UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories German Military Uniform Forum Very tough question.

Dear fellow collectors, here is a (in my opinion) tough question:
Recently got this interesting, without any doubt period, picture. It shows an elderly person in a uniform, let´s start from the top. The photograph is so sharp and clear that I can recognize it is a Kyffhäuser type hat but with air force insignias.
Futher he wears what seems to me an air force jacket with 2nd Ltn. collar badges.
Some medals (please see detail below) I do not know (those two between the ribbon bar and the WWI EK1 and WB).
And he is wearing a NAVY dagger with it´s proper accouterments but by a very odd and incorrect attachment to the uniform.

Detail of the badges. Note how the swords are obviously wrongly attached (bottom up).

Obviously the same person is pictured (underscript “..in this period photograph..”) in T.M. Johnsons “Wearing the edged weapons…”, Vol. II.
Now the same hat but the uniform jacket with 1st Ltn. Airforce collar badges but being obviously a NAVY jacket. About the same badges (one is missing) and the ribbon bar without any swords. And again the navy dagger but now in totally correct wear.

Please, tell me your thoughts to these two photographs, each opinion welcome. I cannot believe this being simple funny pics of some period jokers.

Regards,

Fancy Dress party ?

Dave

How about a cross dresser!

Please , don´t concern to the nice scotish neck tie he is wearing in the first photograph .
Regards,

Oh, I forgot, also each comment in regard of the two certain badges (how they are namend) is highly welcome. Thank you, regrads,

The top badge (immediately below the button) is a tinnie, but I can't remember for which event at the moment.

Cheers
Don

Wotan, quite an interesting picture. As Don stated the top pin is a Tinnie, (plastic composition normaly), SA Wehrwettkampftage 1939. SA group Westfalen.
The second pin I would also assume to be a tinnie (air sports donation related) or (air defense related), though I do not recall having seen that particular example.

--dj--Joe

Thank you for the comments on the tinnies, they look quite impressive.
Regards,

To ask an associated question, could active service Wehrmacht people wear tinnies on their uniforms ?

Dave

Perhaps he's in Air-Sea Rescue Service, & trying his darndest to dress for the part. (Yes, I know he's not wearing the reg. Air-Sea Rescue service cap). Or maybe? that's what they wore up til they got their own special Air-Sea Rescue insignia?

I thought active people could only wear the tinnies on the day of the event, now that may not be true for army/navy/luft personnel (who may not have been allowed at all)

You do see tinnies in wear on service uniforms from time to time.

Here's a picture showing one of the WHW flag series.

Cheers
Don

And to clarify the badge he is wearing

Tinnies here, there everywhere in this pic . Seems to be the great tinnie war.

Details of the tinnies.
BTW interesting (Mannlicher-Berthier) bayonet the tank man is wearing.

Please, dont forget the original navy/airforce pics. Air-Sea rescue service would be a good guess I think.

Where do the pictures come from? If its not from some kind of military archive or something, couldnt it just be an old man trying to look "military and fancy", and just putting together whatever he can get his hands on? A patriotic wannabe, so to speak?

This combination of uniforms and insignia makes me think this gentleman was at some sort of halloween/dress up party.

There is NO way that this assortment of items would have been worn in public in WW2 Germany.

The top jacket is definitely a homemade garment... heavy corderoy? You can see that the shoulderboards and collar tabs are not sewn onto the tunic. The boards are placed directly on the shoulder. They are not seated into the seam.

Thank you for your thoughts. I will do additional reseach about the origin of my photograph (I bought it from a collector in the USA), the other one see the credit.
PaulR, you might be right, on the other hands taking such real studio photographs for sure was not cheap, the several uniform parts fore sure were not cheap and at leats the dagger for sure was not cheap. So all this effort for any fun pics??
From the facts shown in the pics I would assume yes and I now tend to this opinion, but from the facts mentioned above there might be an other explaination.
I fear another mistery never to be solved.

Thinking on this for a while, he is probably wearing one son's uniform and another son's dagger. That would account for the tie. Note in the second picture he is wearing that jacket but with a higher rank.

Dave

The jacket the older gentleman is wearing is not a military jacket, at all. I am convinced it was made up completely.

What I whas told is that the (my) pic comes from the Georg Petersen collection who propably had this photograph for a long time until he has sold it about three years ago.
Just for information.
Thank you for all of your interesting comments.

Thank you for posting the photo. Either way, it is very interesting!

Perhaps he is a World War One Naval Aviator and he 'spivied' up his uniforms with Luftwaffe accouterments. That would explain all the bits & pieces.

I think Diane is on the right track. A WW1
Navy vet pressed into service by the Luftwaffe ?

And unless my eyes are deceiving me the pictures are two different sittings - one he has one pip/gull and the other he has 2 pips/gulls on his collar tabs. So that would lead me to believe the 2nd picture was for his promotion ???