German unit ID required

[CROONAERT]

Can anyone confirm for me what the Pion. Min. Komp. 329 was?

Was it an equivalent of a British Royal Engineers Tunneling Company (as I believe it to be), or was it a TM Coy (as someone else tells me)?

Also, could anyone tell me the approxomate whereabouts of this unit in around September 1918.

Thanks,

Dave.

[Ken Lees]

Dave,

It could have been either. A Pionier-Kompagnie consisted of six officers and 262 other ranks and they were a mining company, pretty much with the same responsibilities as the British & Commonwealth Mining Companies. But, their duties also included responsibility for operations with asphyxiating gas, flame throwers (Flamenwerfers) and Trench Mortars (Minenwerfers).

Pion. Min. Komp. 324 were certainly tunnellers. There is a photograph of their officers on p.68 of 'Beneath Flanders Fields' by Barton, Doyle and Vandenwalle.

By the end of 1917 there were 700 Pionier companies in France.

Hope that helps,

Ken

[AOK4]

Can anyone confirm for me what the Pion. Min. Komp. 329 was?

Was it an equivalent of a British Royal Engineers Tunneling Company (as I believe it to be), or was it a TM Coy (as someone else tells me)?

Also, could anyone tell me the approxomate whereabouts of this unit in around September 1918.

Hello Dave,

Pionier-Mineur-Kompagnie 329 was a tunnelling company indeed. It was attached to the Armee-Abteilung C in October 1918, so it probably was in September too.

Not all Pionier-Kompagnien were Pionier-Mineur-Kompagnien.

Regards,

Jan

[Simon Jones]

To confirm Jan's identification - the Germans began to form these specialist mining companies in April 1916 on the British model after the British success at St Eloi in March. They never managed to replicate the incorporation of civilian expertise that the British units represented. By September 1918 they wouldn't have been doing any mining.

I haven't come across any reference to 329 Company’s activities or location - could I ask what the reference is that you have for it?

Regards

Simon

[CROONAERT]

Thanks for the answers, much appreciated.

Dave.

[CROONAERT]

<!--QuoteBegin-Simon Jones+May 2 2005, 08:49 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Simon Jones @ May 2 2005, 08:49 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I haven't come across any reference to 329 Companys activities or location - could I ask what the reference is that you have for it?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

It's from a "hybrid" (1915/16 pattern) German identity tag. I was trying to confirm the story that was told to me about it's finding. Apparently it was a "bring back" from a US serviceman in the Argonne region and was "souvenired" in circa September 1918.

Thanks to Jan's answer, it looks like the story could possibly be true and I'll now be more able to pinpoint the (almost) exact location and find out a little more about the original owner's war service.

Thanks again, all!

Dave.