Foreign Officer with German Police Photo for Donald Carapella Jr

[Rick Research]

I'm posting this for Donald from his collection. Is the officer at right Spanish? Or... ??? What rank?

[Dave Danner]

From the shape of the hat and the guess that he's not Russian, I want to say Bulgarian.

[Michael Miller]

Don't know for sure about the non-German officer (I'd guess Spanish, as I'm sure I've seen that peculiar insignia placement- on cap band- in Spanish Civil War photos). But the German police officer is Rudolf Querner. Here are some details on HIM, if anyone's interested:



[Ernst] Rudolf Querner
SS-Obergruppenführer
und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei


Born: 10. June 1893 in Lehndorf bei Kamenz / Sachsen.
Suicide: 27. May 1945 in Magdeburg (after capture).

NSDAP-Nr.: 2 385 386
(Joined 1. May 1933)
SS-Nr.: 308 240
(Joined 22. May 1938)

Promotions:
General der Waffen-SS: 1. Jul. 1944
SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei: 21. Jun. 1943
SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei: 9. Nov. 1940
SS-Brigadeführer: 20. Apr. 1940
SS-Oberführer: 18. Jun. 1939
Generalmajor der Polizei: 20. Apr. 1939
SS-Standartenführer: 22. May 1938
Oberst der Schupo: 1. Sep. 1936
Oberstleutnant der Gendarmerie: 1933
(transferred to Schutzpolizei, mid-Mar. 1935)
Major d. Gendarmerie:
Hauptmann der Gendarmerie: 1922
Oberleutnant: 2. Aug. 1917
Leutnant: 24. Feb. 1914
(Patent vom 22. Jun. 1912)
Fähnrich mit Portepée: 8. Feb. 1913

Career:
Höhere SS und Polizeiführer "Mitte" / Führer SS-Oberabschnitt "Mitte":
5. Oct. 1944 - 8. May 1945
Führer SS-Oberabschnitt "Donau" (Wien):
1. Feb. 1943 - 5. Oct. 1944
Höhere SS und Polizeiführer "Donau" (Wien):
31. Jan. 1943 - 5. Oct. 1944
Höhere SS und Polizeiführer "Nordsee" (Hamburg):
30. Apr. 1941 - 20. Apr. 1943
Führer SS-Oberabschnitt "Nordsee" (Hamburg):
20. Apr. 1941 - 20. Apr. 1943
Generalinspekteur der Gendarmerie und Schutzpolizei / Hauptamt Orpo:
1. Nov. 1940 - Apr. 1941
Befehlshaber der Ordnungspolizei (BdO) Prag:
Mar. 1939 - Jun. 1939
Stab SS-Oberabschnitt. "Nordwest" (later "Nordsee"):
22. May 1938 - Nov. 1940
Entered SS:
22. May 1938
Inspekteur der Schupo in Hamburg, Bremen und Oldenburg:
1. Apr. 1937 -Oct. 1940
Kdr. der Schutzpolizei in Hamburg:
1. Sep. 1936 - 1. Mar. 1937
Transferred from Gendarmerie to Schutzpolizei:
16. Mar. 1935
Entered NSDAP:
1. May 1933
Personalreferent in the sächsische Ministerium des Innern:
1933 -
Hitler-Jugend service:
1. May 1930 - 1933
Gendarmerie service (served as Adjutant, Zugführer, and Kompanieführer):
1920 - 15. Mar. 1935
Joined Sicherheitspolizei in Sachsen as Oberleutnant:
27. Sep. 1919 -
Reichswehr Service:
6. Aug. 1919 - 26. Sep. 1919
In French captivity:
1917 - 5. Aug. 1919
Assigned to 7.Sächsische Infanterie-Regiment 106 as Portepéefähnrich:
8. Feb. 1913
Attended Kriegsschule in Hannover:
____ - Feb. 1912
Entered Kadettenkorps in Dresden:
1906 -
Attended Dorfschule, a Vorbereitungsschule, and the Humanistic Gymnasium in Bautzen, where he obtained his Abitur.

Decorations & Awards:
1914 Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse
Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern
Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
Österreichischer Kriegserinnerungsmedaille
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange “Prager Burg”
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938
Reichssportabzeichen in Silber
Verdienstkreuz des Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes
Luftschutz Ehrenzeichen I. & II. Klasse
Deutsche Olympia-Ehrenzeichen II. Klasse
Polizei-Dienstauszeichnung 1. Stufe
Ehrendegen des RF SS
Totenkopfring der SS
Hungarian War Commemmoration Medal
Bulgarian War Commemmoration Medal
Comtur Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit

Notes:
* Second son of the estate owner Ernst Querner.
* Religion: Protestant until 19 , then declared himself “gottgläubig”.
* Foreign language proficiency: French.
* Married on 20. Apr. 1919 to Annemarie Schorkopf (born 8. Jan. 1896 in Kiel; member of NS-Frauenschaft and NSV). Four daughters (born 11. Feb. 1920; 10. May 1921; 16. Dec.; 1922, and 7. Nov. 1927).

Best wishes,
~ Mike Miller
<a href=http://www.geocities.com/~orion47>Axis Biographical Research</a>

[VerKuilen Ager]

I agree with the Bulgarian i.d., as the hat style matches. It does resemble some period Spanish styles. However, the photo looks to be 1940s and Querner's Eastern European service would seem to make the Bulgarian connection more likely.

[Rick Research]

Note the extremely peculiar undersized Polizei eagle on his cap--about the only thing I can think of that size might be a dress dagger grip eagle!

[Michael Miller]

Rudolf Querner...

Querner is almost certainly an Oberst der Schutzpolizei in this photo (his non-General collar patches are just visible), thus making this photo pre-20. Apr. 1939 (date of his promotion to Generalmajor der Polizei).

Querner never really had any "eastern service"; the farthest east he went was Prague.

I am nearly positive, after perusing an old stack of Spanish Civil War historical magazines published in Venezuela, that the foreign officer to the right is a Spaniard- it seems to have been a peculiarly Spanish practice to carry rank insignia on the cap band. The cap is identical to that seen in photos of General Mola and other officers (both Nationalist and Republican), though I agree that it also resembles that worn by Bulgarian officers. And the stars are of the same style as those I see in these Spanish Civil War photos. My guess- Querner is speaking with a visiting Colonel of the Spanish Nationalist police.

Best wishes,
~ Mike Miller

[Donald Carapella Jr.]

Thanks

Thanks for the help guys. Is the guy with the helmut SS/Police ?

[lbsr]

Hello, guys!

This looks as Czechoslovakian pre-WW2 army or gendarmerie.
Rank: colonel
From picture I don't exactly recognize details of uniform
If army - there must be crossed swords on buttons.
If Gendarmerie - there must be letters "CS" on buttons for independent pre-WW2 Czechoslovakia, or crossed rifles for Protektorat Boehmen-Maehren.
On shoulder boards must be lenght-wise red stripe and there must be red cap-band in case of Gendarmerie.
If army, we can say, this photo must be from period Sept., 1838 - March, 1939.
If Gendarmerie, period is Sept., 1938 - May, 1945

If anybody is intersted in exact description of that man's insignia, please, mail me on lbsr@volny.cz