Hans Speidel (1897-1984) was a German general during World War II and the first German NATO Commander during the Cold War.

General Speidel

Brigadefuhrer-SS Dr. Hugo Johannes Blaschke, a man so feared that his appearance would reduce the highest leaders of the Third Reich to a state of shivering terror.  Was he a dangerous SD officer ?  An unreliable Gestapo psychopath ?  A regade SS judge ?  Well, no - he served Hitler, Himmler, Goering, Bormann et al.  as their ... dentist.  His bridgework on Hitler was used to help identify the Fuhrer's skull after things got a bit toasty in the Fuhrerbunker garden at the end.  Apparently, Hitler was a very, very nervous dental patient, and getting any work done on him was a severe trial to the good dentist.  It was perhaps inevitable that it was difficult enough to get the Fuhrer into the dentist's chair in the first place.  My wife may feel happy to nag me into getting that sore tooth looked at, but I suspect that Eva had a bigger propblem - all-powerful dictators are less open to persuasion on such points.  As a result, apparently, Hitler enjoyed pretty poor dental hygiene, and his treatments, when he finally submitted to them, were more painful and distressing than they might otherwise need to have been.  Best regards, JR.

He inspired pure terror ...

Goering sneaks a sidelong look in the direction of his "good friend", Dr Goebbels.  These Party Comrades got on so well that Goebbels made very sure that he was well away from Goering during the "Rohm Purge" - for fear that his corpulent colleague (who controlled the Berlin police and Gestapo at the time) might have included him in his "little list".  The Big Guy is being modest on the medals front on this occasion - Iron Cross, First Class, Blue Max, modest medal ribbon and, on the right breast, a rather floppily-mounted Blood Order Medal - when the medal (as distinct from the ribbon/rosette alone) was actually worn, it was usually carried, well, tighter/more neatly.  Dr G. is wearing a large-pattern NSDAP Badge in Gold.  I cannot make out the other badge/decoration/ it may be a Gau honour badge, or other party commemorative/honorific badge; but it does not immediately suggest any particular badge of which I am aware.  Any suggestons ?  Best regards, JR.