I considered that, but the uniform shirt that is visible in the photo has no collar tabs so my thinking is that he might be wearing a generic shirt w/o insignia. And as for his kepi, this photo comes from a time when Political Leaders and the SA were still wearing similar caps... Compare the rig being worn by Bernhard Rust (#9), who had already been a Gauleiter for six years when this photo was taken and yet also wears no collar tabs. We can't see the brassard being worn by #10, but he appears to be wearing the same/similar dark tie that Rust is wearing and that most of the SA men aren't wearing.

I have a headache and my eyes are killing me from squinting, so I think I'll stop for now! Much fun, though, my friend!

Br. James

Sorry, but #10 looks nothing like Friedrich Hildebrandt, so I cannot agree with you. I know Hildebrandt very well, having just completed a short biography of him. #10 is definitely Herzog.
Max.

[Br. James]

OK Max, as they say: "That's what makes horse races!" We'll agree to disagree. I too have recently done some biographical research on Friedrich Hildebrandt so his face is fresh in my mind's eye.

All good wishes,

Br. James

[max history]

OK Max, as they say: "That's what makes horse races!" We'll agree to disagree. I too have recently done some biographical research on Friedrich Hildebrandt so his face is fresh in my mind's eye.

All good wishes,

Br. James

Yes, we'll agree to disagree.
My Hildebrandt biography is a chapter in volume 2 of "The SS Leadership Corps" which will be available before the end of the year. If you are not familiar with my work, it consists of photographic biographies of all SS-Obergruppenführer and consequently I have a large number of photographs of each subject. Volume 2 will be my fourth book published on SS-Obergruppenführer. To what end did you research Hildebrandt?
Best regards,
Max.

[goofy]

Dear all,
Friedrich Hildebrandt and Julius Streicher is definitely not on the photo. Second from the right is gauleiter Otto Telschow.
Best regards,
Michal

[max history]

Dear all,
Friedrich Hildebrandt and Julius Streicher is definitely not on the photo. Second from the right is gauleiter Otto Telschow.
Best regards,
Michal

Thank you Michal. As usual, you are quite correct.
Max.

[laurens]

My thoughts:

1) Gerret Korsemann
2) Heinrich Himmler
3) Ernst Röhm
4) Léon Graf du Moulin-Eckart (90% sure)
5) Curt von Ulrich
6) Franz von Hörauf
7) Hermann Göring
8) Theodor Oppermann
9) Bernhard Rust
10) looks like Christian Mergenthaler, but I know that's almost impossible with his roots in Württemberg. I don't see Otto Herzog in this person.

Further I see at the right, Hans-Georg Hofmann, and of course Adolf Hühnlein as stated by Max.

[Br. James]

Thanks to goofy for IDing Otto Telschow -- he looked familiar to me, as well, but I couldn't put a name to him! Right you are!

Br. James

[max history]

Thanks to goofy for IDing Otto Telschow -- he looked familiar to me, as well, but I couldn't put a name to him! Right you are!

Br. James

Did you see my question to you in post #18?
Max.

.....To what end did you research Hildebrandt?
Best regards,
Max.

[Br. James]

Dear Max,

Thanks for your follow-up note, and no, I hadn't noticed your post #18 or I would have responded to it. I suppose the time difference between the UK and the USA causes delays in posting, or at least in reading on this end! Sometimes there have been so many posts since my last one on a given thread that I fail to go back far enough to review all of them...which is yet another of my problems!

I had not realized that you are the "Max Williams" of "The SS Leadership Corps" -- the first volume of which has been in my library since it became available in 2004. I value that book and greatly respect your scholarship; you have added much to the historic value of our hobby and I must thank you for that...and I do!

As far as my own recent biographical research on Friedrich Hildebrandt is concerned, I am afraid I do not feel at liberty to discuss that at this time. Suffice it to say that I have recently been doing some editorial work on a new book that will include biographical sketches of a number of early NSDAP members, and that work is not yet concluded. But it did cause me to review photos of several early Party leaders -- Hildebrandt among them -- so that information is certainly fresher in my mind's eye than other leaders whom I have not investigated within perhaps the last few years. I trust to your understanding in this matter.

Again, I thank you for your responses and I greatly respect your work on behalf of all of us who esteem this hobby.

Br. James

[max history]

Thanks for the response.
Regards,
Max.

[Jon Fish]

Far right of this photo appears to be Loeper.

[max history]

As far as my own recent biographical research on Friedrich Hildebrandt is concerned, I am afraid I do not feel at liberty to discuss that at this time. Suffice it to say that I have recently been doing some editorial work on a new book that will include biographical sketches of a number of early NSDAP members, and that work is not yet concluded. But it did cause me to review photos of several early Party leaders -- Hildebrandt among them -- so that information is certainly fresher in my mind's eye than other leaders whom I have not investigated within perhaps the last few years. I trust to your understanding in this matter.
Br. James

What happened to the book you mentioned? Maybe now (6 years later) you can discuss your research on Friedrich Hildebrandt?
Max.

[Br. James]

Hi Max,

Today, six years on, I am not so sure that #10 was Friedrich Hildebrandt. Perhaps a combination of advancing age and decreasing eyesight play a part in my situation now?! But in any event, I have no other name to offer.

The book I was working on was "Gau Decorations of Hitler's Germany" (Schiffer Military History, 2012), for which I provided editorial assistance for Craig Gottlieb.

Br. James

[Michael Miller]

#10 is definitely Christian Mergenthaler.
And at extreme right is indeed Wilhelm Friedrich Loeper.

~ Mike