UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories Police Uniforms Forum Tschako Parade "Bush"

Hello,

We all know that the police wore parade plumes or "bush" on their Tschakos when in full dress. I think some not so obsessed by police collecting might NOT be aware that there were THREE colors of plumes.

As shown in this photo, the standard enlisted man, from all branches wore a black horsehair plume. Officers a white buffalo hair plume. And the one you don't see too often, musicians wore a RED horsehair plume. (not quite as "bozo" red as the flash photo appears)

The officer's buffalo hair plumes are much much finer hair. Much more "glossy" befitting the generally higher quality of their tschakos.

A side on view of the standard officer's tschako:

A side on view of the standard enlisted man's tschako:

And finally, a side on view of the musician's tschako.

All of these plumes are intended to be held to the side of the tschako using an integral elastic band. Unfortunately elastic doesn't age well and these bands are missing from most tschako's in collections.

Regards,
William Unland

Bill,
Very nice. I have a few examples of the black and white plumes, but not the red. I've only seen one before, and that was at the MAX about four years ago. I should have bought it when I had the chance!!!
Congrats!
Doug

Super Bill

PVON

OK Bill, now you are going to need a police drum and then some sticks and then a drum hanger... Very nice!

Fabulous collection Bill!I've never seen the red plume before, but have a black one and a white one.

Bill, fantastic trio and now you found a red plume! That is a rare one and one I'm still looking for. I've only known of two...now three.

There was a good thread on the three plume colors/hairs/uses, although probabaly now missing.

Long ago on eBay, there was an other rank Tshako listed with a tri-color plume (Red, white, & black - like the party flag)and I've always wondered about that one. Wish I would have saved the pictures but I didn't.

Awesome !
These are trully fantastic Tschakos.
Congrats !

Bill, please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that the black plumes were originally specified for all officers, except general officers, and the regs were changed in 1937 to include all officers with white plumes?

Here is a photo from Tom Shutt's headgear book, clearly showing officers, except generals, wearing black plumes.

Also notice the white belt in use instead of the brocade. It is very interesting that the cartouch strap is of the old style with metal fittings but on a white strap.

Dear Virgil,

HUM....I don't know, exactly. The tunics in the photos seem to be pre-1936 with the internal lower pockets, and they seem to be wearing dark breeches much as Landespolizei might wear. I think this is a pre-reg transition photo. My understanding was that the regulations standardizing police uniforms in 1936 specified white plumes for officers and the first pattern brocade belt.

I think during the transition a lot of old Weimar/Prussian uniform parts were utilized. The white leather in the photo is also totally unexpected by me.

Perhaps someone more adept at regulations like JoeW can solve this interesting photo.

Regards,
William Unland

Bill, as I pointed out in the discussion on another channel, this photo from the 1936 Reichsparteitag presents quite an anomoly. As Ernst pointed out on the other channel, the 1936 Regulations besides introducing the new police uniforms and specifying black plumes for NCOs, white for officers and red for musicians, also specified black and white rooster feathers for generals officers. According to those regulations, officers were also to wear brocade bandelier and early style Feldbinde.

The above photo taken during the march by Hitler of the front row of police senior officers after Daluege and his adjutant clearly shows contrary clothing styles. The text accompanying the photo in the monthly police magazine clearly described the uniform accessories: white plumes for generals and black for NCOs and officers. Huh? It is also obvious that the generals and officers in that group are wearing white leather bandeliers with Weimar era whistle and bolsters and white leather belt with box buckle. My only thought would be that two and half months after the regulations were published was not sufficient time to secure those described uniform parts in sufficient quantity for the parade. The black breeches were specified in the original 1936 regulations to be worn by the Schupo. Gendarmerie wore trousers/breeches of the same color as the tunic.

Shutt's headgear book published that photo from the National Archives. His interpretation and accompanying text which is essentialy quoted above with that photo was not based on any historical fact that I can find. White plumes were specified in 1936 for officers. That is a fact. Shutt was incorrect.

Dear Joe,

Thanks. I thought the Weimar belts suggested a pretty early date. Your analysis, as usual, seems spot on.

Regards,
Bill Unland

I found out why Shutt made his mistake. He accessed a decree of May 1937 wherein the plumes were again designated as black for NCO, red for musician and white for officers as per the June 1936 decree. He obviously did not have the 1936 decree in hand. With the photograph he published, he assumned that the colors were changed from what was in the picture to what he saw in the May 1937 decree. Thsi formed the incorrect information that has been avaiable to collectors with his book for 20 years or so.

It is interesting to see that Angolia-Taylor repeated this information in the book, "German Police - Volume 1," pages 625,627, probably quoting Shutt's book, as the wording is very similar.

The history of the "Haarbusch" or plume is a bit confusing.

1936 regulations say:
NCO: black horsehair
Musiker: Red horsehair
Officers: Black buffalo hair
Generals: black and white rooster feathers

First regulation I can find after june 1936 that mentions the plume is from 1937 stating white for Officers. Generals are not mentioned specifically in that order.

Obviously inbetween at least the Generals type of plume was changed to white.

Joe,
you mention that the Shut-photo was published in one of the Police magazines. Which magazine was that and do you have a pagenumber. I cannot find that picture in "Der Deutsche Polizeibeamte" nor in "Die Polizei".
I did find a photo collage from what I believe is the same event but those pictures do not have a caption and are very small with little detail in them.

Ernst, perhaps your confusion was because I was not precise in what I typed above. I should have typed "The text accompanying those photos in the monthly police magazine...." I did not mean to imply the Shutt photo was in the police magazine.

I did write that the photo in the Shutt book was found in the National Archives. It was not in the police magazine. The magazine had only undetailed photos of the march-by. But there was some description of the event as I pointed out.

Besides the chicken feathers, there were some other oddities in the 1936 regulations that were removed on second thought. Perhaps that very summe. White parade trousers for the Schupo for one.

But on the subject of plumes, it is interesting that the 1936 regulations pointed out differences in wear for unmounted and mounted NCOs. The former were to have their plumes affixed to the side of the shako, while those on horseback were to wear plumes affixed by a white metal (aluminum?) trichter or socket container but hanging loosely on the side.

Since this forum does not offer an option to edit a post unless it is within a minute or two of the first post, I take this opportunity to apologize and correct myself. I am apparently getting to old to properly read and observe my archives. Errors have resulted and I must correct and offer apologies.

Ernst, you are correct in stating that the 1936 dress code specified black plumes (Buffalo hair precisely)for officers while NCOs wore black horse hair plumes. So Shutt was correct in his assessment of the change in 1937 regarding white plumes for officers and generals. As the generals wore white in the September 1936 Reichsparteitag parade, the Rooster feather must have been scratched some time before then.

I apologize for any confusion resulting from my ineptitude in reading those regulations. Say good bye Joe.

I have never seen a red plume, in years of collecting, except in pictures.

Can anyone say how many polizei musicians, or bands there were? It would seem to me that any city of any size, and any police group of any size, would have a band. So why are red plumes, drum drapes, and trumpet banners scarce?

You see lots of the musician shoulder wings, and uniforms with the wings.

plumes, drapes, trumpet-banners, etc would be property of the police precint where the policeband was stationed. That is where the items were stored. At wars end some items may have been taken by allied soldiers. The rest of it was not safely kept at some former policemans attick but most likely thrown away when the police precinct was cleaned out.

That is for example why you see relatively many Polizei Officers Parade Bandeliers (private purchase items stored at home)and almost no NCO versions(which were property of and kept at the precinct)