HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 .....I give you this lot in reply: ....Would not like to meet them on a dark night). Are you lookin' @ Me!!!??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 1 October , 2008 Share Posted 1 October , 2008 Max, Thanks! Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geraint Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 I would agree with Max. Hours of boredom, fatigues, shoring up earthen walls, more boredom : then someone shows up with a camera! "Come on lads! Lets give Herr Kameramann a decent photo!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 Don't know if this helps much.Anybody know anything about German cap badges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob lembke Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 Looks like it is not the most usual Prussian, on average too light, so probably Bavarian, with the light blue. (I should know these better!) Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 Sorry,but what is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 A grenade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 Thanks tom,is that a home made effort,or a real potato masher (early type) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bierast Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 A small observation on the German group - I think these men are from more than one unit. The man on the extreme right has a different state cockade and appears to have a tunic with Swedish cuffs (correct for Pioniere, incidentally) rather than the typical Brandenburg cuffs of the other soldiers shown. ARL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 Thanks tom,is that a home made effort,or a real potato masher (early type) ? Way out of my area of interest but most grenades in the early days on the British side were made locally by RE I believe. The Germans seem to have been ahead of us in the production of reliable grenades but presumably, looking at this picture, made their own at the start. I think we need to be a little cautious about ' home made' grenades. I do not believe every tom dick and harry sat around fashioning his own. That would have been far too dangerous. The RE at local level would have produced them, they were trained to handle explosives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 2 October , 2008 Share Posted 2 October , 2008 Sorry,but what is this? Read my post!! #20 Just to be a bit more precise about the grenades - they are model 1915 artisans emergency pattern with a standard 206 gm explosive charge. As with the French Racquette/Petard de la Troisieme Armee and British Hairbrush/No.12 all were were made in a makeshift pattern normally with Bickford cord fuses as here as well as a 'production' model with percussion igniters - the German one being the scarce model with the hinged tin lid and waxed box of demolition explosive inside*. Eventually of course this would be developed into the regulation stick grenade or Stielhandgranate. *A near mint example of one of these was on sale at Military Odyssey for £1000 from a well known Islington dealer. I considered it genuine but the price was Some more on emergency patterns etc in this post: Grenades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 4 October , 2008 Share Posted 4 October , 2008 I think Andi is correct. This is a mixed group of Pioneres (Man on right has a Pionere Waffenrock and patronen tasche) and Infantry. Bob--The black shoulder straps did not come in until the 1915 Uniform Regulations and the Bluse. Like Max said a group just showing of odds and ends for the photographer. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted 4 October , 2008 Share Posted 4 October , 2008 Or, Its the second guy on the left's birthday. That's why he is wrapped up in cammo net, has a penguin on his shoulder and the two guys with flare pistols and the one with a trowel are threatening to blow his head off. The axe, mortar and flare pistols are in preparation of the forth coming fireworks party tonight. As no cake is available he has been presented with a case instead. Simple. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_g_4472 Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 Re the German photograph, there seems to be a difference of opinion as to whether or not the men are pioneers. I have this notion that only pioneers wore beards. The chunky soldier third from the right seems to have been growing his beard both in and out of the front line, given its bushiness. Despite the lack of black shoulder straps, does this then make the men pioneers? My notion could of course be wrong... Regards, John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Jones Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 John Yes you are wrong! Reservists (from whatever arm) often wore beards in the German army. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_g_4472 Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 Dear Simon, Many thanks, John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob lembke Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 Pioneers from the French Army, or at least the Foreign Legion wear/wore beards, and we all see the photos of a bearded pioneer with apron and axe in the Bastille Day parade. My father was a member of about six different Pionier Abteilungen in WW I, mostly Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment (Flammenwerfer), and I have or have seen literally 100 or 200 photos of men from these units, and I can't recall ever seeing a bearded man. (Of course their line of work may have played a part there.) More generally, I have rarely seen any photos of bearded Pioniere. Suspect that junior EM/OR in active duty line regiments were not to be bearded. Probably varied by branch (and colonel). Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 The group is mixed with Infantry and Pionier. Attached is a 1915 dated Waffen/Feldrock to the 3rd Pionier Btln. Shoulder boards are FeldGraue per regulation. Black boards came about in the 1915 regulations and appear to post date this photo. At least the man on the right is a pionier as he has the correct rock and cartidge pouches for a pionier. The man with the Brandenburg cuffs is Infantry. Mixed group with little significance. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyliecoyote Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 I have to agree with Joe, they look like a MW crew (Pionieren) and some infantrymen who are supporting their position in a trench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 I attach a photo of what at first sight might be identified as a German Trench Mortar squad (the trench mortar being a sort of clue). However on closer inspection they are armed more like some sort of trench raiders. Two men have early types of grenade and two have clubs (one appears to be made from an axe handle. Two have short flare pistols (very like a Very) and two have some big long barreled flare pistols (almost big enough to be some sort of grenade launcher. Just what are they? They are members of the 1st or 2nd Reserve Companies 13th Pioneer battalion attached to the 28th Reserve Division located near Fricourt in 1915. I am using mine as part of the illustrations in my book coming out later this year. It is a duplicate of the card I purchased from Thomas Faust. Can I ask if it is one you own or a photo you located? Thanks. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 5 October , 2008 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2008 Thanks - its a shot I found doing a search using the phrase German and Trench Mortar it came up with a Dutch site that in turn linked into the picture on The Heritage of the Great War but there was no real information on where it originally came from or anything else - It wasn't what I was looking for but I was intrigued by it, hence my query. The Heritage site did say "Articles and pictures on the pages of 'The Heritage of the Great War' can be used for all non-commercial purposes" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 5 October , 2008 Share Posted 5 October , 2008 No issue here about copyright etc., I was just curious where it came from as I often find more than one copy of certain photos. Obviously more than one was mailed as there is a large group being shown. Thanks for the info. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now