I did a search on Yahoo. Only 26 were issued to 25 men. Herman Goring received two. I have always been fascinated by this "Trivial" element of WW2. Not sure why, it might be as simple as ......... i am from the usa ...and the usa and UK did not feature batons like Germany did. Any of you Guys/Gals have an interest in, or know much about the ultimate whereabouts of these 26 batons.? The below quote is from the below link....regarding the batons. The German Military Baton "It appears that only a handful of authentic WWII Field Marshals’ batons are displayed in museums in the US, Great Britain, Moscow, Germany, and elsewhere. Others are held in private collections. Some remain in the possession of the holders’ families".
My lad has photogrpahic evidence the Soviets found one. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_7QaDkD0Cf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Goring's is at West Point along with his S&W .38 and the guest book from Carinhall. There is video of him handing over the pistol when he is captured. The British had them too. Can't find a decent picture of Monty's though
Wow..........very intriguing.! I imagine that a guy like Goring might own quite a few guns...no big shock...but for some reason i am still surprised he has a S&W with him when he surrendered. Wonder what the history of THAT revolver is.? Ever see the pictures of Goring's train set.? It was pretty extensive for the times.
His revolver acquisition is surprisingly routine. He purchased it at a gun shop in Hamburg before the war. Not stealing something must have been a new experience for him. Hadn't seen his train set before. Very nice. As Col Hessler said, "It's a beautiful model, general. It proves the Germans are still the world's best toy makers."
Karl Doenitz Baton is in the Regimental Museum in Shrewsbury - it was 'borrowed' from him when his Flensberg 'offices' were closed down by the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry a few weeks after the War ended.
I love that photo in the background....Donitz looking impeccable - Speer in 'dirty raincoat mode' in the background - and the two lads just ambling along on the right. Brilliant. I visited the Museum a few years ago and I must admit the Baton looks superb - amazing craftsmanship and decoration (I'm talking build quality not what it depicts) with an amazing sense of 'presence'.
I think we all understand what you mean...............at least i sure hope we do. I think they were made of Silver accept for 1 of Goring's 2 that was made of elephant tusk. I am sure they were expensive to make circa 1940. God knows what the cost might be today.
Derek Mills-Roberts's use of Field Marshal Erhard Milch's baton might well have been the best: Following Hitler’s suicide, Milch attempted to flee Germany but was apprehended by Allied forces on the Baltic coast on 4 May 1945. On surrendering, he presented his field-marshals' baton to British Brigadier Derek Mills-Roberts, who was so disgusted and angered by the atrocities he had seen committed when liberating the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp that he demanded to know his thoughts on the terrible sights witnessed. Milch's reply (who spoke English) was along the lines of 'these people are not human beings in the same way as you and I!' This infuriated Mills-Roberts who took Milch's Field Marshal's baton from under Milch's arm and brutally broke the baton over Milch's head with several blows and repeatedly beat Milch with a champagne bottle. Mills-Roberts went to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery the following day to apologise for losing his temper with a senior German officer and Montgomery put his hands over his head in mock protection jokingly saying 'I hear you've got a thing about Field Marshals' and nothing more was said. This incident left Milch with several contusions and a fractured skull. Source (including a latter-day dispute over ownership and the baton's fate): Erhard Milch - Wikipedia
In 1948, GFM Erhard Milch described in an affidavit (reproduced here in abbreviated form) how his marshal's staffs and other valuables, including this gold cigarette case, were stolen from him: "On April 26, 1945, I left Berlin as ordered and went to the Sierhagen estate in Holstein. On May 4, English soldiers appeared and took me prisoner. I was taken to Neustadt and received there in a restaurant by a Major General (Brigadier General Derek Mills-Roberts). The general snatched my marshal's interim baton from me and smashed it across my skull until the cane broke into several pieces. He then grabbed one of the many champagne bottles still on the table and smashed it over my head. I was then taken to Lubeck and turned over to a Scottish regiment, which treated me correctly and in a military manner. During my absence, English soldiers robbed from my luggage all valuable items, including my marshal's baton, wedding ring, signet ring, gold and silver cigarette cases, gold watches, etc." Actor Peter Ustinov also describes in his memoirs how he saw the above incident during his military service in a British Army film document. I would be REALLY interested in this film document - if only to see how a Nazi bigwig gets a bottle pulled over his head.
By the way, this is an interim baton (For everyday use) I suspect Mr. Milch would not have survived an attack with the real marshal's baton
The cult was - not surprisingly - initiated by Field Marshal Hermann Göring. The marshal's baton was part of the often operatic appearance of this dubious elite of the 1000-year-old empire. The idea for the marshal's baton came from court jeweler Ferdinand Richard Wilm: Wilm was well connected in National Socialist Berlin - and enterprising: he managed to ensure that orders for the Wehrmacht's marshal's batons went exclusively to the firms Godet & Co. and H. J. Wilm. Wilm, however, passed on many of these orders to "subcontractors," several of whom were based in Hanau. Above all, the company Birkner & Wolfarter supplied Wilm. The latter had no less elaborate cases made for the elaborately designed rods, which he then decorated with his company logo and delivered. In Hanau, too, a number of staffs have been preserved - albeit in the poison cabinet of the historical museum - designs or orders that were no longer delivered due to the progress of the war. No one has yet researched this in such detail. The former director of the museum, Dr. Anton Merk, who was averse to anything military, did not want to have anything to do with this "military junk", nor did he want to give it any publicity. Repeated attempts by interested parties in the 1990s came to nothing. Thus, the pieces are still under lock and key today. BTW, Milch´s Baton was auctioned in 2020 for 450.000 Euros.....
Are there any further particulars on the KSLI individual soldiers who may have "borrowed" / recovered the baton ? Was there news coverage of the capture and if so where would i obtain it ? Thanks in advance, This exactly fits a description given to me in my formative years when my attention span wasnt as good as it should have been given the importance of the event,
Not much help Im afraid, My internet ignorance is a major barrier, What is the acronym IWM ? My dad at the time was surname of Simmons and the article resonates with a story of his experiences, In his account he believed at the time he had apprehended a band leader and seeing the photo the confusion is understandable, It was after the event he was informed of the prisoners true rank,
