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Remembered Today:

German Uniform Photos


4thGordons

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20 hours ago, The Prussian said:

It's a wartime rank of higher NCOs.

They are between a Feldwebel and a Leutnant to support the officers.

Thank you, that’s interesting.  I’ve thought for a long time how pragmatic and flexible the German Army NCO system was.

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20 hours ago, AOK4 said:

Hello,

 

It was not a pure wartime rank, it was a peacetime rank for long serving NCOs of the reserve. See https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldwebelleutnant (the info on wikipedia seems correct from what I have read elsewhere).

 

Jan

Thank you, no wonder it seemed so obscure given it’s niche usage.

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Hi Frogsmile and all,

I don´t know if your´re interested enough in such a peripheral topic to dig deeper into it, but if you are, you might find the following worth reading. Jan is right in so far as the rank of FELDWEBELLEUTNANT was introduced before WW1. However the topic is more complex as it may seem. You can speak (as Ledebur does in his definite tome on Die Geschichte des deutschen Unteroffiziers p427/8) of FELDWEBELLEUTNANT old style and new style. The FELDWEBELLEUTNANT old style was already in use in the early 19th century. They were meant to - and did fill - positions in the Schloßgarde-Kompanie, a unit guarding the Prussian castle. The lowest rank in it was that of Unteroffizier. FELDWEBELLEUTNANT was also a rank with the stemformation of the Kadetten-Häuser (cadett-corps) and Invalid-formation which served at garisons.

In 1877 a new style of FELDWEBELLEUTNANT was devised that was introduced as a means to relieve officers from certain duties in case of a mobilisation of the troops. They were to be taken over from long-serving Unteroffiziere in the Landsturm that had declared their willingness to be reactivated in case of mobilisation. Their duty was to train the recruits at the home-depots originally. They had new signs of rank that symbolised their status between NCO and officers, best compared maybe, to the Warrent-officer in GB. See photo attached. In 1880  their number was enlarged - on paper. There were even lists of elligible names - on paper, because nobody was ACTUALLY promoted to this rank for the NEW FUNCTION as described above before WW1. Ledebur stated clearly that the FELDWEBELLEUTNANT new style was only introduced as a rank that was to be activated AFTER mobilisation. This is supported by the fact that you will find no promotion-notices in the MWBs etc. for these new style FELDWEBELLEUTNANT rank. Notwithstanding, the old rank style  FELDWEBELLEUTNANT promotions for the units mentioned above can be found. Only with the mobilisation in 1914 the preparations were now put into practice and the positions for the  FELDWEBELLEUTNANTe new style were paired with the personnel which were then promoted to  FELDWEBELLEUTNANT at the outbreak of WW1.

Here is a photo from my collection showing the rank insignia of a FELDWEBELLEUTNANT of Füsilier Regiment 73 new style, uniform of a Vizefeldwebel with officers hat and Leutnants Schulterstücke.

Thank you to an English colleague for providing the relevant pages from Ledebur and his insight into these matters at large.

GreyC

 

 

x73_FR Feldwebelleutnant AT Braune Hamburg.jpg

Edited by GreyC
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Thanks for the clarification, GreyC.

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Thank you GreyC, you have explained the criteria very clearly.

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This is quite a nice image - not sure what the pencil lines along the top are intended to be!

sturmabteilung.jpg.088bbd246e665402b54db99f60fee244.jpg

And some nice detail on the reverse also:

2044686169_sturmabteilungreverse.jpg.ddccee6a5dd254a39d879b3bb26200fb.jpg

Chris

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6 hours ago, 4thGordons said:

This is quite a nice image - not sure what the pencil lines along the top are intended to be!

sturmabteilung.jpg.088bbd246e665402b54db99f60fee244.jpg

And some nice detail on the reverse also:

2044686169_sturmabteilungreverse.jpg.ddccee6a5dd254a39d879b3bb26200fb.jpg

Chris

Peters, Rgt. 124, z. Zt. Jägersturmbataillon 3, Deutsche Feldpost 40.

This man was temporarily serving inJäger-(Sturm)-Bataillon 3 for stormtroop training.

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Hi,

Jan transcribed correctly, but to my knowledge there was no Jäger Sturmbataillon 3. The stamp on the back signifying the unit simply says Brandenburgisches Jäger Bataillion No 3. I think the sender was part of IR 124 within which he belonged to a Sturmabt. of this Regiment and he was delegated to the Jäger Btl. to help form a similar sub-unit, or to reinforce it. The 124 th Regiment was Württembergisch, the 3rd Jäger Prussian.

GreyC

Here is the regimental history:

https://portal.dnb.de/bookviewer/view/1032164417#page/n0/mode/1up

Edited by GreyC
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Hello!

The Jäger-Bataillon 3 was often used as a Sturm-unit. In order of the line-ups of regular Sturm-Bataillons in 1916 the JB3 was called Jäger-(Sturm)-Bataillon Nr.3 since July 8, 1916.

Like other Sturmbataillone it offered different Sturm-courses. Mostly volunteers from other regiments joined those courses.

The fieldpost-number 40 was located in Le Nouvion (35km south of Maubeuge)

 

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31 minutes ago, The Prussian said:

Hello!

The Jäger-Bataillon 3 was often used as a Sturm-unit. In order of the line-ups of regular Sturm-Bataillons in 1916 the JB3 was called Jäger-(Sturm)-Bataillon Nr.3 since July 8, 1916.

Like other Sturmbataillone it offered different Sturm-courses. Mostly volunteers from other regiments joined those courses.

The fieldpost-number 40 was located in Le Nouvion (35km south of Maubeuge)

 

Indeed.

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Courses of 5 days duration were held for „senior“ Officers and courses of 3 weeks duration for junior Officers and NCOs. The Regimental history of JB 3 has an interesting chapter regarding its redesignation as a Sturm - Bataillon starting on page 49 https://portal.dnb.de/bookviewer/view/1032164417#page/49/mode/1up

Charlie

 

3657E62B-2D70-402F-B51A-B76111E1040A.jpeg

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It’s an interesting photo and the aura of highly trained competence is palpable.  On appearance alone I would rate them as formidable young soldiers.  I assume that the cloth bags slung around their necks are the hand grenade carriers that I’ve seen before in artworks?

CB081E8B-F972-466F-8C5C-C1CDAB85F807.jpeg

A0D9E8FE-7A31-47AB-8687-B6E16866A744.jpeg

46359326-C5FD-4AC3-84D8-17AE7F1DBE16.jpeg

Edited by FROGSMILE
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Hello!

unknown Sturmbataillon with grenade-launcher patch (left arm of left man):

256035048_Sturmbtl.(AbzeichenHandgranaten).jpg.f1943efea4fe8d240239f2daf97fc75b.jpg

Sturmbataillon 16 "Circus Breuning" with one Telegraph-buckle. (Breuning was the Bataillon-Commander)

729454350_Sturm-Btl.16(TelegraphenkoppelVewundetenabzeichen).JPG.c943a1a4cc370d1beef52e7e104f494d.JPG

 

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Sturmkompagnie 13 with shoulder strap "MW 13", stands for Minenwerfer-Zug (Trench-Mortar-Platoon) of Sturmkompagnie 13

1988344549_Sturmkompanie13(Minenwerfer-ZugGebirgshose).jpg.d09d840a85661e778e82e62dedbb4a60.jpg

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Thank you for all that excellent information.

The lot of photos I am going through has a number of interesting groups including some with searchights, trench mortars and what appears to be communications equipment(as well as lots of standard more formal group pics). I will scan a couple more today.

Thanks again- fascinating detail.

Chris

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1914. Reserve Artillerie unit

 

Cnock

ART3.jpg

Personnel first aid bunker

 

Cnock

BUNKER.jpg

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Soldier with Damag trench knife and extra large magazine for rifle

 

Cnock

FS1.jpg

IR 172 at Menin Road 1915

Hair brush handgrenades

 

Cnock

HANDHAIRBRUSH172.jpg

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Jäger with Ersatz Felt shakos.

 

Cnock

JAG3.jpg

Reserve Jäger Bataillon 23 (Flanders)

 

Cnock

JAG7.jpg

Hussars in the trenches

 

Cnock

KAV5.jpg

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Uhlans exchanged their horses for bicycles.

 

Cnock

KAV8.jpg

Hussar 1915.

 

Cnock

KAVhuz.jpg

Officers and MG 08 in lowest position

 

Cnock

MG11.jpg

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RIR 213 (Flanders) and older type of carriage for MG

 

Cnock

MG12.jpg

Moorslede Flanders, Reserve Jäger Bataillo 25

 

Cnock

MOORSLEDE.jpg

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Essenträger, the man who carried the proviand to the first line troops.

 

Cnock

s-fl.jpg

Menen (Menin) in Flanders. RIR 215

 

Cnock

 

 

SOL4.jpg

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