UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories SS & SA Uniform Forum Help With Id'd SS Generals Uniform

I have recently aquired an original SS Generals tunic, overcoat and 2 pairs of pants. I have learned this lot belonged to Richard Hildebrandt and have been doing research on him. I am also looking for photos of him in uniform particularly the tunic. I have found photos of him in the overcoat but I believe the tunic is a bit later and most photos I find are earlier. Does anyone have or know where to find later war time photos of Hildebrandt?

CAN WE SEE SOME DETAILED PICTURES OF THE COLLAR TABS AND CUFFTITLE?
BOB

Here is a photo of the cuff band. May be a bit dark as most of my photos have to high of a resolution to post.

Here is a close photo of one of the tabs on the overcoat. Again may be a bit dark.

Here is a photo of one of the shoulder boards on the overcoat.

My compliments, that is one outstanding grouping, first SS Generals outfit that I have seen on the Forum that is totally original. Thanks for sharing , Could you tell us where they came from or how you found them ?
jimtoncar

These came direct from a WWII veterans attic with 60 plus years of storage wrinkling and some mothing.

Skeptic that I am ....more info please,

Tigerfan,

Very nice tunic and overcoat grouping!

Note that the overcoat has general boards with police green underlay, as opposed to the white/grey underlay on the boards of the tunic.

The attached picture shows SS-Brigadeführer Max Henze and SS-Obergruppenführer
Richard Hildebrandt (from the Polish magazine "Gazety Wojenne").
Photo was taken during their trial in Bydgoszcz in 1949. Hildebrandt is on the right.

Hildebrandt was SS and Police cheif in Danzig from October 1939 to February 1943.
From February 1943 until the end of the war, he was in charge of the SS office of race and resettlement.
At the Nurnberg trials, he was sentenced to 25 years. But, he was then handed over to the Polish for re-trail, in which he was sentenced to death. He was hanged on March 10, 1952.

Doug

Hi Doug. Thank you for the info. I did find the same info. and the same photo. Actually I found a good deal of info. but photos are scarce and only found 7 or 8. I learned of a book titled: The Camp Men and that there are two photos of Hildebrandt included on pages 365 and 367. I haven't seen this book so don't know what uniform is being worn. Along with the police connection I found that from April 1, 1939 - Oct. 1, 1939 he was Senior SS and Police commander "Rhine" (HSSPF "Rhein") (Wiesbaden)and a Gruppenfuhrer at that time. Yes it is interesting that the color of the boards on the overcoat are "police green" and the color on the tunic boards is a light grey. Possibly because he was a General of the Waffen SS and the Police? I am not an expert on models or styles of German uniforms but I believe the overcoat may be a bit older than the tunic. Thanks again !

Hi Tom. Not sure of what info. you are asking for. I on the other hand am looking for photos of this general especially wearing this closed collar type tunic.

Wow, that is quite the find. How do you pull something like that out of a trunk without shaking? Can we see the sleeve eagles?

What unit was the US soldier in? Did you get any of his things? any other German souvenirs?

Wow

Wow. Who says that there a no new finds out there?

Dave

Hi Jerry. I am posting a photo of an eagle. I am also researching the veteran (unit etc.) but whatever personal items he had the family is keeping. Thanks

Wow that's really something,,great find congratulations!
Please when you have time a shot of the ribbon bar..thanks,G.

Wow taht is so find, I think I would have past out seeing that coming out of a attic. Love the overcoat! outstanding!

HI

Sorry Just Vet info if any was availalble,not really specific but just if you know what unit the vet was with when he found it.

TOM

Holy-Moley! Wow! Got to be one of the prettiest sleeve eagles I've ever seen. I'm so skeptical of this kind of stuff though. Hope this all turns out to be as good as it looks.

Back in 1999 on Tom Wittmann's list #36 he had Hildebrandt's 1933 Robt. Klass dagger with vertical hanger for sale at $3995.00. SS# was 7088. Tom had a short write up of his career from his Dienstalterlist records. Don't know who bought it but what an ensemble that would make. If you have Tom's list it's on page 294. Nice find, Barry.

Is it possible to see the collar tabs on the tunic and the greatcoat. That is two complete pair of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer collar tabs, which is remarkable in itself.

Thanks,
Bill

Tigerfan has sent a photo of the ribbon bar to me to resize.. here it is... Very nice!

Is it a sew on?

Thanks , G.

Hi G. Thanks for posting the photo. Yes the Ribbons are sewn to the tunic.

Could this Obergruppenfuhrer be the same man? (Compare facial characteristics).
When the police connection was mentioned, this came to mind. Me thinks there couldn't have been many Generals of that grade asssociated with the police.
I have a series of vet-acquired photos taken when this general visited and inspected an SS police unit in the field on the eastern front. This general is only in 2 or 3 of the photos, but the rest show troops wearing a combination of polizei insignia and SS camo smocks. In the series, there is also a shot of troops wearing black panzer wrappers with polizei insignia on them, walking beside an armored car. Also in the set, German Police troops mingling with Russian Cossacks, wearing fur caps.

This is from the same series of pics and shows a general whose features look even closer to Hildebrandt's But the rank is only Brigadefuhrer. Could it be an earlier pic of the same General, but without glasses?
Anyhow a neat picture, with clearly a guy in police uniform sharing the hole.

Tigerfan, thanks so much for sharing them with us, congrats on your find, Sonny

Very nice and absolute rare group. Just to see how the insignias are apllied is wonderful to see. Was this tunic lot found in the US or in Germany? It should go back to Germany

I guess you might get now many offers ...

Hello Mark. Thanks for the photos. The first General is wearing a German cross wich Hildebrandt didn't recieved. He was a brigadefuhrer from 1933-1936 and the 2nd photo appears much later. Thank you!

I think that the fellow on the left in that first picture is Obergruppenfuhrer Heinrich Schmauser who was also a Police General.

Schmauser is second from the left looking into the camera in the shot below.

Dave

I have had several ask about my "Tigerfan" handle. I am a coach on a high school football team with our mascot name being "Tigers".

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tigerfan:

Absolutely outstanding "one look" grouping. I for one think this group should stay in the good old USA (sorry Robert). My Dad was a guest of the Germans for over a year and all his better souvenirs were taken by US officers at camp Lucky Strike while being processsed back into US custody. The GI that brought these back fought for these to remain here as war trophys and to be proudly displayed in my...I mean someone's collection. Super find and gives us all reason to keep digging.

Richard

Looks very nice , are there any nametags or can you show us the picture where he's wearing the overcoat ?

Hello. Yes there is a nametag. I am attaching a link of one photo of the overcoat. Notice in the photo that there is a black cuff title and not a silver one. This photo was taken in 1941 with Himmler at Stutthof. Not positive but I believe Hildebrandt was authorized wear of the silver cuff title when he made chief of RuSHA in 1943. So on further ispection of the overcoat cuff I found evidence of another cuff title having been removed. It was obviously black as some of the black "pigtail" thread ends are still present.

http://dziedzictwo.polska.pl/katalog/skarb,Fotografia_p...,208963,cid,1689.htm

Another link of Hildebrandt in overcoat.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=109949

bio data, commands info, and photo for him in "Allgemeine-SS, The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS," Schiffer Publishing.

Handsome uniform.

Mark