GFM board is here

[Dave Suter]

The GFM board arrived yesterday. The baton device is the '41 pattern, as is the design of the board itself - i.e. the center braid is gold rather than silver. The board shows wear and age, and the device has been on there pretty much forever. The prongs don't extend through the back of the board, so the device was put on at the time of initial construction. The wear on the baton device is consistent with the adjacent wear and soiling to the braid. You can see the imprint from the button and the back shows faint signs of stitching on the 'tail.' It looks like an original to me. For reference, take a look at page 422 in Angolia's first volume.

[Dave Suter]

The device.

[chuck locke]

The device.

I'm certainly no expert, but that looks like a great board to me. It will certainly add to your board collection.

Chuck

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Dave, I have only ever seen one of these before, on a tunic of FM Von Leeb.
I really like the look of this one; it shows nice age. A great addition to your collection.
Cheers, Ade.

[SgtB]

It sure looks good from the pics, Dave! Can you tell if the device is hollow
or solid?

[Dave Suter]

Thanks for the comments. As near as I can tell, the device is solid. It is really set into the braid. The worn areas are silver, so I'm guessing that the device is made of silver, but I'm far from an expert in metallurgy.

[Steve Sherlock]

Really beautiful detail on the batons, and as you say, Dave, they look like they been been on there for a very long time. The fact that the device prongs seem to have been applied when the board itself was put together is a very good sign. Nice going!! Maybe this was one of Keitel's that Col. Andrus supposedly tore off the Fieldmarschal's uniform at Nürnberg!!!

ss

[Dave Suter]

Reeky let me in on a secret test to see if the device is made of silver. According to this test, it is.

I have no idea how accurate the test is, but I have been promised a nocturnal visit from the Sebatron should I reveal the details...

[Rick Research]

Easy enough to conduct statistical samples with OTHER items. Just don't let your wife or kid catch you, though!

Hmmmm...

My latest German ribbon bar belonged to a pioneer researcher in Icky Contagious Tropical Diseases who crossed Africa in the 1890s treating cow pox etc and died in China of typhus in April 1901. I read someplace that fossilized dinosaurs still have active germs on 'em...

[C.C.Reilly]

Balkan Cross?

I agree that this certainly fits the bill for a GFM board. I just have one observation. On the batons the insignia alternates between the Wehrmacht Eagle, Balkan Cross, Wehrmacht Eagle, and Iron Cross. My experience has been that a baton pattern including the Balkan Cross, is inherently Luftwaffe, and batons with only the Wehrmacht Eagle and Iron Cross would be for the Army. This similarity can be noted when looking at actual grosstab and interim batons of the Army and Luftwaffe. I originally became aware of this after personally viewing one of the few existing Luftwaffe interimstab batons, and thinking how odd the Balkan Cross was, versus the Iron Cross.

[Gerald Berger]

The device.

Here is a picture of the GFM Walter von Reichenau shoulder boards .
( I do have is uniform )
Dave , is your baton are marked "800" for the silver at they end ???????
Regards ,
Gerald Berger
PS : Your shoulder board is authentic .
Can somebody help me to put a picture here ?????

[Dave Suter]

You are right about the Iron Crosses / Balkan Crosses. However, this is such a small detail that I'm sure they probably didn't really care all that much. Can't image someone looking that close and telling a GFM that he was out of uniform. Anyway, take a look at page 421 of Angolia's Volume 1 of the army series. Board at the bottom of the page is attributed to von Rundstedt - and it has the two types of crosses.

Gerald, no 800 markings on the ends. However, the device is solid, so if there is a mark it's probably on the back. (I'll never know.) E-mail me your photo at dasuter1@aol.com and I'll post it.

[SgtB]

In Jorg Hormann's book 'Uniforms of the Infantry' which is the 2nd volume
in a series, he shows several views of a set of von Runstedt's boards and
the batons are hollow and do not have Balkan crosses on them. On top of
the batons there are the numeral '18' cyphers, to convey his status as Chef
of I.R. 18.

[C.C.Reilly]

Batons

Dave,

Your are probably correct. A GFM is a GFM. On insignia that size, I can't see where anyone would be a a stickler for detail. There were far fewer Luftwaffe GFMs than Army. In this respect your version would may be more unique and valuable than those w/o a Balkan cross.

[Dave Suter]

On page 422 Angolia shows 5 singles that belonged to von R - 2 with just the batons and 3 with the batons and numerals. Each of the boards is different, two of which have the gold center braid, and two are on what appears to be white Waffenfarbe. Appears that the GFM was a very style-conscious man - different boards for every occassion.