German Regimental or Division Histories

[Guest Rauhut]

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I am looking for information on the following German Regiments and/or the divisions in which they fought. If you can provide any information on these units or the units against which they fought, please let me know.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Very Respectfully,

Mike Rauhut

7. West Prussian Infantry Regiment 155th

5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.144

10th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment 64, 15th Reserve Brigade, 1st Guard Reserve Division, I.G.R.A.K.

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

Hello Mike,

You are asking for a great deal of information and a large amount of time needed to research such a question. You might have some luck if you explain the reasons for your inquiry as well as providing some parameters on time, location, event, etc.

Many of us would like to help if we can but you must consider the number of projects we are currently working on.

Ralph

[roel22]

If you're looking for copies of these regimental histories, try the Bibliothek der Bundeswehr; good chance they can help you. You can rent these books for free; if the trip to Strausberg (near Berlin) is too lengthy for you, they can send books to a public library near you.

Academy of the German Federal Armed Forces for information and communication library and specialized information centre

Proetzeler Chaussee 20

15344 Strausberg

Telephone: 0 33 41/5 81 75 3

Opening times:

Tuesday and Thursday 10,00 to 15,30 o'clock

Wednesday 10,00 to 19,00 o'clock

regards

Roel

[ian turner]

Mike,

For a brief synopsis try the ''Histories of Two Hundred and Fiftyone Divisions of the German Army which participated in the War (1914-1918)'' - it is a compilation of intelligence records of the American Expeditionary Forces GHQ, Chaumont, France 1919. It should be available from local libraries (or inter-library loan scheme) - I obtained a copy from Maidstone Library.

Ian

[CROONAERT]

Mike,

For a brief synopsis try the ''Histories of Two Hundred and Fiftyone Divisions of the German Army which participated in the War (1914-1918)'' - it is a compilation of intelligence records of the American Expeditionary Forces GHQ, Chaumont, France 1919. It should be available from local libraries (or inter-library loan scheme) - I obtained a copy from Maidstone Library.

Ian

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's also available from the Naval and Military Press for about £30 (ish).

Dave.

[Guest Rauhut]

Thank you all (Ralph, Ian, Roel, and Ralph) for your interest and help,

First, let me provide some context to my request:

My Grandfather Adolf Gustav Rauhut served in the 7. West Prussian Infantry Regiment 155th prior to WWI. At some point after 1905, he moved west and, I believe, served with the 5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.144. Finally, I assume he served with the 10th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment 64, 15th Reserve Brigade, 1st Guard Reserve Division, I.G.R.A.K. because of a postcard I have with his name and the above address.

I am interested in the unit histories as I have many photos of him at/near the front in WWI. He was an infantryman and additionally served as a Bugler and perhaps a mess sergeant sometime during the war. I would like to know more about the units in which he served because I believe I may be able to trace his participation in WWI by piecing together the histories, the postcards/photos I have, and his Soldier Book.

This is what I've pieced together (from postcards) so far on his timeline:

11 FEB 1904 to 1905 Enlisted in Company 5, 7. West Prussian Infantry Regiment 155th

23 SEP 1905 to Moved to Metz or Düsseldorf and assigned to 5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.144 (Metz Diedenhofen; Armee Korps: XVI Armee Korps(33rd DIV, 67th BDE?)?

27 JUL 1915 10th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment 64, 15th Reserve Brigade, 1st Guard Reserve Division, I.G.R.A.K. –Osten-

5 OCT 1916 Picture with Company Mates (Which Unit?)

APR 1917 On leave in Ottosberg, Posen, Germany to see son Adolf Rauhut, Jr. born on 4 April 1917

Pentecost 1917 Picture of ? Company?

I can post photographs if anyone is interested or if you think it would help.

Again, I appreciate all of your assistance in whatever form it takes.

Sincerely,

Mike Rauhut

Hello Mike,

You are asking for a great deal of information and a large amount of time needed to research such a question. You might have some luck if you explain the reasons for your inquiry as well as providing some parameters on time, location, event, etc.

Many of us would like to help if we can but you must consider the number of projects we are currently working on.

Ralph

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Malte Znaniecki]

For Infanterie-Regiment 155:

try this site

http://www.geocities.com/FJ_VF168/dindex.html

regards

MZ

[Robert Dunlop]

And

http://www.geocities.com/FJ_VF168/eindex.html

will give you the English version of the same site.

Robert

[Guest Rauhut]

MZ and Robert,

Thank you for the information. I will try to order the CDs.

Mike

Thank you all (Ralph, Ian, Roel, and Ralph) for your interest and help,

First, let me provide some context to my request: 

My Grandfather Adolf Gustav Rauhut served in the 7. West Prussian Infantry Regiment 155th prior to WWI.  At some point after 1905, he moved west and, I believe, served with the 5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr.144.  Finally, I assume he served with the 10th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment 64, 15th Reserve Brigade, 1st Guard Reserve Division, I.G.R.A.K. because of a postcard I have with his name and the above address.

I am interested in the unit histories as I have many photos of him at/near the front in WWI.  He was an infantryman and additionally served as a Bugler and perhaps a mess sergeant sometime during the war.  I would like to know more about the units in which he served because I believe I may be able to trace his participation in WWI by piecing together the histories, the postcards/photos I have, and his Soldier Book.

This is what I've pieced together (from postcards) so far on his timeline:

11 FEB 1904 to 1905    Enlisted in Company 5, 7. West Prussian Infantry Regiment 155th

23 SEP 1905 to  Moved to Metz or Düsseldorf and assigned to 5. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment  Nr.144 (Metz Diedenhofen; Armee Korps: XVI Armee Korps(33rd DIV, 67th BDE?)?

27 JUL 1915 10th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment 64, 15th  Reserve Brigade, 1st  Guard Reserve Division, I.G.R.A.K.  –Osten-

5 OCT 1916    Picture with Company Mates (Which Unit?)

APR 1917 On leave in Ottosberg, Posen, Germany to see son Adolf  Rauhut, Jr. born on 4 April 1917

Pentecost 1917 Picture of ? Company?

I can post photographs if anyone is interested or if you think it would help.

Again, I appreciate all of your assistance in whatever form it takes.

Sincerely,

Mike Rauhut

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Andrew Hesketh]

If you're looking for copies of these regimental histories, try the Bibliothek der Bundeswehr; good chance they can help you. You can rent these books for free; if the trip to Strausberg (near Berlin) is too lengthy for you, they can send books to a public library near you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Roel - would you have any idea of how much they charge?

[bob lembke]

Mike;

By "Soldier Book" I assume that you mean a small booklet that has "Sold Buch" on the cover. That booklet will have certain information in it, but it is quite limited, as the given soldier carried it in combat, and so it does not contain much information that would be of interest to the enemy's military intelligence.

There was a second booklet, which has "Militaer=Pass" on the cover. This book is a record of many aspects of a soldier's career that it would be better to not make available to the enemy. That booklet was kept at some level in the soldier's unit (I am interested myself in the question of at what level, but I would imagine at the company level in peacetime, but at the battalion or regimental level during wartime; anyone?) This Pass is usually extraordinarily useful in providing all sorts of information. This Pass was given to the soldier when he was demobilized.

It is, unfortunately, also quite difficult to decypher, even if you read German. Not only is there the problem of the Suetterlin und Kurrent script systems, which few Germans today can read themselves, but also a number of abbreviations or shorthand devices, rather curious forms of expression, etc., in part made by the necessity of putting an entire military career into a small booklet. This often also led to much of the document being written in micro-writing.

I collect and translate these documents, but not actively at the present, as I am writing a book.

Do you have this document? (My fingers are crossed!) It will contain 10-20 times as much important information as the Sold Buch, which is largely devoted to pay and immunization issues.

I knew of the CD of the Infanterie=Regiment Nr. 155. and have it; I suspect (I have not looked at it in say 9 months) that it only covers the 1914-1918 period, but I would get it anyway. The contact, Patrick, has recently added many more units to his stable of histories and I would check to see if there is a hit on your other units. Original unit histories are pricy; $100 might be a typical price, sometimes less, and often more. I am sure that one exists for the Guards unit, and probably for the IR Nr. 144 as well.

Probably the most interesting single incident in my emerging book is an interaction between my father and an officer of IR Nr. 155, based both on that officer's recollections published in the unit history, and my father, in action on Dead Man's Hill at Verdun on 28. 12. 16. (In {very} short, my father saved his life, and was severely wounded a few minutes later; I still have a piece of his left upper arm bone blown out by a French 75 fragment on that day.) The history contains a photo of the officer standing with other officers of IR Nr. 155 in 1918, hiding the stump of his right hand behind his back, probably not to upset the families and girlfriends of the other officers in the photo.

You might have a wonderful avocation in front of you. I found my father's and grand-father's Feldpost a few years ago, tought myself to read German and Suetterlin, and now plan to spend the rest of my life writing on WW I military history. And I have learned so much about my family, which, like most closely examined families, was quite whacky.

Bob Lembke

[Guest]

Dear fellow enthusiasts,

 

mike rauhut here after a many year delay.  Trust all are well.  I have just transitioned from the US Army and reengaging my research.  If you’re still on the net, please let me know.

 

all my best

mike 

[The Prussian]

Hi Mike!

Here you can get several regimental histories on pdf:

https://military-books.lima-city.de/hp20/index.html

By the way, my grand-uncle became Reserve-Lieutenant in Inf.Rgt.155!

Unfortunately I don´t have further informations about him. The only thing I know is, that after he became that grade, he served in Inf.Rgt.146.

I only have this (recoloured) photo of him; not more...

 

 

Edited 18 July , 2019 by The Prussian

[MaureenE]

There are some previous topics such as  

"Free German Regimental History Books"

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/232455-free-german-regimental-history-books/?tab=comments#comment-2561910 and 

"More German Regimental histories due soon"

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/260146-more-german-regimental-histories-due-soon/

which have links to free online regimental histories. You could look to see whether there are free online editions of the regiments of interest.

 

Cheers

Maureen

 

[charlie2]

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Mike,

The history of RIR64 can be downloaded here http://digital.wlb-stuttgart.de/sammlungen/sammlungsliste/werksansicht/?no_cache=1&tx_dlf[id]=12022&tx_dlf

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=1&tx_dlf[double]=0&cHash=613bd8026e92f993ab43890c36c1f889

 

There are histories of IR 144 & 155 but they only deal with WW1 and not the period you are interested in.

 

Charlie

[Martin Feledziak]

Hello Mike.

 

There are a number of us “Enthusiasts “ still reading away.

Sadly Bob LEMBKE died last year.

So I don’t know if we will ever get to see his “BOOK”.