Ir0n Cr0ss Posted 25 November , 2006 Share Posted 25 November , 2006 If the soldiers bodies were found and kept until buried in the military cemetaries did they keep their uniforms on? Ir0n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunners dream Posted 25 November , 2006 Share Posted 25 November , 2006 Hi there, Generally yes, when you consider that most bodies buried and found after WWI have been found with evidence of uniforms, i.e. buttons, boots and belt buckles. Obviously it depended on the condition of the body as well. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ir0n Cr0ss Posted 25 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2006 Do you happen to have any pictures from bodies that were found? Just asking. Ir0n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 25 November , 2006 Share Posted 25 November , 2006 I have attached a photo of Landwehrmann Jakob Hönes, 7/RIR121 found in 2003 near Serre by NML. My avatar is Jakob a few months before his death in June 1915. I know it is difficult to see but he has his full ammunition puches, you can see buttons at the wrist from the tunic and there were other signs that he was buried with his equipment minus his rifle. The head had been damaged by a plow over the years so there is no way to determine if his helmet was present. However, the other 4 German burials did not contain helmets or weapons so there is the assumption that it was not present with Jakob. THis is something we will never really know. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 25 November , 2006 Share Posted 25 November , 2006 I think it would depend on whether it was a field burial of a man killed in action 1. Immediately or fairly soon after an action, in which case he could be buried in all of his equipment, as the later finds indicate. 2. He could be found as part of a battlefield clearance in which case the salvageable items such as webbing and other equipment would be removed, ( there is a description of this in a book but I can't remember which one, describes the use of a straight razor to cut the web belt to facilitate removing the webbing) 3. a burial after dying of wounds in a field Hospital in which case the likelyhood is that he would have clothing removed to treat him and to make him comfortable ( I have the tunic buttons and insignia of an officer who died, a nurse sent the items to his family) Mivk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ir0n Cr0ss Posted 25 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2006 Ralph, Was there a link from a website? Ir0n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 25 November , 2006 Share Posted 25 November , 2006 Not yet but hopefully soon. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 25 November , 2006 Share Posted 25 November , 2006 Hi Out of interests I have some photos taken by the Germans, of dead British and New Zealanders, In all of the photos, the boots always seem to missing were the Germans short of good ankle boots? In one photo NZers are piled up in a great pit before covering, taken by the Germans all webbing headgear and Boots are missing. They are still in there uniforms though. I also have a selection of photos taken of mummified French and German bodies that were out in the open, they have all of there equipment on some still with headgear, they were very cheap, as the chap who had them wanted to get rid of them. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roel22 Posted 26 November , 2006 Share Posted 26 November , 2006 In one photo NZers are piled up in a great pit before covering, taken by the Germans all webbing headgear and Boots are missing. They are still in there uniforms though. Looks like the most practical way, in battlefield-circumstances. How could they have been buried otherwise? As for the removal of boots: good boots were always very welcome. So I can understand -again, under the circumstances- why they were taken away. regards Roel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 26 November , 2006 Share Posted 26 November , 2006 Hi Roe I was only stating what was in the photos. I was not saying there was a better way of a mass burial under the circumstances. I was just interested to no if the germans were fond of British made boots or had a shortage of there own ankle boots? In the same series of photos there is a knocked out British Female Tank, the gunner has been blown out of the sponson, and cut in half and has been cooked in the process, a real eye opener Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 26 November , 2006 Share Posted 26 November , 2006 Many photographs taken of Allied War Dead by Allied photographers often show that the Boots have Been removed,it would be common sense to salvage the Boots and Re use them..i suppose that this goes some ways to explain the saying " Stepping in to Dead Mens Boots/Shoes".By the Time of the 1918 Offensive the German Army would have been deficient in many items of Kit,the Standard British Army Boot was an excellent replacement for the German Soldiers worn out Boots,so removing the Boots from Corpses was a practical way to solve the Footwear problem.A Well known Photo taken During the Battle of the Bulge in WW2 again shows German Troops removing the Boots from American Dead.I am sure that this way of obtaining new kit has gone on ever since men have been fighting Wars.The German Ankle Boot was introduced due to an acute Leather shortage.In the Falklands War there are also accounts of British Troops taking the Boots and Weaspons from Argentine Dead,as the Argentine issue Boots were far superior to the MOD issue Boots at the Time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ir0n Cr0ss Posted 26 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 26 November , 2006 Hauraki, By any chance do you have these pictures so we could see Ir0n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 26 November , 2006 Share Posted 26 November , 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ir0n Cr0ss Posted 27 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Argh! The horror of war. Do you suppose what happen to this man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi all That is not the picture that I own, in mine it only has the torso left and no uniform left and its not from a book. My scanner is away getting fixed so when it comes back I will send the pics to you if you like Iron. Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunners dream Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 I'm pretty certain that the image comes from a book called 'Covenants With Death.' This was a book published in the 1930s and it detailed images such as this one to shock those that read it. Tanks in WWI regulary burnt due to the fact that their engines were always troublsome and prone to exploding due to the way they were made. Hence the image of a burnt tank crewman. However, if you want to see what the true face of war is like see this link: http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-picnic.html Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi I had a look at that website interesting, none of the original photos I own are in there. Are you saying the picture I own or the one above is in a book? Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunners dream Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi Jonathan, It's possible, but without seeing the image I couldn't tell you. I own a copy of Covenants With Death, but I'm not at home at the moment, so I can't even confirm that the image posted by PBI comes from the book, but I'm pretty sure it does. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi Steve The I Photo I have is not of the same Tank as above. Mine came with allot I have taken by German photographer they all have the German style postal form on the back, as most photographs did back then. I will take a quick snap on the camera as the scanner is on the blink. Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi Jonathan, It's possible, but without seeing the image I couldn't tell you. I own a copy of Covenants With Death, but I'm not at home at the moment, so I can't even confirm that the image posted by PBI comes from the book, but I'm pretty sure it does. Steve The picture is in Covenants. I find them far more effective in black and white. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi all Here are a few of the pics, I had to make them very small as to allow for my global limit this very small. I took them with the camera quickly so a bit blurry too the actual pic are postcard size The tank picture I was referring to is the bottom right, a bit hard to see. The pictures with the New Zealanders that I talked about are the two bottom ones. The pit and a pile of New Zealanders next to the wire. Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi Jonathan, It's possible, but without seeing the image I couldn't tell you. I own a copy of Covenants With Death, but I'm not at home at the moment, so I can't even confirm that the image posted by PBI comes from the book, but I'm pretty sure it does. Steve Yep it does.The Bottom 4 pictures rom the previous post also appear in Covenants with Death,as i have mentioned before ,a truly Horrific Book,showing all the Horrors of War is called "WAR AGAINST WAR" By Ernst Friedrich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 Hi A few more at postage stamp size sorry so small, taken by ta French photographer. The real size is postcard size. Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th Hauraki KIA KAHA Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 and a few more. I have more from this series to. A bit hard to see, being so small the mummified bodies in the pics. Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 27 November , 2006 Share Posted 27 November , 2006 When My Mothers Youngest Brother was Killed in Action in Germany in 1945,the Army Deducted from His Pay,the Price of the Blanket in which he was Buried in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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