Martin Feledziak Posted 9 January , 2015 Author Share Posted 9 January , 2015 I Found this image whilst searching for material regarding IR171. This image depicts the second Battalion marching out of Lahr Germany in August 1915. I understand that my Grandfather was with the third Battalion. So even if he had been called up to serve in 1915, which I don't think he was. He would not be on this picture. It is my understanding that The Regiment was made up of three Battalions therefore you would get this amount of men x3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 15 January , 2015 Author Share Posted 15 January , 2015 I am not sure if I mentioned an issue with the representation of the Letters 'I' and 'J' -- sometimes you will see things described as on this Luger JR171 —however it is the same as IR171… I and J perform the same role but it belongs to Infanteriregiment 171 I understand that the "higher Animals" in the regiment used the side arms where rank and file got the rifles. But I am guessing that the chap on the horse in the post above this one has such a weapon in his holster. It would not be this particular weapon as this is a 1916 veriant and stamped for 1 Battalion and perhaps weapon 24 of a special group within that designation. As always I am happy to be corrected. Does anyone know if rifles were stamped to regiments ?? EDIT : Stupid question as I have seen Bayonets stamped to a regiment so of course they will have stamped rifles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWK Posted 15 January , 2015 Share Posted 15 January , 2015 Re your picture in post #402 : The building in the background is this one, isn't it? The Infantry Barracks at Lahr/Schwarzwald http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahr And wasn't a J substituted for a capital i to set it apart from a Roman 1, an "Ï" , in e.g. I Batallion, II Batallion ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 16 January , 2015 Author Share Posted 16 January , 2015 Jan It looks very much like it. Here is another example. with IR169 featured. As Lahr was one of this regiments home base. also featured in this thread. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=220609&hl= I understand that IR 171 were at Lahr for some 1915 training. The home base for IR171 being Colmar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 18 January , 2015 Author Share Posted 18 January , 2015 I am fairly sure that my grandfather hated anything to do with his time during WW1. He never did disclose any of his service to my Father and it has only been during the last 12 months that I can prove his involvement. That is because of the two entries in the Verlustlisten.( These were only transcribed in the last 12 months ) The two records show proof of his time in the German Army. One record links him to IR171 - wounded, and provides his exact date of birth. The other report details him as missing. ( But clearly he was in a wartime hospital - just as well for me as I needed him to make it through to 1922 to start a relationship with my Grandmother ) If we go all the way back to post 6 on this thread there is a picture of him posing in uniform in 1919 - so I have to conceede that he was not entirely prepared to hide his time during WW1 So now I would love to have the opportunity to take a bottle of red wine into a room with my grandfather and open with " so then Dzia Dzia, tell me about what took place 100 years ago , when did you get sent to the Western front, Have you still got your Picklehaub, rifle and bayonet and if you have where are they. I want to see them. ( But I only ever heard him using French and Polish so I would still need an interpreter ) I have just a sketchy knowledge of his time during WW2, but again all hidden this time due to his activity in the French resistance. I would also have a massive list of WW2 questions too. So as both my Father and Grandfather are now dead I am unable to pose any of these questions. But I will keep them on this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 18 January , 2015 Share Posted 18 January , 2015 I know how you feel. Incredibly frustrating, but we do the best we can with the scraps we can weave together, eh? I hope at some point LAGeSo reopens to inquiries as I have plenty of folks now who I need records for. Maybe we'll both get a little luck in that regard this year, who knows? Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 30 January , 2015 Author Share Posted 30 January , 2015 Here is another Marching picture I found whilst fishing the internet. It is Colmar 1916. I am just guessing that it depicts IR171 as this is their garrison town. Interesting to see there is an Army band present. So here is a question Did each regiment have its own Band ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 9 February , 2015 Author Share Posted 9 February , 2015 The soldiers in the post above could very well be wearing the helmet style in the image below obviously they had the cloth covers over them which is why they look drab 1908 example stamped IR 171 I now see the colour of the cockades Copied from http://lagrandeguerre.cultureforum.net/t83235-les-effets-equipement-et-uniforme-des-regiement-alsaciens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 11 February , 2015 Author Share Posted 11 February , 2015 This is another image for the Colmar Garrison. Pre - war just. It has the 171 red shoulder board and the swirly regimental cipher. I like these cards - you can make out the image of a soldier in the the lower left portion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 22 February , 2015 Author Share Posted 22 February , 2015 My Grand Father lived in a poor mining town called Auby ( Northern France ). Even in the 1960's they did not have effective sewers. Everything from the sink ran out into the street. And the contents of the toilet was used on the veg patch. They kept Rabbits and hens, for consumption by the family. As kids when we visited our clothes were never clean on account of a huge mining slag heap just 100 yards from the back door. If the wind blew the wrong way and there was the washing hanging out to dry it became instantly dirty. I remember a "Casque Allemand". (German Helmet). hanging up in a garden 3 houses from my grandparents. It was now employed as a hanging basket planted up with flowers. I saw it and wanted it. I imagine it must have been a WW2 item, but I remember the look on his face when I asked if he could get it for me. My grandfather died in 1968 so at the oldest I was 6 or 7 years of age when I made my request. I remember his look. It was a black look…. I never mentioned it again… Until Just…For you GWF folk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 27 February , 2015 Author Share Posted 27 February , 2015 I have spotted another item related to IR171 http://mili057.skyrock.com/3105000403-Baionnette-14-18.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 5 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 5 March , 2015 Today I examined an old photograph which shows my Grandfather Marcin Feledziak. I always thought it was a miners gathering, an occupation he carried out between the wars. But with the Forum members helping me to establish the fact that he was wounded during the war. Now It is obvious to me that it is a hospital picture with a number of recovering men and their nurses. Just one man in a uniform tunic with an Iron Cross ribbon. What a surprise !! Sadly the handwriting on the back is so very, very faded but I think it is addressed to his brother and I think I can read the same German town of "Riemke" However can any of you kind people work anything out from the post mark.? Postcard 1 - Copy.jpg I have just been looking back through this thread and had another look at the post stamp on the back of the Hospital postcard. so the next image, post war, has 2BA linked to Nurnburg. I therefore conclude that the hospital postcard sent by GF was stamped to Nurnburg. It is difficult to make out the stamp but it does show 2BA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 24 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2015 The below map is taken from http://tsamo.germandocsinrussia.org/pages/39209/map which is one of a number of German General Staff maps that show the location of French, British and Belgian forces on the Western Front from Feb 1916 to Nov 1918 The below map shows the state of play from the map of 01 June 1918 IR 171 were at Longpont. This map displays the units of the French forces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 24 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2015 The situation as at 22 June 1918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 24 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2015 And the November 1918 map - The blue invader is swept away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 25 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 25 March , 2015 I have been fishing for images again and found this Marching order member of IR171. The description indicates that he holds a Gewehr 98 fitted with SG1914 I Bayonet. found here http://www.bajonett.de/WK1-Galerie/Infanterie2/WK2.11-Soldat.htm http://www.bajonett.de/Bajonette/bajonette_des_deutschen_kaiserre.htm http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/98bayonets/sg42bayonet.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 31 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 31 March , 2015 CROONAERT kindly sent me a May 1918 Trench map of the area around Corcy and Longpont. The Red trench line would be the French defence line prior to the advance of IR171 IR136 and RIR40 on June 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 8 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 8 April , 2015 I have switched the title back to Johann - since I started this thread looking for information about him. so 100 years ago his company were in the Argonne. They had been there since late November 1914. I understand they were involved in minewarfare basically digging under the French positions. He died on 22 April 1915 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 9 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 9 April , 2015 I have not noticed this box before on the verlustlisten Where regiments have been noted by the data inputters - it appears to find a few names http://des.genealogy.net/eingabe-verlustlisten/search/index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 15 April , 2015 Share Posted 15 April , 2015 That is a very handy addition! I just ran my grandfather's unit through and was impressed at how many non-Fulda men appeared, from all sorts of places! -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 16 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 16 April , 2015 I would like to introduce Walenty Feledziak born 1898 from Malgow. I found his name in a Poznan record book. He is on my family tree and was the brother of (11) and (12) on my signiture below. He was a cousin of the other Feledziak's and all from the same Prussian (Polish) region. I understand that he is listed as a soldier in the fledgling Polish Army involved in the 1918 uprising against German authority. There are two or three other web sites for me to research but this is my first real clue to my family roots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Poland_Uprising_(1918–19) Polish History Site http://www.powstaniewielkopolskie.pl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 19 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 19 April , 2015 I am working my way through the web page from the second link above. If I view it with Google Chrome It gets a basic translation done. No a very good translation but enough for me to make out a very, very, basic but a possible family timeline. December 27, 1918 - In the afternoon, fighting broke out in Poznan. One of the first attacks took place in the Bureau of Police. During the attack killed Francis Ratajczak. Poles managed to master the Main Train Station, Post Office, several redoubts Poznan fortress system. The fight broke out in the provinces. One of the first was John Mertka fallen, which fell under the sides. Johann Feledziak b1888 was killed in 1915, But his Regiment would have now returned to barracks in Posen (Poznan) on 19 December 1918. somewhere in this timeline appears Walenty Feledziak b1998, who is part of this Polish Uprising. 1-5 January 1919 - Liberation of many towns, including: Jarocin, Nakła, Mogilno, Strzelna, Krotoszyn, Kruszwicy, New Tomyśl, Czarnkow, City Hills, Jutrosin, Rawicz, Wolsztyn. If Johann b 1897 had not been killed in 1917, he could have been returned to the Regiments home barracks in Krotoszyn. September 1919 - My Grandfather , Marcin, was in Gera and sent that picture of himself (wearing his mixed Army uniform )to his Brother Jacob b1886 who was in Krotoszyn. Jacob had been seriously wounded in 1916 and must have been returned home not fit for service. So even after the armistice was signed there was still to be much more bloodshed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 21 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 21 April , 2015 No way. After the war, when the Poles displaced the Germans from their provinces Posen , Silesia and such, the ethnic Poles who served in the German Army until 11/1919 turned against the former comrade in arms Germans and formed militia sort of groups. They wore parts of their old German uniform mixed with other stuff. I am thinking into that direction. You were right from the very beginning Egbert. It has taken a while for me to find the various items but you were spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Feledziak Posted 21 April , 2015 Author Share Posted 21 April , 2015 Johann Feledziak was killed on 22 April 1915. Tomorrow will mark 100 years from that tragic event. Death is something that many thousands of families endured during the great war. No other Feledziak will have been to his grave because I believe that I am first with the knowledge of his final resting place. So I will put this right very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 22 April , 2015 Share Posted 22 April , 2015 R.I.P. Johann Feledziak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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