Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt

Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt Field Marshal von Rundstedt was one of the most respected of the senior officers in the German army, by both his own men and the Allies. Coming from a Prussian family with a long tradition of military service, von Rundstedt was a very loyal soldier of the old tradition, yet had endless conflicts with Hitler and experienced several periods of “retirement” from service as a result of these disputes. However, each time he was recalled to service, he very loyally returned and served his time at each front assigned. Though a loyal officer, von Rundstedt kept his distance from the Nazi party and never held his tongue when it came to displaying his opinions on incompetence, often referring to Hitler as “the Bohemian Corporal” and most notoriously telling Field Marshal Keitel “Make Peace, you idiots”, when Keitel asked him what to do during the Normandy invasion. For an interesting, in depth review of the intriguing character of von Rundstedt, please visit the GFM von Rundstedt page.

GFM von Rundstedt’s Waffenrock Uniform

(Wolfe-Hardin collection)

Shoulderboards

Right side shoulderboard with 2^nd pattern, 1940 Generalfeldmarschall batons.

Left side GFM shoulderboard. Note that the batons are positioned upside down on the boards (the eagles heads are facing the shoulder rather than the button). While unusual, these are at times encountered on verifiable, documented pieces such as this uniform. Another in the endless examples that “textbook” did not exist as a rule.

Detail of the 2^nd pattern, army style batons.

Collar Tabs

Standard General officer collar tabs hand embroidered in fine gold wire.

Breast Eagle

A very intricately embroidered General officers eagle, of the style often encountered on high quality Generals uniforms. Notice how tight, precise and symmetrical the embroidery is.