Generals eagle ?

[Dan-K]

I would like some knowledged opinions as to the authenticity of this. I suspect it is a reproduction but cloth is not my area of expertise. Thanks in advance.

[Fred Green]

Hello,

It appears to be a very nice Coastal Artillery Cello eagle in my opinion.

Fred

[nonameno]

Hello Dan,
I agree with Fred. This looks like Kriegsmarine to me.
Thanks,
Curtiss

[Dan-K]

Generals eagle

Thanks guys.

[afrikasandman]

Nice looking coastal artillery or Kriegs eagle in cello as the others have already stated. Matt

[longislandercjv]

Just curious: Certainly WH General's wore the Celleon breast eagle;
what is it about this eagle that indicates that it is Coastal Artillery and
not General Officer?
I'm looking for a Celleon General's breast eagle and would like to find out.
Is there any specific features to differentiate them, or is it strictly a "judgement call" ??
Looking forward to responses.
Thanks;
Chris Varrichio

[Fred Green]

Hello Chris,

I believe that most of it is a judgement call. I , as I am sure a few others too, like to see high quality embroidery, different color and multiple types of bullion ,or cello, on a so called Generals eagle.

Fred

[Silberkreuz]

Chris, as Fred states as below, but another major factor 99% of the time Herr Generals had a dark green wool backing.

Regards SK

[JasonA]

Most collectors feel strongly that only the highest quality Eagles have a shot at being a general's piece. But there is no way to say either way with certainty - both were possibilities.

J-

[Tim Curley]

Here is a scan of a similar breast eagle on a later-war tunic for a General.

Regarding General Officers and their uniforms, while we like to think they would only use the finest materials and insignia, that was not always the case.

Generalleutnant Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin frequently appears in period photos wearing a most unattractive M42 cap.

About 30 years ago I picked up a peaked hat out of a University collection. It is for a General Officer, an EREL, pretty much this maker's lowest quality hat. I suppose the General may have simply seen it as an every day work hat and therefore he did not want to spend much on it. Who knows?

[JasonA]

Here is a scan of a similar breast eagle on a later-war tunic for a General.

Regarding General Officers and their uniforms, while we like to think they would only use the finest materials and insignia, that was not always the case.

Generalleutnant Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin frequently appears in period photos wearing a most unattractive M42 cap.

About 30 years ago I picked up a peaked hat out of a University collection. It is for a General Officer, an EREL, pretty much this maker's lowest quality hat. I suppose the General may have simply seen it as an every day work hat and therefore he did not want to spend much on it. Who knows?

Tim, you are spot on. To assume that generals preferred the utmost quality only is unrealistic. There were generals who were more frugal and less vain than some of their peers.

J-

[afrikasandman]

Everyone is right on with this discussion. I like to see higher quality eagles on General Officer (GO) jackets, but the honest answer is they bought and wore what ever they wanted. I would say the majority bought and wore nice stuff, you want to stand out and show that you are indeed a GO.

That all said, you can never be 100% certain on whether a gold eagle on dark green or even your average greenish wool is either CA or Heer GO. I would never buy a eagle listed as a Heer GO because people want ridiculous money for them. It would have to have provenance that it came from a GO estate or something that could definitively link it to a General Officer.

So the thing to take away, buy them all as CA and then you decide what you want to call it. I don't see GO eagles moving but CA ones do sell. Matt