brett361975 Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 I have a German dog tog, but unfortunatly do not speak German, can anyone help? The dog tag reads : FRIEDR FOLTE DELFSHAUSEN OLDENBURG llERS MGKXAK 8106 7.11.88 On the other side it rads : J.R.79.6.K 1598 any help would be much appreciated. Regards Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan_Terrier Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 I found this here: 2nd pattern type that came out in 1915 , the first pattern tag measured just 47mm x 32mm,being oval also had no snap line. The snap line came out in 1916 when the tag carried a five line inscription. 1-name 2-birth place 3-birth date 4-first unit 5-roll number http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-uniforms/dog_tags.htm It's not in the correct order, so I'd guess at his unit being llERS MGKXAK and his roll number being 8106. I presume that the data on the reverse is from a new unit (Jäger Regiment 79, 6th Kompagnie?) Hope this helps. T_T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett361975 Posted 14 November , 2008 Author Share Posted 14 November , 2008 Thanks T-T, oddly it has the snap line but by the looks of it does not appear to be in the order sequence. Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valnick@btinternet.com Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 I have a German dog tog, but unfortunatly do not speak German, can anyone help? The dog tag reads : FRIEDR FOLTE DELFSHAUSEN OLDENBURG llERS MGKXAK 8106 7.11.88 On the other side it rads : J.R.79.6.K 1598 any help would be much appreciated. Regards Brett Hi, I can speak german but I am not sure how helpful I can be! It looks like these are the dogtags of one Friederick Folte from the village of Delfshausen near Oldenburg (this is between Bremen and Wilhelmshafen). I would guess that the date 7.11.1888 is his date of birth. The rest tells me very little, german postal addresses have numbers after then so 8106 could be that - I don't know when the system was introduced. The words before the number are not in german. Some of the remaining stuff must be his military inf so you probably need an expert in this field! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett361975 Posted 14 November , 2008 Author Share Posted 14 November , 2008 Thank you ValS, your information is very useful. Kind Regards Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 llERS MGKXAK 8106 7.11.88 On the other side it rads : J.R.79.6.K 1598 The first details are his recruit details or are representative of his first unit - 2nd Ersatz (supplimentary) Machine Gun Gompany, 10th Army Corps, Stammrolle number (basically -and for want of better description) his service number) 8106. date of birth 7th Nov 1888. The other unit represents a later posting - Infantry Regiment 79, 6th company, number 1598. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 <LI>2nd pattern type that came out in 1915 , the first pattern tag measured just 47mm x 32mm,being oval also had no snap line. <LI>The snap line came out in 1916 when the tag carried a five line inscripti<LI> That could be a little over-simplistic for what is quite a complex subject in all reality. What's being described as a "first pattern tag" - the 1878 pattern - (which is actually the second pattern German tag if I want to be pedantic) came in a whole range of shapes and sizes from oval, through round to cross-shaped and rectangular. I've got 78 patterns that measure 60mm x 40mm ,through 53mm x 37mm and 50mm x 30mm down to 34mm x 25mm (plus the ones that are 47mm x 32mm) - and that's just the oval ones (string holes in a variety of positions too!). The others ,including the 1916 pattern, were just as varied (though they tend to be either round or oval - POW tags aside, I've never come across any rectangular ones). It is also possible to encounter 1915 pattern tags stamped up in the 1916 style as seen below... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 To save me posting further pictures, take a look at this thread to see more examples (plus some from other nations)...CLICK HERE Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 the first pattern tag measured just 47mm x 32mm,being oval also had no snap line An image not on the above link, but one to show a small selection of the multiple variations in shape and size of the 1878 pattern tag... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apwright Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 Friedrich Folte's name is on the war memorial in Delfshausen. See http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/dkm_deutschl...fshausen_ns.htm The Volksbund site says that a Gefreiter Friedrich FOLTE died on 28 July 1918 and is buried in Grave 636 in Block 1 of the German War Cemetery in Vauxbuin, France. Whether this is the same man, I don't know. There's no other information on Volksbund to tie in with that on the tag, but it's not a common name (only 2 FOLTEs on Volksbund, one from each war). Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apwright Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 In fact, it may well be the same man. The Oldenburgisches Ortsfamilienbuch for the neighbouring parish of Wiefelstede (which can be found at http://www.familienkunde-oldenburg.de/ by clicking on "Downloads" and then on "CD Ortsfamilienbuch Wiefelstede") has the following entry: FOLTE, Johann Friedrich (* 7.11.1888, † 9.11.1918) Same date of birth, same year of death... coincidence? Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sheldon Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 I cannot help much. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of the history of IR 79 but, having checked, it has more than 700 pages, so it is highly likely that it will have a comprehensive Roll of Honour, which may well be of assistance. IR 79 was part of 20th Infantry Division which, at the end of July 1918, was fighting in mobile operations between the Marne and the Vesle. Burial at Vauxbain, which is just to the southwest of Soissons on the Aisne, is entirely consistent with that. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 14 November , 2008 Share Posted 14 November , 2008 Unfortunately, J.R.79 isn't in any of the on-line verlustlisten that I can find. dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett361975 Posted 14 November , 2008 Author Share Posted 14 November , 2008 I bought this Dog Tag several years ago. It has lived in a drawer ever since, until I came across it this morning. Within one day it has been translated and possibly its original owner has been found. This Forum will never cease to amaze me, the depth of members knowledge is outstanding. Thank you all very much for your help and information. I wonder how the dog tag came to be in England in one piece, maybe it was taken as a souvenir ? I guess we will never no. May Fredrick Folte rest in peace. Regards to you all and thanks again. Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Heiko Posted 28 January , 2009 Share Posted 28 January , 2009 Hello, Friedrich Folte was a distant cousin of mine. I would be very happy if you could email me a foto of his dog tag. We (two of his relatives) have discussed the two dates of death. We suppose that he was missed in action on 28 July. His dog tag still being in one piece may show that his actual dae of death was not know to German authorities. Then, after the war had ended, his date of death was 'fixed' on 9 November, which was the day of the revolution in Germany, right before armistice day. Heiko (from Oldenburg, about 10 miles from Delfshausen) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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