Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Everybody's favourite Ol' Uncle Macky:
Great fun at parties.
Great fun at parties.
Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
- Location
- West Quebec
Thought it was a joke photo till I read the Generals name on the pictureEverybody's favourite Ol' Uncle Macky:
Great fun at parties.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Mackensen was no joke. Quite the writeup on him in Wikipedia. Here he is with a vile little Corporal he tolerated but never liked nor supported:
An interesting note he wrote in 1940 to Feldmarschal von Brauchitsch:
Totenkopf
Totenkopf (i.e. skull, literally dead's head) is the German word for the skull and crossbones and death's head symbols. The Totenkopf symbol is an old international symbol for death, the defiance of death, danger, or the dead, as well as piracy. It consists usually of the human skull with or without the mandible and often includes two crossed long-bones (femurs), most often depicted with the crossbones being behind some part of the skull.
It is commonly associated with 19th- and 20th-century German military use.
German military[edit]
Prussia[edit]
Hussar from Husaren-Regiment Nr.5 (von Ruesch) in 1744 with the Totenkopf on the mirliton (Ger. Flügelmütze)
Use of the Totenkopf as a military emblem began under Frederick the Great, who formed a regiment of Hussar cavalry in the Prussian army commanded by Colonel von Ruesch, the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch). It adopted a black uniform with a Totenkopf emblazoned on the front of its mirlitons and wore it on the field in the War of Austrian Succession and in the Seven Years' War.[2] The Totenkopf remained a part of the uniform when the regiment was reformed into Leib-Husaren Regiments Nr.1 and Nr.2 in 1808.[3]
Brunswick[edit]
Totenkopf badge worn by the Brunswick Leibbataillon ("Life-Guard Battalion") at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition, Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel raised a force of volunteers to fight Napoleon Bonaparte, who had conquered the Duke's lands. The Brunswick corps was provided with black uniforms, giving rise to their nickname, the Black Brunswickers. Both hussar cavalry and infantry in the force wore a Totenkopf badge, either in mourning for the duke's father, Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who had been killed at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt in 1806, or according to some sources, as a sign of revenge against the French. After fighting their way through Germany, the Black Brunswickers entered British service and fought with them in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo. The Brunswick corps was eventually incorporated into the Prussian Army in 1866.[4]
German Empire[edit]
The skull continued to be used by the Prussian and Brunswick armed forces until 1918, and some of the stormtroopers that led the last German offensives on the Western Front in 1918 used skull badges.[5] Luftstreitkräfte fighter pilots Georg von Hantelmann[6] and Kurt Adolf Monnington[7] are just two of a number of Central Powers military pilots who used the Totenkopf as their personal aircraft insignia.
Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia as Colonel of the Death´s Head Hussars
Totenkopf (i.e. skull, literally dead's head) is the German word for the skull and crossbones and death's head symbols. The Totenkopf symbol is an old international symbol for death, the defiance of death, danger, or the dead, as well as piracy. It consists usually of the human skull with or without the mandible and often includes two crossed long-bones (femurs), most often depicted with the crossbones being behind some part of the skull.
It is commonly associated with 19th- and 20th-century German military use.
German military[edit]
Prussia[edit]
Hussar from Husaren-Regiment Nr.5 (von Ruesch) in 1744 with the Totenkopf on the mirliton (Ger. Flügelmütze)
Use of the Totenkopf as a military emblem began under Frederick the Great, who formed a regiment of Hussar cavalry in the Prussian army commanded by Colonel von Ruesch, the Husaren-Regiment Nr. 5 (von Ruesch). It adopted a black uniform with a Totenkopf emblazoned on the front of its mirlitons and wore it on the field in the War of Austrian Succession and in the Seven Years' War.[2] The Totenkopf remained a part of the uniform when the regiment was reformed into Leib-Husaren Regiments Nr.1 and Nr.2 in 1808.[3]
Brunswick[edit]
Totenkopf badge worn by the Brunswick Leibbataillon ("Life-Guard Battalion") at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition, Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel raised a force of volunteers to fight Napoleon Bonaparte, who had conquered the Duke's lands. The Brunswick corps was provided with black uniforms, giving rise to their nickname, the Black Brunswickers. Both hussar cavalry and infantry in the force wore a Totenkopf badge, either in mourning for the duke's father, Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who had been killed at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt in 1806, or according to some sources, as a sign of revenge against the French. After fighting their way through Germany, the Black Brunswickers entered British service and fought with them in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo. The Brunswick corps was eventually incorporated into the Prussian Army in 1866.[4]
German Empire[edit]
The skull continued to be used by the Prussian and Brunswick armed forces until 1918, and some of the stormtroopers that led the last German offensives on the Western Front in 1918 used skull badges.[5] Luftstreitkräfte fighter pilots Georg von Hantelmann[6] and Kurt Adolf Monnington[7] are just two of a number of Central Powers military pilots who used the Totenkopf as their personal aircraft insignia.
Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia as Colonel of the Death´s Head Hussars
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I notice that not every person saluting in the photo is using the raised arm Nazi salute. Pourquoi?
Mackensen was no joke. Quite the writeup on him in Wikipedia. Here he is with a vile little Corporal he tolerated but never liked nor supported:
An interesting note he wrote in 1940 to Feldmarschal von Brauchitsch:
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Photo apparently dates to 1935. Maybe it wasn't standard practice yet. Sh*tforbrains had only been Fuhrer for a couple of years at that point.
The English wear the death's head, too, or at least the Queen's Royal Lancers. Here's LCol Nigel Best with his OBE:
His hatbadge, in detail:
The English wear the death's head, too, or at least the Queen's Royal Lancers. Here's LCol Nigel Best with his OBE:
His hatbadge, in detail:
It was compulsory within the party by the mid 1920s, and by the time Hitler had been in power for only a year, refusal to salute was a punishable offence.
Remember August Landmesser, who got in trouble for refusing to salute in 1936. (He had already been expelled from the party a year earlier.)
The relationship between Mackensen and Hitler was more than a little tenuous, perhaps explaining the photo to some extent.
- Location
- West Quebec
Thanks for the info.. it must have been the uniform that got me..Mackensen was no joke. Quite the writeup on him in Wikipedia. Here he is with a vile little Corporal he tolerated but never liked nor supported:
An interesting note he wrote in 1940 to Feldmarschal von Brauchitsch:
I Think he got along fine with the Austrians. In WW1 he commanded a joint German/ Austro-Hungarian army that rolled up the Russians from the Carpathian Mountains to the Ukraine in 1915. He was picked by OHL with input from the German diplomatic service & confirmed by Wilhelm II because he was competent militarily and judged to be the most diplomatic. He was said to have got on well with Franz Joseph, which would have helped.
The Ausro-Hungarian army fought well under him. In fact they fought well whenever they weren't commanded by Conrad (chief of staff of the KUK Army), and poorly whenever they were. Conrad was an interesting guy. Spoke 7 languages, wrote a bunch of books, smart, but an abismal failure as a leader and strategist. I think he was often distracted by thoughts of his mistress Gina and how to bump off her husband. Conrad played a significant role in the origin of the First World War, IMO.
The Ausro-Hungarian army fought well under him. In fact they fought well whenever they weren't commanded by Conrad (chief of staff of the KUK Army), and poorly whenever they were. Conrad was an interesting guy. Spoke 7 languages, wrote a bunch of books, smart, but an abismal failure as a leader and strategist. I think he was often distracted by thoughts of his mistress Gina and how to bump off her husband. Conrad played a significant role in the origin of the First World War, IMO.
I trained troopers of this Regiment for free fall parachuting in Germany. The "Death's Head" badge is a battle honour as are many of the other Regimental quiffs of the British Army, including the Bear Skin of the Brigade of Guards.
The Officers were mostly from upper crust families and very much into Polo, having both their own ponies and the Regimental horses at their disposal. The Drop Zone shared the huge Sennelager sports complex with a Polo Pitch, soccer pitches, tennis courts, a golf course, cricket pitches and a baseball diamond for the Canadians and Americans. A few of our parachutists had the experience of landing on a Polo Pitch with the horses thundering towards them. We picked them up as quickly as possible with the Land Rover.
The Officers were mostly from upper crust families and very much into Polo, having both their own ponies and the Regimental horses at their disposal. The Drop Zone shared the huge Sennelager sports complex with a Polo Pitch, soccer pitches, tennis courts, a golf course, cricket pitches and a baseball diamond for the Canadians and Americans. A few of our parachutists had the experience of landing on a Polo Pitch with the horses thundering towards them. We picked them up as quickly as possible with the Land Rover.
Photo apparently dates to 1935. Maybe it wasn't standard practice yet. Sh*tforbrains had only been Fuhrer for a couple of years at that point.
The English wear the death's head, too, or at least the Queen's Royal Lancers. Here's LCol Nigel Best with his OBE:
His hatbadge, in detail:
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Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Rebuilds, maybe? If they were new production, they would have painted everything before applying markings.
Perhaps upgrades from Mk.II to Mk. IVC?
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