Just A 40-Something Front Virgin

[Guest Rick Research]

From a local collection, the saga of a recalled ex-NCO, mutilated Postal Inspector, and way too old first time barrel scrapings acting officer:

Imagine you are 41, cannot fire a gun, and are being thrown into battle as cannon fodder with shoulder boards

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[Stogieman]

ummmmmmm, show us the finger!

[Guest Rick Research]

You know the sound bacon cooking makes?

Now think "who sends hydrochloric acid in the mail... in 1911?"

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But, as his "complete physical" ? la 1917 seemed to indicate, all that mattered was he was well fed (an achievement in itself, by 1917) and "looked good."

So he couldn't squeeze a trigger... yeah yeah. That's what revolver lanyards were made for, jumping out of one's three-fingered grasp on every shot. A pistol's recoil would have removed the webbing on his thumb, being fired that high up...

so what? He could taunt the enemy instead.

For his appointment as a Feldwebel-Leutnant, see the commissions and appointments thread at:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=7...indpost&p=69586

[Guest Rick Research]

An "Auszug aus der Kriegsrangliste" is a gold mine of officer information, biographical

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[Guest Rick Research]

... as well as military

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The Whole Story is in the paperwork:

When awarded his Iron Cross 2nd Class on 18 November 1917, Feldwebel-Leutnant Fikentscher had been at the front and in action ONLY

29 April to 3 May and 15 July to 6 October 1917-- 89 days.