Kenny Andrew Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 One of our customers just brought in his uncles photographs from the Eastern front, France and Poland, really good very similar to Eric's ,one of them features a General or Fieldmarchall any one any idea who it is? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Kenny, I think the photo is too badly damaged to make out the face. Is the name on the back not Rommel? It does look a bit like him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Hi Dave I initially thought Rommel and it does look like Rommel on the back.However when you look at the actual photo it appears he is wearing an EK1 and gold party badge above it ,I don't think Rommel wore a Gold party badge also there is no sign of the Panzer badge he usually wore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 The first staff car has an Army Group or Army Commander pennant on the front. So the General is an Army Group or Army Commander (Oberbefehlshaber einer Heeresgruppe oder einer Armee). The last car has a V on it... no clue what this means though. There was an Army Group Vistula and a Group 5 but I am unsure if either would have a big V on the side. Likewise this could mean the German 5th Army if the car door marking is indicating anything. 5th Army was very early and disbanded after the fall of Poland though. (5th Panzer Army or any Panzer group must be discounted as the front car pennant is not for an armored unit which uses triangles and not squares in the same layout) As the General has a baton I am more inclined to think he is a Heeresgruppe commander. I just ran a quick glance over heeresgruppe commanders on German wikipedia but the name does not come close to matching any. I am inclined to believe the first letter might be a J or G not an R. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Just another thought - could the name be a place and not a person? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Does what we can see narrow it down any. It is late spring early summer. Nice grass on the ground, open top cars. V on the car. Number on plane starts 32. He wears an EK1 and Knight Cross. I would hazard a guess that we are looking than no later than summer 1942. Does this help us any? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 The officer next to the plane seems to be wearing a life vest, am I correct.... they must have flown over water then? (I could also be wrong and the photo damage makes it look like this... Kenny is there one or am I seeing things? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Greg, I think it is just the damage as I can make out the national eagle on his right chest. I am sure the face is familar. Fairly long and narrow. My reference is in France but someone might recognise the shape of the face. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Is it possible to get a super high quality DPI scan of just the General? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 I'll try scanning it again tomorrow but I think that's the highest res I can get, in the meantime I fiddled about with photoshop but not sure if it's any better. He does appear to have a Knights cross ,gold party badge, Iron cross and possibly an arm shield? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Kenny, I can't get the post to open the picture to a large size. Can you alter it? I still think we will only be able to have an id on the body and face shape due to the damage. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 OK here we go ,any better? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 The face is a lot clearer. If someone has pictures of German generals we might get an id. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 I definitely recognise the face but can't place his name , I think he is one of the famous Generals ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Can you do the purple thing to the right bumper, front car, possibly in high contrast... might also be able to then read the painted numbers on it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Will try to do that tomorrow Greg , in the meantime I have checked and he is carrying a interim stab which was the walking stick used for everyday use instead of the baton ,in other words he is a Field Marshall , so that should narrow it down a little. I'm thinking List but not sure if he was awarded the gold party badge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 OK so that narrows it down to 26 people * 20 April 1936 - Werner von Blomberg (1878-1946) * 4 February 1938 - Hermann Göring (1893-1946) * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Brauchitsch (1881-1948) * 19 July 1940 - Albert Kesselring (1885-1960) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946) * 19 July 1940 - Günther von Kluge (1882-1944) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876-1956) * 19 July 1940 - Fedor von Bock (1880-1945) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm List (1880-1971) * 19 July 1940 - Erwin von Witzleben (1881-1944) * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Reichenau (1884-1942) * 19 July 1940 - Erhard Milch (1892-1972) * 19 July 1940 - Hugo Sperrle (1885-1953) * 19 July 1940 - Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953) * 31 October 1940 - Eduard Freiherr von Böhm-Ermolli (1856-1941) * 22 June 1942 - Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) * 30 June 1942 - Georg von Küchler (1881-1968) * 1 July 1942 - Erich von Manstein (1887-1973) * 31 January 1943 - Friedrich Paulus (1890-1957) * 1 February 1943 - Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881-1954) * 1 February 1943 - Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Weichs (1881-1954) * 1 February 1943 - Ernst Busch (1885-1945) * 16 February 1943 - Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (1895-1945) * 1 March 1944 - Walter Model (1891-1945) * 5 April 1945 - Ferdinand Schörner (1892-1973) * 25 April 1945 - Robert Ritter von Greim (1892-1945) some of these can be eliminated straight away, such as Luftwaffe but will do that next time as past my bed time now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Here are some more pics Greg, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 OK I've removed the 6 Luftwaffe guys so that norrows it down to 20. * 20 April 1936 - Werner von Blomberg (1878-1946) * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Brauchitsch (1881-1948) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946) * 19 July 1940 - Günther von Kluge (1882-1944) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876-1956) * 19 July 1940 - Fedor von Bock (1880-1945) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm List (1880-1971) * 19 July 1940 - Erwin von Witzleben (1881-1944) * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Reichenau (1884-1942) * 19 July 1940 - Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953) * 31 October 1940 - Eduard Freiherr von Böhm-Ermolli (1856-1941) * 22 June 1942 - Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) * 30 June 1942 - Georg von Küchler (1881-1968) * 1 July 1942 - Erich von Manstein (1887-1973) * 31 January 1943 - Friedrich Paulus (1890-1957) * 1 February 1943 - Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881-1954) * 1 February 1943 - Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Weichs (1881-1954) * 1 February 1943 - Ernst Busch (1885-1945) * 1 March 1944 - Walter Model (1891-1945) * 5 April 1945 - Ferdinand Schörner (1892-1973) List is still looking good ,anybody know if he got the Gold Party badge? I think Gomel is in Belarus ,if that is what it says? so how many Field Marchalls visited Belarus? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Cut out anyone from photos who does not fit, too short, tall, fat, etc. All I can do with the can bumper is tell the first top left letter is a W 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Anyone identified him yet? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 By process of elimination looking at photos of others I would guess one of the below. Blom, Brauchitsch and model seem to be my favorites for most likely but it is very difficult to get close here. In field gear most wore the same medals, I think it will be impossible to ID based on them. * 20 April 1936 - Werner von Blomberg (1878-1946) * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Brauchitsch (1881-1948) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946) * 19 July 1940 - Günther von Kluge (1882-1944) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm List (1880-1971) * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Reichenau (1884-1942) * 30 June 1942 - Georg von Küchler (1881-1968) * 1 July 1942 - Erich von Manstein (1887-1973) * 1 February 1943 - Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881-1954) * 1 March 1944 - Walter Model (1891-1945) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 OK cant be Blomberg he resigned in 1938 , I still think the Gold Party badge is a useful key, Von Kluge wore an Iron Cross bar so can't be him, so did List which is a pity as it really looks like him. Von Reichenau had no golden party badge either or Von Kuchler , Manstein , Kliest or surprisingly Model. so that leaves only two. * 19 July 1940 - Walther von Brauchitsch (1881-1948) * 19 July 1940 - Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Here is Walther von Brauchitsch wearing the golden party badge and Wilhelm Keitel , is it Keitel ? I think it is .......same mouth , nose, ears,moustache and stiff military appearance , thoughts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I doubt we can ever be 100% sure but Keitel does seem the best fit at the moment. Good work Kenny 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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