White Named Gauleiter Tunic

[Drew Wright]

Bob:

Not to hijack your thread on this outstanding tunic, but I was shocked to read your note below about Pete. When I got started in this hobby way back in my high school days some twenty years ago, I was very fortunate in that Pete was one of the first people I met. He and I became friends over the years and he helped me tremendously in navigating the field of cloth insignia. Although I collected Wehrmacht cloth and he NSDAP, we always enjoyed chatting about collecting and letting each other know about the most recent additions to our collections.

Sadly, over the last 8 - 10 years as my career and family have grown, Pete and I lost contact and last spoke about 4 or 5 years ago. He was a great mentor to have and always eager to help.

You are correct that Pete sold his collection over the last several years. I still see items from his collection pop up from time to time as they are easily identifiable from the markings he would put on the back of his insignia in blue ink (he would write his initials PGB and three dots in a triangle). As a matter of fact, one piece from his collection is currently for sale here:

http://www.therupturedduck.com/WebPages/Cloth/c223.htm

Best regards,

Drew

BOB-
YOU ARE CORRECT THAT THE COLLAR TABS SHOWN ON THE PORTRAIT OF DR ALFRED MEYER ARE A LATER VERSION OF THE 4TH PATTERN POLITICAL INSIGNIA. THE TABS ON THE SPRENGER TUNIC ARE THE FIRST PATTERN GAULEITER TABS WITH THE 4TH PATTERN INSIGNIA.
PETE BILTHEIMER PASSED AWAY ABOUT ONE MONTH AGO. I NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HIM. HE WAS AN EARLY LEADER IN THE COLLECTING AND STUDY OF POLITICAL INSIGNIA. I DO KNOW THAT HE HAD SOLD OFF MOST OF HIS COLLECTION PRIOR TO HIS PASSING.

[Gregory Koepp]

Drew, thats pretty interesting!


Bob every time i look at your coat here it makes me feel sick, sick knowing i'll never have an item like this in my collection

Bob it is funny that they gave out West Wall medals to allot of high ranking members even though they never worked in the Unit, seeing one on his ribbon bar is funny. They must have gave allot of them out for the medal collecting old timers!

whats your thought on it?

thanks gregory koepp

[Richard]

Wonderful tunic Bob. Hard to find words to describe it other than "wish it were mine"! I find the ribbon bars amazing in their size. They almost overwhelm the tunic and I suppose that was their intended purpose. How did the vet acquire this piece? Is that a known story? Obviously he probably left it behind on his way to Tirol.
Richard V

[Bob Coleman]

Wonderful tunic Bob. Hard to find words to describe it other than "wish it were mine"! I find the ribbon bars amazing in their size. They almost overwhelm the tunic and I suppose that was their intended purpose. How did the vet acquire this piece? Is that a known story? Obviously he probably left it behind on his way to Tirol.
Richard V

UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THIS WAS PURCHASED NEARLY 30 YEARS AGO, THERE WAS NOT THE CONCERN FOR WRITTEN PROVENANCE AS THERE IS TODAY. I DO KNOW THAT A GAULEITER ARMBAND WAS PURCHASED FROM THE SAME FAMILY ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. AT THE TIME, THEY ALSO HAD TWO PHOTO ALBUMS THAT WERE THE PROPERTY OF ANOTHER GAULEITER AND ONE OF THE FIRST CONVICTED AND EXECUTED WAR CRIMINALS.. AS I HAVE NO DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE FAMILY, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT ANY FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE. IN MY OPINION, IT IS MORE LIKELY THT THE WHITE TUNIC CAME FROM THE SUMMER HOUSE.
AS TO THE WEST WALL MEDAL, OST MEDAILLE AND AFRIKA MEDAL, MOST LIKELY, SPRENGER ALSO SERVED IN SOME CAPACITY ON A POLITICAL FACT FINDING MISSION AT SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE WAR AT WHICH TIME HE WAS ABLE TO PICK UP ANOTHER RIBBON FOR HIS BAR.
REGARDS,

[Gregory Koepp]

I bet the only fact finding mission he was on was to add to his medal collection.

greg

[stonemint]

There is a photo of a chubby PL wearing an "Afrika" cuff-title on p. 55 of "Badges & Insignia of the TR" by Davis, so I am sure there were more PL "medal hounds" than just Sprenger.

[TxGauleiter]

remember this one?

[wessel]

I've had differing comments about my Gauleitung white tunic.
Photos attached, and any thoughts would be welcomed...either a good buy, or something to put down to experience!

[wessel]

...press studs on the arm band

[wessel]

...and screw posts on the collar patches

[wessel]

...and a Berlin maker's label.

[Bob Coleman]

From What I Can See In The Pictures, The Insignia Appears To Be 100% Correct. Without Handling The Garment, It Is Difficult To Say Anything 100%. However, It Certainly Appears To Be A Good One.

[Radcollector]

WOW very nice stuff as allways,do you and Bill Grist have a cave full of rare top end stuff somewhere?? the 2 of you never cease to amaze me keep posting so we can keep drooling on our keyboards.

[ErichS]

Bob, I noticed on your fantastic tunic a Blood Order ribbon. Any idea when he received the BO?

[Mark Costa]

What is interesting about the Sprenger Gauleiter tunic is that Sprenger was NOT a Blood Order holder but there is a ribbon for one on the tunic. Also, only two gauleiters have ever been known to have worn 3rd pattern prototype gauleiter insignia. These insignias were introduced for Robert Ley's state visit to Italy in March of 1939. Only gauleiters Josef Grohe and Erich Koch attended. And no other gauleiter has ever been seen wearing any of these 3rd patern insignias. My hunch is that this is an unworn Sprenger tunic that was discarded for later insignia or that it belongs to either Grohe or Koch and that the vet was mistaken as whom once owned it. The fact that the Blood Order ribbon is on it, seems to indicate a put together tunic.
Just my opinion. It is obviously a real tunic but may have been tampered with very early on.

Mark