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Remembered Today:

German Uniform Photos


4thGordons

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My attention was drawn by the buckles in previous shown posts. The colour of the buckles is reversed, that was only with Saxon buckles.

RJB 25, RJB 26 and Fusilier Rgt nr.108 'Prinz Georg' had the horn on the shoulder straps, they were the only regiments wearing a shako with the 'hair crest' on it.

regards,

Cnock

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Another tunic (with braid etc) - So presumably (given context) some form or artillery dress tunic?

I (tentatively) think the piece in the background is a 10.5cm Feldhaubitze 98/09 (can someone confirm?)

attachicon.gifartillery.jpg

Can I first say that I find this picture absolutely brilliant. The look on that guy's face, the composition, it's all perfection.

And yes, it seems that's a "Knackwurstchen" in the background, with camouflage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10.5_cm_Feldhaubitze_98/09

"Knackwurstchen" = little knackwurst.

Fritz Limbach writes home on 28th April 1915 "The photographing artilleryman and his Knackwurstchen ( that is a 10,5 cm gun) went to another part of the front, and I wouldn't know how to contact him"

Just for the record, I am pretty sure there were only 20 - so only one off!

Ah, but Wikipedia says there are 21 : Hussars 1-20 + the Leib Garde

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husaren

The flimsiest of evidence I know....

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You just have to marvel at the quality of photography from the last century.

If you look at the Guy three posts up.

You can see the light in his eyes, the detail on the back of his hands, the sharpness and cut of the chair frame and the pages of the book.

The petals on the flowers.

Just superb quality

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Some of the images are indeed very well done professional portrait shots, some of them are snapshots and so less good - but yes I marvel at the quality of some of them 100 years on. What they all have in common is comparatively large format negatives so they are not being enlarged much to get to postcard size.

Here is one that is very damaged. But looking at it - the sailor's tallyband appears to read SMS Luetzow which I think was one of the cruisers that shelled Yarmouth and was later scuttled after being heavily damaged at Jutland?

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Ah, but Wikipedia says there are 21 : Hussars 1-20 + the Leib Garde

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husaren

The flimsiest of evidence I know....

No, you and Wikki are quite correct - I had forgotten about the Leib-Garde-Husaren-Regiment, as they are not included in the numbered Hussar regiments... I've just checked their colours - their field cap had a red crown, so we can discount them in this case.

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Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3,

plus various reserve Jäger units (all apparently from Prussia),

plus the newly-created

Jäger-Regiment Nr. 4 and

Jäger-Regiment Nr. 5.

SS, I can't find any reference in this German source to any Bavarian units as being attached to the Karpathenkorps, so as I am probably missing something here, as you seem certain there were - would you be so kind as to provide your source (without insult this time please :thumbsup: )?

SS hasn't replied yet, but using Wikki (all that is available to me here!) I see that Jäger Regiment Nr. 3 was formed in May 1915 around the bayerisches Schneeschuh Bataillon I and Bataillon II, with some Bavarian Landwehr added.

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My attention was drawn by the buckles in previous shown posts. The colour of the buckles is reversed, that was only with Saxon buckles.

Thanks for that information!

Trajan

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Few more: I am beginning to get to the end of the more obviously interesting ones (uniform wise, there are quite a few family shots which are interesting as glimpses of German society etc but less obviously relevant in a uniform thread), the remaining photos are also often the smaller and more damaged ones but I'll continue to have a look through and scan some. Many thanks for indulging me.

How about the shoulder insignia here?

post-14525-0-37581000-1420041918_thumb.j

And another with a "wound badge"? And similar interesting shoulder boards.

post-14525-0-98732300-1420041943_thumb.j

Chris

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Two similar/different outside group snapshots for comparison: Officers/NCOs(upper) vs O/Rs(lower)?

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A rather splendidly turned out chap:

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And another example of a great formal photo...

post-14525-0-45647900-1420042219_thumb.j

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Few more: I am beginning to get to the end of the more obviously interesting ones (uniform wise, there are quite a few family shots which are interesting as glimpses of German society etc but less obviously relevant in a uniform thread), the remaining photos are also often the smaller and more damaged ones but I'll continue to have a look through and scan some. Many thanks for indulging me.

How about the shoulder insignia here?

attachicon.gif178aw.jpg

Thanks heavens above - you have given everyone a lot to play with - but all have been interesting! Nice present!

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My initial thought on this first one was that's an aviator's badge, but IIRC that has a more obvious vertical propellor between the wings. And it can't be a Zeppelin badge, IIRC, because that would have an 'L' on it. Whatever, that's an EKII ribbon isn't it?

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It is an EKII ribbon. However this thread has made me wonder if it was acceptable to wear the ribbon in the button hole and on the ribbon bar at the same time. I'm thinking not. Any photos of feldspange and button hole ribbon simultaneously?

Dave

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And another with a "wound badge"? And similar interesting shoulder boards.

attachicon.gif182w.jpg

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I reckon he has a WW1 silver wound badge - wounded three times or more; or permanent bodily injury, including loss of an eye, hand, foot, etc., during active service.

He also has an EK II, and a WW1-type NCO button on his collar, but 'Wehrmacht' type stripes there, yet no hakenkreuz und adler... I have no idea when this pattern of collar stripes were introduced - Weimar period? They were still around in the DDR...

His shoulder boards look like they may be flieger, propellor between wings (but no pilot's badge, and so ground crew?) - or medical unit?

Trajan

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Few more: I am beginning to get to the end of the more obviously interesting ones (uniform wise, there are quite a few family shots which are interesting as glimpses of German society etc but less obviously relevant in a uniform thread), the remaining photos are also often the smaller and more damaged ones but I'll continue to have a look through and scan some. Many thanks for indulging me.

How about the shoulder insignia here?

attachicon.gif178aw.jpg

And another with a "wound badge"? And similar interesting shoulder boards.

attachicon.gif182w.jpg

Chris

Someone who operates a Flakscheinwerfer apparently

Download the pdf from http://www.grensland-docs.nl/brondocumenten/monograms-of-german-regiments-1914-1918/

It's on page 28

And a flakscheinwerfer is a searchlight to light up airplanes for the artillery.

There's a picture of (a modern) one here http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheinwerfer (scroll down the page to "Militärische Andwendung von Scheinwerfern")

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Two similar/different outside group snapshots for comparison: Officers/NCOs(upper) vs O/Rs(lower)?

attachicon.gif175w.jpg

attachicon.gif180w.jpg

A rather splendidly turned out chap:

attachicon.gif121w.jpg

And another example of a great formal photo...

attachicon.gif189w.jpg

Yes, top two are NCO's above, and OR's below - lots of very interesting details (collars, cuffs) in that top one that would take a while to sort out! Some EK II ribbons, including the man in the centre with the single stripe on his cuff, and so - I am guessing from memory here - a feldwebel, plus and one EK I, the man marked with the 'X'.

Your 'splendidly-turned out chap' looks to be a Bavarian officer - light blue tunic and lower cockade, and shoulder braids. I can't see a pip there but the braids are close together and so he might be a major. Not certain what the portapee on his sword signifies...

The last one, well, again we are have what I always think of as 'Wehrmacht' collar stripes, but I freely confess I am not certain what they are or when they were introduced - but it is certainly pre-Hitler, as there is no hakenkreuz und adler on the tunic. The tunic is, I think, the M1915 (M1916 if Bavarian, which he is not!).

Any chance of a better scan of the shoulder boards etc., of any of these recent lot of photographs? SS will be up soon for Jan 01!

Trajan

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Someone who operates a Flakscheinwerfer apparently

Oh well done JWK! That is a new web-page for me and it looks like a jolly useful one! Thanks - and a Happy New Year!

Trajan

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Agreed - well found,

32 Pages of shoulder board monograms and insignias - very interesting.

And

there are some proper good tools on there and some map overlays which open up straight onto Google Earth.

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Thanks for the link -- a new one to me too and very useful.

Here's an odd one. Not so much the uniform as the man!

When I initially saw the first picture below I thought there was an odd trick of the light making the crown of his head look much lighter. Then, later down in the pile I found another picture of the same man, this time taken inside but exhibiting the same pattern so apparently NOT a trick of the light.

The dividing line across his forehead would be about where a cap would sit - so has he perhaps caught the sun or is otherwise weatherbeaten or is there another explanation? His shoulder boards are clearly a 9 but unless they were in Africa I don't know if that will help much!

He doesn't seem particularly self conscious about it - in fact the first picture could almost be designed to show it off.

Thoughts?

post-14525-0-37378100-1420063805_thumb.j post-14525-0-78476500-1420063805_thumb.j

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I would suggest that he has been exposed to some form of extreme radiation. Not nuclear of course.! :P But perhaps strong solar, as in severe sunlight.

I myself have even looked not too disimilar to that, over my time living and working in the extreme heat and sunlight that we experience here in Australia.

And other times spent as a tradesman, you would look very much like that after doing some welding. If you didn't take all the proper H&S precautions.! :thumbsup:

EDIT. Just tracking the location of his unit, might provide a clue. I am assuming he is 9th Grenadier Regiment, 5th Brigade, 3rd Division of II Armee Korps.

So this Korps started the war on the German right flank with the invasion of Belgium, Marne, Ypres etc but were then transferred over to the Eastern Front.

If he was serving in the snow conditions of Russia, I have no doubt he would get that sunburnt effect, just from the extreme sunlight reflected off the snow.

Cheers, S>S

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And another example of a great formal photo...

Re your post #110 (bottom)

This man is serving with a Garde Regiment, as shown by the use of Garde Litzen on his collar. Also has a monogram style unit insignia on the shoulder.?

You may be able to identify the exact regiment by matching with insignia shown in that provided link, but you'd be doing better than me.! Not clear enough.

Cheers, S>S

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I would suggest that he has been exposed to some form of extreme radiation. Not nuclear of course.! :P But perhaps strong solar, as in severe sunlight.

I myself have even looked not too disimilar to that, over my time living and working in the extreme heat and sunlight that we experience here in Australia.

And other times spent as a tradesman, you would look very much like that after doing some welding. If you didn't take all the proper H&S precautions.! :thumbsup:

So, now we know what SS looks like - at least in the summer! :thumbsup:

Snow is certainly a possible, but this is too deep and dense - and no sign of any reddening or peeling.It could also be the effect of smoke and grease - look at some of the lads and lassies pulled out from the Greek ferry fire.

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On 01/01/2015 at 09:50, shippingsteel said:

Re your post #110 (bottom)

This man is serving with a Garde Regiment, as shown by the use of Garde Litzen on his collar. Also has a monogram style unit insignia on the shoulder.?

Thanks cobber, the name for those stripes - litzen - has been evading me for a couple of days now!

Trajan

 

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Just a few more - many of these are smaller, more damaged prints

post-14525-0-57092300-1420081802_thumb.j post-14525-0-74321500-1420081811_thumb.j

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Difficult to see anything identifiable here but as most of them have swords would that suggest cavalry? (swords appear different)


Not a uniform but from the same set -- appear to be 3+ graves of members of IR 232

IR 232

H. Beykurch ? IR232

Wehrmann Kasimir Deresinkski 10 Kompany RIR 232

W (?) Muller 232 (cross on right and written on bottom)

post-14525-0-56831700-1420082092_thumb.j

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And another with a "wound badge"? And similar interesting shoulder boards.

Re your post #109 (bottom) and again #113

This chap will be from a Flieger-Bataillon (see shoulder board insignia) which was attached to the Garde Korps (see Garde collar Litzen)

Most likely Flieger-Bataillon Nr.1 which you could confirm with a close look at the number shown on the shoulder board. It's not too clear.

Cheers, S>S

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Re post #123 (top)

I believe a member of a premier Saxon regiment (note Kokarde) again with that 'special' Litzen (collar board) and monogram insignia (shoulder board)

So this is showing the uniform of the Kgl. Sächs. 1. Leib-Grenadier-Regt. Nr.100 (basically your Saxon Guard) You can check the insignia on that link.

Re post #123 (middle)

This chap is another fancy Prussian Guards specimen dressed to the nines. A fine member of the Königin Elisabeth Garde-Grenadier-Regt. Nr.3

And those swords are a mystery to me. They don't look much like regular cavalry as they have the Brandenburg cuffs. Maybe Landwehr cavalry.?

Those graves at the front are all showing the resting place of members of Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 232, part of the 50th Reserve Division.

Cheers, S>S

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Re post #123 (middle)

This chap is another fancy Prussian Guards specimen dressed to the nines. A fine member of the Königin Elisabeth Garde-Grenadier-Regt. Nr.3

Cheers, S>S

Thanks for this.

Cheers,

Chris

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