Hitler at the Front

[max history]

Hitler joins in with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors visiting his troops at the Front.
Max.

[randy@treadways]

Hitler looks quite skinny here doesn't he?

[Bruce Simcox]

Hi Max......

......Look like foreign troops(except, of course, the SS officer). Interesting photo. Anyone know what country the insignia on the side caps represents ?

[V1Oliver]

The man on the left looks like an SS NCO, the others are RAD

[Obersalzberg]

Thats Heinz Linge.

[Br. James]

Here's a thought: I wonder whether this photo might have been taken during Hitler's visit with Mussolini at the Brenner Pass on March 17, 1940?

Br. James

[chrischa]

Hello.

Didn't AH wear the grey wartime tunic and stop wearing the cross strap by 1940? (ready to be corrected!).

Regards,
Chris.

[Br. James]

Hi Chris,

According to the reference material and photos found in Aaron L. Johnson's "Hitler's Military Headquarters" (Bender Publishing, 1999), Hitler continued to wear his NSDAP PL-style uniform with the eagle replacing the brassard, together with the cross-strap, during both of his Brenner Pass visits with Mussolini (March 17 and October 3, 1940) and he wore the same outfit as he was hailed as the conqueror of France and the Low Countries at a huge parade in Berlin on July 6, 1940. (Other photos taken of Hitler during that period show that he removed his belt and cross-strap while indoors, presenting the suit-jacket look instead of that of the PL tunic.) As late as 1942 Hitler was photographed still wearing the PL uniform w/shoulder eagle and cross-strap when he flew to Finland for a meeting with Marshal Mannerheim on June 4th, and at the funerals of Dr. Fritz Todt (February 12th) and of Reinhard Heydrich (June 9th), both taking place at the New Reichschancellery in Berlin.

Br. James

[chrischa]

Br. James.

Thankyou for a detailed answer. I'm impressed!

Cheers,
Chris.

[Napalm]

Great info Br James...

[Obersalzberg]

Hi Chris,

According to the reference material and photos found in Aaron L. Johnson's "Hitler's Military Headquarters" (Bender Publishing, 1999), Hitler continued to wear his NSDAP PL-style uniform with the eagle replacing the brassard, together with the cross-strap, during both of his Brenner Pass visits with Mussolini (March 17 and October 3, 1940) and he wore the same outfit as he was hailed as the conqueror of France and the Low Countries at a huge parade in Berlin on July 6, 1940. (Other photos taken of Hitler during that period show that he removed his belt and cross-strap while indoors, presenting the suit-jacket look instead of that of the PL tunic.) As late as 1942 Hitler was photographed still wearing the PL uniform w/shoulder eagle and cross-strap when he flew to Finland for a meeting with Marshal Mannerheim on June 4th, and at the funerals of Dr. Fritz Todt (February 12th) and of Reinhard Heydrich (June 9th), both taking place at the New Reichschancellery in Berlin.

Br. James

although similar in cut, Its not the political uniform, its field grey. Just before the outbreak of war, his valet had this grey tunic made, but when he presented it to his boss, he was not impressed. I believe Krause was responsible for this.

[randy@treadways]

I knew I'd seen it before, and I just found it. It's a Hoffmann photo from the Polish front- September 1939.
Hoffmann used it as #P17 in his postcard series for the Polish campaign, and captioned it "Freude im Fliegerhorst".

Here's another one from the same series.

Is this a slick politician or what? Even while looking intently into her eyes, listening to her 'oh führer, blah, blah, blah', and holding her hand with his gloved left hand.... he's already deftly handing off the flower bouquet to his adjutant, in no more than a split second. I'll bet she didn't even notice where her bouquet went.
I'm sure he must have done this thousands of times and had the routine down to the microsecond. LOL


No WONDER he was an ace at paper-rock-scissors!

[Br. James]

Thanks very much for adding this detail, Obersalzberg -- this is what makes this site so exciting: the opportunity for possibly new information can come from all directions! I don't recall ever seeing a color photo of AH in this PL-style uniform, so my assumption has been that it was the standard PL color. Are you saying that, because AH didn't like this style of uniform, he went to the double-breasted field gray jacket style without a belt? Interesting that he seems to have alternated between the double-breasted jacket and this PL-style uniform for two or more years, and apparently wound up reserving the PL-style for Party functions such as funerals...

Good observation, Randy! When viewing films of AH, nowadays I tend to more closely look for familiar faces all around him and to notice what they are doing, even more than what AH is doing at that moment. It's fun to see such moments as is captured in your last photo on film, when you will notice how AH's handlers work with the crowds and still provide him with whatever services he needs at that moment, including receiving bouquets or other gifts that need to be gotten out of the way quickly. His adjutants were all masters at this -- Wilhelm Brückner, Albert Bormann, Julius Schaub and Nicolas von Below (who stands to the far left in your photo, though it appears that an SS-Hauptscharführer obscured behind AH is actually receiving the bouquet from AH's hand-off). Much fun!

Br. James

[Obersalzberg]

Linge got this routine off to an art. There is some period colour footage of Wolfschanze during a visit from Horthy or Mannerheim, I believe, as AH enters the wooden barracks and begins to remove cap and coat, ever present and perfectly timed Linge reaches forward to remove them both, like a third pair of hands almost.
You also see him in period footage leap from the Mercedes 770 whilst its still very much moving, to be able to open his boss's door perfectly on time.
If you look, his double breasted tunic was used in the thirties along with the four pocket, both in mustard.
I think it was just a simple notion to have both tailored in field grey.
Dr Morrell cured his skin ailments so much so that AH congratulated him on now being able to wear top boots again.
It appears that he wore the four pocket field grey to emulate the military, ie early campaigns, Poland, France etc.
It is well documented that he preferred loose clothing, with his tailor having been given one chance to measure his ckient, and once only
Period pics show he must have had a very light weight un lined version of the d.breasted.
As there is a picture of it being ceremoniously set alight by American cic.
(The one worn on July 20th)