Need help with book reviews

[Thomas W]

Gentlemen:

I haven't been here in a while. In 2013 both my parents committed suicide and I hooked up with a fake publicity firm that took me for $40,000. I never spoke about my personal issues here, but I have Meniere's disease, an incurable autoimmune disorder that keeps me housebound, and I have PTSD. Both conditions are worsened by stress.

For seven months my fake publicists sent me supportive e-mails "helping" me through the endless series of crises, when in reality they were monitoring my blog to judge when I was at my lowest emotional and mental ebb. They double billed me, charged me for services not rendered, and made promises they didn't keep. Ultimately PayPal refunded me $9000, since I documented everything.

You can go to my Website and read the "About" page. It has a link to the story. Not a single media outlet in the United States nor a single law-enforcement agency responded when I told them what had happened, so the criminals will get away scot-free. Until they con the wrong person. I've spoken to a quite terrifiying man from Montana, a state where they believe in frontier justice. Hopefully I've talked him out of his plan.

But now I have to start my writing career over from scratch, since the two books that the fake publicists pretended to market are now dead. I have a new book that's part of the trilogy that I wrote, but I need Amazon reviews of my previous books.

Some of you have read my books or know others who have.

German Flamethrower Pioneers of World War I.

Flamethrower Troops of World War I: The Central and Allied Powers.

German Assault Troops of World War I: Organization, Tactics, Weapons, Equipment Orders of Battle, and Uniforms.

Every review will help immensely. I'll be eternally grateful if you take the time to write one or ask people who've read the books to write one.

Before this happened, I'd begun collecting photos for Assault Troops of World War I: The Central, Allied, and Neutral Powers. It's on hold now as I try to rebuild, but no reason why you shouldn't see a little taste.

Did you know that the Germans fielded visorless helmets in 1917? They're rare, but I have photos of them. They copied them from the Austrians, who first began wearing their helmets backwards and then cut off the visors.

Visorless helmet with cloth camouflage cover.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Thomas W

[Thomas W]

Flamethroiwer squad. The lance operator either wears a cut-down Turkish-style helmet, or he wears his helmet backwards. The Kleif carrier and assistant wear visorless helmets, while the squad leader wear a normal helment

[Thomas W]

Unofficial "H" for "Handgranaten" and "M" for "Minenwerfer" insignia on shoulder straps of Bavarian 1st Reserve Infantry Regiment and Bavarian 4th Reserve Infantry Regiment respectively, both from 1915.

[Thomas W]

The four official positions of the Totenkopf sleeve badge, as confirmed by photos that German dealers refused to sell to Americans. They are from left:

Flamethrower pioneer from the Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment.

Flamethrower pioneer from the Kleiftrupp of Sturmbataillion Nr. 5 (Rohr).

Machine gunner of the Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment.

Grenade-launcher crewman of the Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Thomas W

[Thomas W]

Unteroffizier of the Bavarian Infanterie Leib Regiment, with a nonstandard jacket and unofficial "2" or "Z" badge on his shoulder strap.

[Thomas W]

Pionier with "St" handwritten on his helmet cover, and Gefreiter of Württemberg Infantry Regiment No. 120 with unidentified badges on his collar tips.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Thomas W

[Thomas W]

Antitank rifleman.

[Thomas W]

Hand-grenade squad member of Pioneer Battalion No. 29.

[Thomas W]

And finally, infantry assault squad of Armored Train 13 (Panzerzug 13). Based on the Russian practice of having one assault unit per train.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Thomas W

[dond]

Welcome back Thomas. Sorry to hear about your travails.

[Thomas W]

Welcome back Thomas. Sorry to hear about your travails.

Thanks. I'm okay. I just need some reviews to undo some of the damage.

[Chip]

Hi Thomas,

On you photo in post #3, both Bavarians are wearing standard Minenwerfer unit straps from that period. The one on the left is also an M, not and H. The Ws are out of view. The Bavarians wore the unit number above the MW, rather than below it, as will all other contingents. This pattern shoulder strap was worn primarily on the simplified (vereinfachte) tunics and is sometimes referred to as the M07/15 or in Europe, as the M14, based on the year of the first simplifications of the M1907 tunic.

[Chip]

Regarding the letters "St" on the helmet cover in post #4, that could very well be a variation from a member of the "Infanterie Regiment Stuttgart" Nr.413. They wore the letters "St" on their shoulder straps and the number "413" on their helmet covers. (Kraus, Band I, page 253).

Chip

[Thomas W]

Hi Thomas,

On you photo in post #3, both Bavarians are wearing standard Minenwerfer unit straps from that period. The one on the left is also an M, not and H. The Ws are out of view. The Bavarians wore the unit number above the MW, rather than below it, as will all other contingents. This pattern shoulder strap was worn primarily on the simplified (vereinfachte) tunics and is sometimes referred to as the M07/15 or in Europe, as the M14, based on the year of the first simplifications of the M1907 tunic.

Hi, Chip:

Kraus disagreees with you. In the photo on the left, there's clearly no "W," since you can see the whole strap.

These are unofficial badges. My research has uncovered dozens. Hand-grenade throwers wore a variety of badges initially on the shoulder strap and later on the sleeves.

[Thomas W]

Regarding the letters "St" on the helmet cover in post #4, that could very well be a variation from a member of the "Infanterie Regiment Stuttgart" Nr.413. They wore the letters "St" on their shoulder straps and the number "413" on their helmet covers. (Kraus, Band I, page 253).

Chip

He's got a serrated bayonet, meaning he's a pioneer. I have photos of men from Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 12 on the Eastern front wearing Pickelhauben with "XIVS" written on the side, during their training for the attack on Skrobowa, November 9, 1916. There were fourteen enormous shock troops organized, so I deduce that "XIVS" means "Shock Troop 14." Signboards indicate that squads and temporary assault units were generally given Roman numerals. Again, these are unofficial insignia.

The pioneer with "St" on his helmet cover has no numerals on his shoulder straps. I'm pretty sure he's from the original Sturmabteilung that later became Sturmbataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr).

[Chip]

He's got a serrated bayonet, meaning he's a pioneer.

Eisenbahn troops also carried the 98/05 with saw-teeth. Pioneers were also issued with M87/88 cartridge pouches, not M09s. I'm not bucking your theory, but merely making observations and thinking of other possibilities.

Regards,

Chip

[Chip]

Hi, Chip:

Kraus disagreees with you. In the photo on the left, there's clearly no "W," since you can see the whole strap.

These are unofficial badges. My research has uncovered dozens. Hand-grenade throwers wore a variety of badges initially on the shoulder strap and later on the sleeves.

Thomas,

I was thinking (incorrectly) of this, not MW, but MG...Bavarian MGSs Abteilung straps of the same time-frame.

Chip

[Thomas W]

Eisenbahn troops also carried the 98/05 with saw-teeth. Pioneers were also issued with M87/88 cartridge pouches, not M09s. I'm not bucking your theory, but merely making observations and thinking of other possibilities.

Regards,

Chip

Trench-mortar pioneers, flamethrower pioneers, telegraphers, and artillerymen were issued with M87/88 cartridge pouches. Line pioneers and gas pioneers could be issued with either M87/88 or M1909.

Pioneer Regiment 36.

[Chip]

Line pioneers and gas pioneers could be issued with either M87/88 or M1909.

Thomas,

I'm sure anything could have happened during wartime, I was speaking of what the pioneers were issued by regulation (I should have qualified what I said). As a matter of practicality, I'm sure they could have been issued whatever was expedient or deemed necessary for the job at hand.

Regards,

Chip