All For The Regiment! IR 162 (L?beck)

[Guest Rick Research]

Vizefeldwebel der Reserve/Offizier Aspirant Ludwig Dillner received one of the first L?beck Hanseatic Crosses on Wednesday 10 November 1915. At that time IR 162 (part of 81 Inf Brig, 17 Res Div the entire war) was holding a sector north of the Avre River between Lassigny and Roye

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It was undoubtedly an enormous comfort to Dillner to know that if he was killed his next of kin would not have to return same

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we will return to him below in chronological order

[Guest Rick Research]

From a local collection:

Musketier Ernst Haecker (4th company) received his EK2 on Thursday 28 December 1916. Note the format for comparison below. This example was obviously locally made with French type, since there are no German accent marks.

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The regiment was then holding the Ypres-Roulers railway line around Het Sas.

Regimental commander Karl von Rettberg (born 1865) was gazetted a HHOX in 1916 but may have lost out on a PLM because of his hair

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no point in handing over Prussia's top honor when it just would have been lost in all THAT shrubbery!

[Guest Rick Research]

And WHY do we find strange groups sometimes? Mixed personnel. (From a local collection.)

Musketier (no company given) Hans Witthahn received a HAMBURG Hanseatic Cross per Wednesday 10 October 1917:

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The regiment was south of Arras, around Vis en Artois when this native Hamburger would have had his recommendation processed-- see the illustration accompanying Dillner's wound badge below.

Witthahn got HIS "native" award even though in ANOTHER Hanseatic Regiment.

[Guest Rick Research]

Now-Leutnant der Reserve (probably a 1914 War Volunteer commissioned in January 1916) Ludwig Dillner received his Black Wound Badge for TWO wounds, issued 6 June 1918. Signed by regimental commander Ludwig Hauss, who would receive the Pour le Merite on 11 September.

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And on back, somebody--possibly Dillner himself afterwards (he survived the war) noted the Whens and the Wheres:

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He was hit in the neck by a shell splinter on Tuesday 29 August 1916 at Ypres, but remained with his unit. He was poisoned by gas in the Bois de Vert, Artois sector between Gu?mappe and Monchy le Preux, on Thursday 14 June 1917

[Guest Rick Research]

And here in the middle from the Regiment's photo album book, 1925, that green and lovely place at the time Dillner was gassed:

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[Guest Rick Research]

Last up, a teenaged machinegunner gets his EK in the last month of the war:

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Born 1 May 1899 in L?tjenburg, Otto Liebe had probably been called up in the draft calss of 1917.

On Sunday, 13 October 1918 when this document was drawn up, the division was heavily engaged against the British at LeCateu.

They had been pounded by the French at Esmery-Hallon 5 to 9 September and only back in the line on 10 October. Whether this was actually for action in September with little delays for processing or was issued in a matter of mere days, no way to tell now.

And that's a little survey of random documents on a single unit theme, 1915-18.