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von Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedel

Article about: This image appeared on one of the silly picture feeds that clog the air waves. Proof positive that my advocacy of the Danziger Totenschaedel versus the others has some traction. The "sc

  1. #1

    Default von Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedel

    This image appeared on one of the silly picture feeds that clog the air waves. The image appeared in a context utterly devoid of militaria, or the arcane things we spend months at a time fussing about.

    Proof positive that my advocacy of the Danziger Totenschaedel versus the others has some traction.

    The "scull" and or "dead head" fad has broken out of our biotope. von Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedel

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  3. #2

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    von Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger TotenschaedelI am sure that only one person in ten thousand can figure out: a.) who this man was; b.) the meaning of the uniform; c.) the origins and or date of the "dead head." etc.

  4. #3

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    von Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger Totenschaedelvon Mackensen image, rise of the Danziger TotenschaedelDanziger Totenschaedel in another context, but all the same....

  5. #4

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    I think the Skull & Cross bones have long had a wider audience than us militaria collectors witness the long held public admiration for pirates and bikers always like a good skull
    Regards,

    Jerry

    Whatever its just an opinion.

  6. #5

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    me I prefer the Table.

  7. #6

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    Quote by Friedrich-Berthold View Post
    I am sure that only one person in ten thousand can figure out: a.) who this man was; b.) the meaning of the uniform; c.) the origins and or date of the "dead head." etc.
    I will attempt to rise to the challenge, convinced that the information is of general interest and hoping that my statements will pass muster under Friedrich-Berthold's expert eye.

    As for who a) - the question who he was - forgive me for not belaboring the obvious, as he has already been identified by name, and biographical data on August von Mackensen is readily available from countless sources.

    Now for the uniform's nature and background...

    Von Mackensen is wearing the uniform of the Prussian 1. Leib-Husaren-Regiment No. 1 [1st Life Hussars Regiment No. 1]. He had commanded said regiment from 17 June 1893 to 27 January 1898 and became à la suite of it upon leaving this command, a special honor which meant that he was entitled to wear the regiment's uniform.
    This uniform became von Mackensen's trademark and he continued to wear it pretty much to the end of his life. (At least, he still wore it for the celebration of his 95th - and last - birthday in December 1944.) As anachronistic as the sight of an old Imperial-era uniform was during WW2, it has to be noted that retired soldiers had the option of either wearing a uniform that complied to the then-current regulations or to those that were in place at the time of their retirement.

    The regiment traced its origins back to the Prussian Army's Fifth Hussar Regiment. Initially known (in the spelling of the day) as Regiment schwartze Husaren [Black Hussars Regiment], it was founded in 1741 and - as that name tells us - the traditional black color of its uniform dates back all the way to this time.

    Exactly why black was chosen cannot be said with certainty. The two most common versions for its origins are:

    a) The newly-raised regiment's uniforms were made from lengths of black cloth that had been used to drape the rooms of the Potsdam palace during the previous year's mourning ceremonies for Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm I (known as the "soldier king" and father of Frederick The Great).

    or

    b) The cost for raising the regiment was allegedly covered by fines levelled against and goods impounded from the Lebus monastery in Silesia, whose monks had taken side with the Austrians. The monastery primarily manufactured black cloth funeral palls adorned with white death's heads.

    (The frugality evident from such recycling measures may seem a bit odd, but one has to bear in mind that Prussia was not particularly wealthy in those days.)

    If the latter is true, it may even have inspired the adoption of the death's head as a regimental insigne. This may or may not have been the case, but this highly-noticeable and unmistakable badge was what caused the 1st and 2nd Life Hussars Regiments (into which the original regiment was split up in 1808, with the 1st moving into a new garrison at Danzig in 1817) as well as the 17th Hussar Regiment of Brunswick (who wore a different-pattern of Death's Head) to be known collectively as Totenkopfhusaren [Death's Head Hussars]. The death's head is said to be a symbol for their death-defying courage, resulting in their giving no quarter and expecting none.
    Last edited by HPL2008; 11-15-2014 at 11:01 AM.

  8. #7

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    Bravo. Our Andreas is not one in ten thousand, but the one in a million. We are lucky to have him as a pillar of our site.

  9. #8
    ?

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    Dude!!!! You are money. Love your dedication to the forum. Applaud you!!!!

    QUOTE=HPL2008;1320237]I will attempt to rise to the challenge, convinced that the information is of general interest and hoping that my statements will pass muster under Friedrich-Berthold's expert eye.

    As for who a) - the question who he was - forgive me for not belaboring the obvious, as he has already been identified by name, and biographical data on August von Mackensen is readily available from countless sources.

    Now for the uniform's nature and background...

    Von Mackensen is wearing the uniform of the Prussian 1. Leib-Husaren-Regiment No. 1 [1st Life Hussars Regiment No. 1]. He had commanded said regiment from 17 June 1893 to 27 January 1898 and became à la suite of it upon leaving this command, a special honor which meant that he was entitled to wear the regiment's uniform.
    This uniform became von Mackensen's trademark and he continued to wear it pretty much to the end of his life. (At least, he still wore it for the celebration of his 95th - and last - birthday in December 1944.) As anachronistic as the sight of an old Imperial-era uniform was during WW2, it has to be noted that retired soldiers had the option of either wearing a uniform that complied to the then-current regulations or to those that were in place at the time of their retirement.

    The regiment traced its origins back to the Prussian Army's Fifth Hussar Regiment. Initially known (in the spelling of the day) as Regiment schwartze Husaren [Black Hussars Regiment], it was founded in 1741 and - as that name tells us - the traditional black color of its uniform dates back all the way to this time.

    Exactly why black was chosen cannot be said with certainty. The two most common versions for its origins are:
    a) The newly-raised regiment's uniforms were made from lengths of black cloth that had been used to drape the rooms of the Potsdam palace during the previous year's mourning ceremonies for Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm I (known as the "soldier king" and father of Frederick The Great).

    or

    b) The cost for raising the regiment was allegedly covered by fines levelled against and goods impounded from the Lebus monastery in Silesia, whose monks had taken side with the Austrians. The monastery primarily manufactured black cloth funeral palls adorned with white death's heads.

    (The frugality evident from such recycling measures may seem a bit odd, but one has to bear in mind that Prussia was not particularly wealthy in those days.)

    If the latter is true, it may even have inspired the adoption of the death's head as a regimental insigne. This may or may not have been the case, but this highly-noticeable and unmistakable badge was what caused the 1st and 2nd Life Hussars Regiments (into which the original regiment was split up in 1808, with the 1st moving into a new garrison at Danzig in 1817) as well as the 17th Hussar Regiment of Brunswick (who wore a different-pattern of Death's Head) to be known collectively as Totenkopfhusaren [Death's Head Hussars]. The death's head is said to be a symbol for their death-defying courage, resulting in their giving no quarter and expecting none.[/QUOTE]
    "It's not whether you get knocked down...It's whether you get up"



    My Collection: www.tothehiltmilitaria.com

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