Chris Boonzaier

The Regimental history is more detailed and I am working on it... but here is the citation... It is worth noting, the action took place in September... and he was awarded the EK2 (document pictured) probably as an interim in October.... Then it seems it was upgraded to the Golden bravery medal in December... Corporal in the 5th Company of the 21st Bavarian Infantry Regiment Grossherzog Friedrich Franz IV. von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In peacetime he was a stone mason in Frankenried. He was born on the 12th of September 1895 in Spitzendorf, Niederbayern. On the 15.09.1916 a large British attack pushed back the neighbouring Regiment and occupied parts of the Gallwitzriegel. The 2nd Battalion of the 21st Bavarian Infantry Regiment now had an open right flank. In the morning of the 15.09.1916 the British launched a heavy attack which also hit the 5th company, especially for forward Sappe. As the British Grenade party approached Gefreiter Hartinger and a hastily assembled party of soldiers threw them back. When the British tried another attack that evening they mainly targeted the unprotected right flank of the 5th Company. At this dangerously weak point in the line Hartinger was present with two comrades. In spite of heavy enemy fire and being grossly outnumbered they scorned death and kept the enemy at bay with their hand grenades. When the small team ran out of grenades the British managed to gain a few meters of trench but Hartinger rapidly replenished his grenades and in a dapper attack he threw the advancing enemy back. During this action he took a British NCO prisoner after some hard hand to hand fighting. His personal bravery saved the right flank of the company and saved the battalion from catastrophe. Gefreiter der 5. Komp. 21. b. Inf. Regt. Großherzog Friedrich Franz IV. von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Im Frieden Steinhauer in Frankenried. geboren 12.09.1895 zu Spitzendorf in Niederbayern. Die Engländer hatten am 15.09.1916 in schwerem Maffenstoß das rechte Nachbarregiment des 21. b. Inf. Rgts. weit zurückgedrängt und Teile des Gallwitzriegels besetzt. Das anschließende II. Batl. 21. b. Inf. Rgts. war nun in der rechten Flanke ohne Schutz. Am Vormittag der 15.09. griffen die Engländer mit starken Kräften auch die 5. Kompagnie an und richteten ihren hauptstoß gegen eine vorgeschobene Sappe. Als sie mit handgranatenwürfen schon nahe herankommen, warf sich ihnen der Kriegsfrw., Gefreiter Hartinger mit einigen Leuten kurz entschlossen entgegen und trieb sie unter starken Verlusten zurück. Als die Engländer am Abend des gleichen Tages wieder angriffen, gingen sie hauptsächlich gegen den in der Luft hängenden rechten Flügel der 5. Komp. vor. An diesem gefährdeten Punkt der ganzen Stellung stand wiederum Hartinger mit 2 tapferen Kameraden. Gemeinsam hielten sie trotz des schweren feindl. Feuers einer großen Überlegenheit todesmutig stand und verhinderten durch kräftiges Handgranatenfeuer ein Eindringen des Feindes. Als der kleinen Schar die Handgranaten ausgegangen waren, gelang es den Engländern, einige Meter Boden in Graben zu gewinnen. Kaum aber hatte Hartinger seine Handgranaten ergänzt, trieb er auch schon in schneidigem Vorgehen die Eingedrungenen Feinde zurück. Hierbei glückte es Ihm, einen englischen Unteroffizier in hartem kämpfe gefangen zu nehmen. Seine persönliche Unerschrockenheit hat den rechten Flügel der Kompagnie gerettet und das Bataillon vor einer Katastrophe bewahrt.

I assume if you wanted a prezzie for a relative at the front they would maybe put it in something like this? I also recognise the design from Postcards. Maybe if you sent Cousin Ben a small present as congrats for his newly awarded EK, or for X-Mas... a box like this was a popular motive?

HI, what is the post WW2 theory based on? I have a small group with a blank back, but it seems to have been together since the early 30s, unmounted full length ribbons etc. Best Chris

Hi, has anyone seen one without any maker mark at all?

Hi it must however be said that it was still a Gentlemans war. The oers knew they could not keep prisonners... so they released them, making them promise they would not rejoin the fight. There is an account of General De la Rey (I think) who was furious after they had caught the same British soldier for the 3rd time. He was furious enough to want to complain to the mans commanding officer!! Best Chris

I bought this Really nice Iron Cross 2nd class document as it was to a bavarian Infantry Regiment I did not yet have, because it was really decorative..... But the really nice thing only became apparent once it was here and I was doing a bit of research......

Using the same button and backing as the dome.... Same patent as well....

p.s. when I say "period containers rebuilt to be EK displays etc. etc...!" I mean the items made by ebay sellers :-)

Hi, very hard to compete with a family made item!!

I just picked this up today... seems to be a one piece Zincker with Iron swords....

Does anyone have any< others? Frames, sands etc...

We have all seen the Ebay fakes of award boxes, Cutlery boxes rebuilt to hold medal bars and other period containers rebuilt to be EK displays etc. etc... But there were Period COMMERCIAL displays, Store bought.... something a soldier could have on the wall or mantlepiece, proudly displaying his iron cross... One of the nicest are the glass bell stands...

Looks to be fantastic quality, I have never seen one before...

Very nice indeed. Do you have his wehrpass in the group?

Hi Pete, Thanks for the pointer... found it! So it seems this "sturmgruppe" was actually before he made it to the front, it was in the Divisional Feldrekrutendepot, which was more or less a "just behind the front " - advanced Basic training. He rose pretty fast in the ranks! best Chris

Hi, that is a possibility. Can you figure out the town? i have tried Sargsburg, Sagsburg... but I am missing something....

I assume the family name is Vogel, but cannot pick up a first name? Can anyone read anything out of it? Thanks Chris

Hi, here is the front, "12" on the shoulder straps...

Thanks Dave!! I did not realise he was wounded in the action! Seems to fit in with the description...

Is tht evictory medal a south African one?

But the Lt is not a reserve Officer... so maybe he can be identified?

A very tough call... few units delegated the task of issuing docs down to company level, the only one i can think of off the top of my head is the 137th Infantry regiment... they also used a number of different high format documents... But i am not sure if it is one of theirs... I have 3 but not to the 3rd battalion, so i cannot verify the stamp....

Lt. d. Res. Leibinger, I.R. 112

Richard Wolf

Leutnant d. Res Chambeau of the Kürassier-Regiment „Graf Wrangel“ (Ostpreußisches) Nr. 3