White Named Gauleiter Tunic

[Gary B]

Here are 2 pix of Sprenger around 1939 (I believe the Gauleiter collar tabs in the picture were used prior to '39). The ribbon bar in the 2nd portrait seems to correspond to the medals on the medal bar in the 1st portrait. The last award appears to be a Prussian LS award (??).

So the awards he is wearing in the portraits are: 14 EK2, Bavarian Silver or Gold Bravery medal (can't tell color from portrait), Bvn Miltary Merit Cross with Swds, HC with swords, and Prussian LS award (??).

Going back to the double row ribbon bar, what we are seeing here is that Sprenger "chose" to drop his 2 bravery awards from Bavaria and instead chose to wear the Oldenberg Cross (Blue and red ribbon) which he did not wear in any of his other portraits.

Again my postings are not meant to question the insignia or the uniform just the ribbon bar.

Gary B

[Priedel78]

No question , the ribbon bar on on the tunic is a reproduction.

[planet]

Could it be the Africa-story is from this book?

[planet]

Sorry, cannot upload picture of the book, but if You google Gauleiter and AfrikakorpsYou will find it. Title is: "The Life and Death of the AfrikaKorps" by Ronald Lewin and it speaks on pages 78/79 about "The Gauleiter of Mannheim" who worked as a spy in Afrika. Maybe someone is better than me to uploade the two pages here as an attachement. Mannheim could belong to Sprengers Gau. But I doubt the whole story - even though it is written as a biography. In the book it says he was captured by the British. Nothing written about his later whereabout. Sprenger in fact commited suicide in Germany at the end of the war. Cannot imagine a Gauleiter working parttime as a spy behind the lines...
Best, Thomas

[planet]

This is the link:

https://books.google.de/books?id=s67...akorps&f=false

[pedroMM]

Sorry for updating such an old thread,but just for further clarification.

There are not any problems in a ribbon bar cointaining both Spanish Red Military Order and White Military Order, as has been previously stated here.

White Military Order was also issued to military personnel, but for merits which lacked enough importance for being awarded with a Red type.
It is a decoration that usually denotes peace time merits, but it is not unusual to see it displayed along the Red one.
Even today you can see Spanish military personnel awarded with White crosses for his peace time duty and exceptionally with a Red Order for their combat tours in Irak or Afganistan

[Gary B]

Although that may be the case the ribbon bar is still a reproduction/put together.

Gary B

[Michael Miller]

Indeed, for all the reasons pointed out long ago, that ribbon bar is a mess. I've seen it personally- in 2004, if memory serves- and informed the then-owner (Roger Bender) that it was all wrong. Thankfully, he accepted my assessment.

~ Mike

[BrianK]

I still don't understand about the tunic itself and the collar tabs - are either or both good and what happened to the tunic?

[planet]

Well, I think the tunic did not belong to Sprenger, but to Gauleiter Grohé. The collar tabs and the loops for medal bar and decorations fit to him. But he was not awarded the blood order and I cannot imagine the Afrika cuff title.
Best, Thomas