New Photo Pick-Ups - Please Share

[KSH]

#21: East side of Haus Wachenfeld. Sign says "Haus Wachenfeld. Entrance prohibited. Beware of the dogs" (not a literal translation).


#22:


#23: Our SS-man reading the Landspost?


#24:


#25: The SS-guards having a good time in the sun? (There is something stuck over the face of the SS-man carrying the chair, I don't know if this will be removed easily yet).


#26: The "full version" of #25. I am not completely sure which wall or building on Hitler's property this photo is taken outside.

[HPL2008]

#23: Our SS-man reading the Landspost?

Landpost (without an "s"), actually. Notice that in images ## 21 through 24, he is wearing his Reichspost uniform with, interestingly, a Swastika brassard added. (By the way, in photo # 24, you can also make out the traditional postal horn symbol on his bag.)

From these and the earlier motorcycle photographs, it would appear that he was the rural-route mailman delivering to Hitler's residence.

#21: East side of Haus Wachenfeld. Sign says "Haus Wachenfeld. Entrance prohibited. Beware of the dogs" (not a literal translation).

"Scharfe Hunde" literally means "fierce dogs", but in this context I would translate it as "attack dogs"

[M18922]

[KSH]

Landpost (without an "s"), actually. Notice that in images ## 21 through 24, he is wearing his Reichspost uniform with, interestingly, a Swastika brassard added. (By the way, in photo # 24, you can also make out the traditional postal horn symbol on his bag.)

From these and the earlier motorcycle photographs, it would appear that he was the rural-route mailman delivering to Hitler's residence.

I think you are onto something here Andreas, but I think now a little different: I believe that he was acting both as a guard at Haus Wachenfeld and also as Hitler's post man at the same time. I believe he could better be described as Hitler's house post man/SS-guard and that when he was not taking care of his postal duties, actually functioned as a guard. In the remaining photos of the album there will be more material emphasizing his SS-role at the property IMO, we'll see if you agree with me on this when I post them. I might be wrong.

Let's focus on the already posted photos. I believe that this man is not wearing a Reichspost visor on the motorcycle pictures or on the pictures with him at Hitler's property, I believe he is wearing his SS-service visor on all these photos. The cockade of the Reichspost visors is very small. But look at the cap he is wearing in these photos, there is a mass under the national eagle emblem much larger than the eagle itself. Exactly like the guards we see on the photos. And that's why it's not curious at all why he's wearing a swastika brassard.

I am looking forward to your thoughts on this theory (because that is what it is, a theory only).

- Kenneth

[KSH]

When looking closer at the photos, I am not so sure on my cap theory anymore, Andreas. You probably see it better than I can. Some Reichspost cockades with wreaths are potentially large enough to explain what I'm seeing. But it would definitely explain the swastika brassard.

- Kenneth

[HPL2008]

I'm really quite sure it's a Reichspost service cap. The badge on the cap band is too "circular" to be a Death's Head, but it is the right size for the Reichspost-pattern wreathed cockade. (Also note the rest of his clothing.)

[KSH]

You are probably correct on the cap Andreas. The man closest to the camera carrying the chair in photo #26 is in my opinion our man. This emphasizes his SS-role at the property (if my assumption is correct). I shall right away post the next part Andreas. Hopefully it makes us a little wiser.

- Kenneth

[KSH]

#27: (this photo shows IMO our man (the postman etc) having a good time in his SS-uniform. I can of course not be sure of the location here, but it makes sense that it has some relation to his SS-service, perhaps at Haus Wachenfeld?


#28:


#29:


#30:


#31: (not sure on location for this photo or the next one)


#32:


#33: (in my opinion we can here see our man standing in the middle of the three SS-men at the left side of the photo. I wonder who the important visitors are? IMO this is at Haus Wachenfeld.

[HPL2008]

#27: (this photo shows IMO our man (the postman etc) having a good time in his SS-uniform.

I agree, it's him.

Some observations:
He is wearing a Golden Party Badge. His rank in the photograph is Scharführer. The Standarte number on his right collar patch is not visible here, but in some of the other photographs, the men appear to wear the collar patch for the 34th Standarte. (We were talking about this in an earlier post of this thread.) His cuff title is for the 1st Sturm.
Oh, and notice his sleeve diamond: He was a former member of Freikorps Epp.

Photograph # 30 was taken at an earlier date: His rank is still Unterscharführer, and he does not wear the Golden Party Badge yet.

##33: (in my opinion we can here see our man standing in the middle of the three SS-men at the left side of the photo. I wonder who the important visitors are?

Don't know; but then again, I am terribly bad at faces. They are SA officers with at least one Political Leader visible in the background.

[big ned]

#25: The SS-guards having a good time in the sun? (There is something stuck over the face of the SS-man carrying the chair, I don't know if this will be removed easily yet).


#26: The "full version" of #25. I am not completely sure which wall or building on Hitler's property this photo is taken outside.
[/QUOTE]

Photo 25/26 is absolutely fantastic!!!

I beleive this is a previously unknown and unpublished image of Hitler's personal bodyguard the SS Begleitkommando taken C.1933-4.

The man carrying the chair is Bruno Gesche, the leader of the bodyguard around that time. The man seated behind his right arm, leaning against the window shutters, is I believe, Erich Kempka, Hitler's personal chauffeur, and the man seated imeadiately in front of him with hands clasped together is the ill fated Hermann Fegelein! The location is outside the Haus Wachenfeld. It would be well worth blowing up this photo and putting it up for discussion on the Axis History Forum for further discussion and more positive I.D.'s.



Kempka, Hitler, Gesche at Haus Wachenfeld c. 1933



Kempka in uniform.



Hitler greeting Gesche.



Hermann Fegelein.

All comments and other suggestions are welcome!

Regards, Ned.