I was just wondering if anyone knows if Braun was every photographed in uniform ? He was a SS-Ehrenfuhrer wasn't he .
And as such would have had an SS uniform . Just thought someone out there might know if such a photo is out there .
Cheers Chris
I was just wondering if anyone knows if Braun was every photographed in uniform ? He was a SS-Ehrenfuhrer wasn't he .
And as such would have had an SS uniform . Just thought someone out there might know if such a photo is out there .
Cheers Chris
Last edited by Adrian; 05-30-2013 at 07:38 PM.
The man in the black uniform behind Himmler is supposed to be von Braun.
It looks to be SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer collar , and a numbered cuff title . Would it have been a white cuff title ?
Thanks for posting a reply
Chris
Considering that the above pic was taken during Himmlers' visit to Peenemunde in April 1943 prior to the SS taking control of the V-weapons project, I am suprised that von Braun is wearing a black Algemeine-SS uniform. I thought that this had been phased out by around late 1940 for the light grey issue. Does anyone know if this is correct, or am I mistaken?
Regards, Ned.
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
I believe there is a thread on black SS uniforms being worn post 1940 , you would think there would be more photo's from Himmlers' visit to Peenemunde .
Cheers Chris
Von Braun was considered an honorary member of the SS. He had to play their "game" to maintain his research early on. By far not a die hard member of the SS.
While the members of the Waffen-SS, SSTV and SD/Sipo as well the full-time personnel of the Allgemeine SS were clad in field grey during the war, the black uniform was still worn throughout WW2 by the part-timers and honorary officers in the Allgemeine SS. Wernher von Braun fell into this category.
His entries in the 1 Oct. 1943 and 1 Oct. 1944 editions of the SS-Dienstaltersliste contain the following data:
Name: Freiherr von Braun, Wernher, Prof. Dr.
Awards and Decorations: None listed
Duty Assignment: Attached to the Staff of SS-Oberabschnitt Ostsee
NSDAP Number: 5 738 692
SS Number: 185 068
Date of birth: 23 March 1912
Promotion date: Sturmbannführer on 28 June 1943
Officer rank in the Waffen-SS, Wehrmacht or Police: None
Oh, and here's the thread about the wartime wear of the black uniform: https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/ss-un...r-1943-a-2391/
Thank you for the information , it also answers another question , that being he was a party member . I figured you would have to be a party member to be an honorary SS member . And as for being a die hard member of the SS , he didn't mind using slave labour from the camps , to get his work done . He didn't die hard , but they sure did .
Thanks for the Replies
I think his work on the Saturn V's and the Apollo program has overshadowed what he did at Pennemunde and his ease at using slave labor. Regardless of the good he did at NASA, he was a Nazi who used slave labor.
Of course. There were many companies and industrial fields that used slave labor and KZ inmates. But for the most parts those individuals were punished or jailed for those actions. WVB was "forgiven" and was considered the father of the modern space program. He never had to pay for his actions. Secondly, Pennemunde was not an example of work that was "less Harsh" than the labor inside the camps...For the most part the conditions they were forced to work in were barbaric. Underground, it was brutally hot in summer, freezing in winter. They used awful chemicals and propellants that ate skin and when inhaled destroyed lung tissue. Laborers would literally die where they fell. He not only knew what happened at Pennemunde, he then worked directly at Nordhausen, Mittlebau-Dora building V2's and testing designs.
I am proud that my country went to the Moon and space but the fact that we had to deal w/ individuals who had no problems using slave labor, troubles me. WVB knew exactly what he was doing. He knew of the brutal conditions, he knew they were dying daily and he saw it daily. If he was so innocent why did he try and avoid the allied teams looking for him? He knew exactly what was going on, what the workers were going through and he made no attempt to ease their suffering or work load.
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