13th Infantry Regt

[Guest Hill 60]

I have just bought my first German Memorial Card.

This one is in memory of Joseph Geier of the 13th Infantry Regiment who was killed on the 20th Sept 1916.

Now, I have never looked at the German side of the war and this purchase has opened a whole new can of worms for me and I have some questions that I hope a Pal could help me with.

1. Where were the 13th Infantry Regt on the 20th Sept 1916?

2. Who were the 13th (where were they from)?

3. How can I get more info on Joseph Geier?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

Lee, The 13th IR had just fought on the Somme near Vouchavesnes-Clery sur Somme and was apparently relieved on 19 September. It is possible your man died of wounds received earlier or the possibility that they were still engaged on the morning of the 20th, random artillery fire? etc.

The 13th Regiment was known as Infanterie Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1 Westfälisches) Nr. 13. The home district was Münster.

There is a regimental history where you might find more details of his service but they generally do not have much detail on enlisted men. The book is: Infanterie Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld ((1 Westfälisches) Nr. 13 im Weltkrieg 1914-18. Groos, Karl and Rudloff, Werner authors. Stalling; Oldenburg 1927.

Unfortunately the records of Prussian troops were destroyed in WWII and there are not many records left. Could you perhaps scan the card and we might be able to provide further details (and I would love to see the card).

Ralph

[AOK4]

Hello,

Probably your man is from the 13th Bavarian Infanterie-Regiment. "Bavarian" is often not mentioned on the German death cards.

Note that death cards are a strictly catholic tradition and that in Germany the catholics are mainly in the south (although there are some in the Rhineland too (where the 13th IR originates from).

BIR 13 (6. Bayerische Infanterie-Division) seems to have been in action between Flers and Gueudecourt from 15 till 27 September and the division suffered terrible losses in the fighting.

I found this on the site of the Volksbund deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge:

Zum Gedenken

Nachname: Geier

Vorname: Josef

Dienstgrad: Infanterist

Geburtsdatum:

Geburtsort:

Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 19.09.1916

Todesort: b. Bapaume

Josef Geier ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Laurent-Blangy (Frankreich) .

Endgrablage: Kameradengrab

Regards,

Jan

[Guest Hill 60]

Ralph & Jan - Thank you for the information, it is very helpful.

The main reason I haven't collected anything German before is that I can't speak or understand the language .

I will get a picture of the card onto the Forum but I haven't got a scanner so it'll have to wait until I photograph it. I take a picture of all of the items in my collections for insurance purposes and I'm due for another 'David Bailey moment' very soon!

[Guest Hill 60]

Just a couple of other questions, if you don't mind.

There is, above Joseph's name an image of the Iron Cross. It has the normal parts; Crown in the top arm, 1914 in the bottom arm and a W in the centre. Is there any significance to the inclusion of the Cross or is it, as I suspect, just for 'show'?

As I have said, I can't read German, so can someone translate the following please? I get the gist of what it says but a proper translation would be helpful.

Infanterist im bayer. 13. Inf-Regt. 11. Kompagnie,

gebren am 8. Marz 1887 in hausern,

gesallen auf dem Feld der ?hre am

am 20. September 1916.

Does Kompagnie mean Company?

First date, is it the date of birth?

I have put in a ? mark in line 3 as I can't figure out what it is on the card!

And, finally (hopefully), just how hard would it be to see if the location of Joseph's grave is known? Or, as I presume, am I on a Forlorn Hope trip here?

Many thanks.

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

Lee, The card reads:

Infantryman in Bavarian 13th Infantry Regiment, 11 Company.

Born 8 March 1887 in Hausern

Fallen on the field of honor on 20 September 1916.

Accroding to Jan's post he is buried in a mass grave at St.Laurent-Blangy, France. In all likelihood his name is mentioned on a wall nearby.

The symbol of the cross shown on the card were quite common and did not have any particular significance. If the soldier had been awarded a particular medal they often mentioned it on the card.

Ralph

[Guest Hill 60]

Ralph - Thanks very much, I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track.