Chris Boonzaier

Above: 2 brothers killed on the same day, and the other two within a week.

No sarcasm intended... imagine bringing the same telegram day after day, and everyone opening the door knew what they were giving them.... Here are two families that must have had horrible weeks :-(

OK... you have convinced me... I will continue reading....

No, he was in a signals unit in 1914 and later transfered to (maybe with his unit) the Alpenkorps. The Alpenkorps Iron Cross documents were issued much later... in his case the exact unit was not mentioned. So a 1917 Alpenkorps Iron Cross document for a 1914 award with no mention of what unit it was back in 1914, or in 1917...

I have seen an Alpenkorps EK doc that was awarded to a Signals guy in 1914, who was then later in a Signals unit in the alpenkorps later, but unfortunately no record of just which unit he was in...

Well, your speculation is as valid as mine, I am not sure exactly HOW they did it with the signals guys :-(

Hi, from the straps I would say Leib Regt from day 1, unless there is evidence to the contrary I dont see any reason why they would have been in a Signal Abteilung before hand? I love Alpenkorps!!!

Didnt know he still had his teeth!!!!

I like the Leib Regt one!!!

So 5 Bucks then??

I once had the award documents of a WW2 German ace, he was an NCO with 49 kills. He flew with some really famous German pilots, and was once in really hot water for questioning some "kills" of a swords winner. Decades later, when I met him, he was still furious about getting into trouble for pointing out that there was no wreckage in the sector that the kills supposedly took place. He also moaned about the top aces claiming kills when the plane shot down had been totally crippeled by other pilots and was seconds away from going down anyway. I think until Gun Cameras were introduced there was still a lot of fiddling the numbers...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/10548303/Michael-Gove-criticises-Blackadder-myths-about-First-World-War.html "As Britain prepares to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the war, Mr Gove claims only undergraduate cynics would say the soldiers were foolish to fight." As far as I can see... they don't say the soldiers were foolish to fight... rather their leaders were foolish to start it in the first place? We have had a long drawn out thread on this way back when... I blame the Austrians ;-).... but in the end IMHO, I think it sad that there was no leader who said "don't be a bunch of wdnkers... we is not mobilizing mon!"...

So..... Blackadder causes a rift even here on the forum !!!!!! :-)

I have no idea how many Planes Billy Bishop shot down, but do feel that questions are allowed to be asked about any heroes, military, sporting or otherwise. Some time ago people questioned Alwin Yorks exploits with some valid questions, and right away it gravitated into 2 camps with no middle ground, no discussion possible. I have reread the article by the BBC and really dont see what the problem is with Robinson's statement? He is not in any way attacking the average soldier? " When imaginative teachers bring it in, it's simply another teaching tool; they probably take them over to Flanders to have a look at the sights out there, have them marching around the playground, read the poems of Wilfred Owen to them. And one of the things that they'll do is show them Blackadder. And I think to make this mistake, to categorise teachers who would introduce something like Blackadder as left-wing and introducing left-wing propaganda is very, very unhelpful. And I think it's particularly unhelpful and irresponsible for a minister in charge of education." I dont think anyone has to be a left or right winger to come to the conclusion that the Rulers of Europe in 1914 have a lot to answer for ... just MHO. :-)

For some reason i think I have something to him.... I must look when I make it home...

Hi Pete! I have never ssen that rank either!! Nice une indeed!! With nice docs I can overlook the holes, each doc is afterall unique :-)

If you read Robinsons quotes in the article.... he is not totally wrong? When I read Gove's statement "The conflict has, for many, been seen through the fictional prism of dramas ..... a series of catastrophic mistakes perpetrated by an out-of-touch elite. Even to this day there are left-wing academics all too happy to feed those myths." I wonder who does NOT see WW1 as "a series of catastrophic mistakes perpetrated by an out-of-touch elite." ... starting by how the out of touch elite pushed the world into a war in the first place, then continued for 4 years without any idea of what they wanted to achieve... ?

... and anyone who disagrees should be sent to Australia in a galley!!! And flogged if they dont row hard enough!! ;-)

Hi, what is AOI ? Best Chris

I am guessing the MG08/15 somewhere between 3500 and 4500... the MG08 with their sledge over 10 000

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Hauptmann Ernst Neumann served in a number of Pionier Units including a command in the 36th (Gas) Pionier Regiment. He was a descriptive writer and included are 80 pages of detailed accounts of his time at the front. A number of photos of him and 3 maps (including one which has three stuck together showing he was active in the Gheluvelt/Sonnebeke area. A very above average letter selection as it is not the usual "I recieved your letter number 301 and 302.. can you send some bread". Neumann seems to have written a lot that you would think would be censored (Maybe Officers were not censored?) Does anyone know anything more about him?

This was a bit much "Had to have" !! http://www.ebay.de/itm/271358246367?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

An account of the action where Hesselbach of the 3rd Company was wounded. He was not one of the ersatz that joined the night before the action, he had been assigned to the company 20 days before on the 9th of October Cumpana 27 – 30th October 1916) After the memorable push at Salatrucal and avoiding an enemy effort to surround us, the 2. bay. Res. Bat. was tasked, along with the I./ Inf. Leib Regt. with an advance on the railway station Cumpana. The battalion of the Leib Regiment arrived at the objective during the afternoon, we, the Jägers, had difficult terrain to cross and we arrived in the evening. Cumpana was a railhead at the source of the Argesul. It consisted of a nice Villa, a number of Lumberjack huts and a lumber yard. On the night of the 29th “Ersatz” (Replacements) arrived. A number of old friends who had been wounded at Verdun returned but the majority had never had been under fire. These new replacements had been marching to the rear with the “Rekrutendepot” and had not yet experienced the earnestness of war. That very night the new arrivals were allocated to the companies and entered in the Kriegsstamrollen. Nobody could foresee that in a few hours a number of them would have a Blue Cross added to their entry with the notation “Gefallen bei Cumpana” (Killed at Cumpana). In the early morning on the 29th of October the attack was to continue. The 3rd company was to advance through the valley along the railway and river while the other companies were to advance and push the enemy back along the high ground. It was a bitterly cold morning! Shortly after our depart the railway line traversed the river. To the left of the tracks were large stacks of wood, waiting to be loaded for the journey to the Walachei. Here the company came under fire from the Romanians and suffered quite a number of casualties. The remainder took cover behind the woodpiles and gathered their wits then scanned the terrain searching for the enemy. They were well positioned on the slope. Any attempt to move forward was met with heavy fire. Our company commander, Oblt. Otto Kühn, showed what he was made of. Calmly smoking his Cigar, Pistol in his right hand, riding crop in the left and still hindered by a wound he had suffered in 1914, he charged across the freezing river. The rest of the company followed him up the slope. There was to be no close combat, the Romanians broke, a few of them made it back into the forest, the majority were captured. It was soon apparent that we had overrun a forward position and during the next two days we battled forward, the fighting in the difficult terrain costing us many casualties. In the end 3rd Company had 11 men killed and 60 wounded. The Battalion would leave almost 30 men behind in the quiet, isolated Argesultal (Argesul valley). (Hans Rogali, 3./ b. Res. Jg. Btl. Nr. 2.)