Sorry, Mike. I guess I detected sarcasm in your reply to my initial post and believing that this was your manner assumed you would have no problem with me using it back. Thats the problem with 'deciphering' keyboard dialogue. I'm sure with our common interest and passion in this hobby we'd probably enjoy each others company if we met face to face. My apologies, again.
And you're right, you don't have to explain anything about shoulderboards to me. Putting them on 'backwards' was a fairly common tailors mistake. Problem is, I've seen other threads where perfectly good Generals uniforms were trashed by people because the boards were on backwards. Had these 'experts' spent any time studying period photographs they'd realize this did happen. Thats my beef with the absolutism that is often spouted on these forums....another forum in particular has a big problem with this and perhaps I've just spent too much time reading threads at that place lately.
I do not profess to be an expert. I've collected since the late 60's, owned four Generals uniforms (two of which I still possess), seen and yes 'handled' a fair share too. However I find the most revealing information by looking at period photographs, not only in reference books but individual officers and em's photo albums. I am a passionate observationist and cull my own opinions and beliefs from these period photos and some basic logic. As you know, Mike, much of the stuff out there now has been messed with, so handling militaria these days isn't necessarily the be all and end all to determining what was and wasn't done.
If tailors were capable of putting shoulderboards on backwards on a regular enough basis that the photographic evidence is somewhat common, sloppy collar tab jobs are certainly possible as well. I've even seen a period photo of a breast eagle on the wrong breast.
It seems for every professed absolute, eventually a photo surfaces to dispel the practice. I've seen some goofy tailoring mistakes, including on officers tunics. You want a good laugh, look at Davis' Army book on page 36 at Generalmajor Kreipe, who is sporting Generalfeldmarschall collar tabs. Or how about page 170 where Generalmajor Ravenstein's photo shows that Rommel evidently didn't bother to share his tailor as Ravenstein's open collar tropical tunic has the tips of his collartabs riding over the top of the collar too.
My point is this; tailoring by its very nature is a personalized alteration of a garment. Generals in particular, as you well know, exercised a great deal of personal freedom in how their uniforms were tailored, often going beyond regulation. Those long, pointy collars were very popular (You ever see Demelhubers??? Those babies looked like if there ever was a big gust of wind he'd turn into the Flying Nun). Granted, those long collars on this particular uniform are butt ugly, but thats not to say that this guy didn't want them that way. This we will never know, unless a period photo of him in the tunic surfaces. And hey, if it is a put together, it sure ain't the first.
