Chris Boonzaier

OK, soo this went onto a front burner and had priority over all other articles... here are the goods again, but this time with a link to a description of the battle... http://www.kaiserscross.com/167501/335722.html Enjoy!

Hi, it is to.. Füsilier-Regiment 34 Gefreiter August Gahnz No company listed. thanks Chris

Thanks RAZ, have a december 1916 EK doc to them. Best Chris

OK, this part stops the day before the attack... interesting to see how much value he places in letters and the depression after the original date of the attack is changed... 11th Feb A letter from the 4th Feb from Wife, 06:00 wake up, 07:00 march to Reville. Komp. In a Hut, officers in a house. 11:30 Church service, the last before the assault. So far a day of rest. After the service I rest for 2 hours, had not fallen asleep before 02:00am last night. Wrote some lines to my dearest then went to bed as I was not in the best of moods 12th Feb No duty today, the planned events delayed due to the weather. Wrote a number of letters. I was happy to receive 2 letters from my dearest, the 6. and 7.2. Answered these right away. At 5:00 pm rollcall with assault kit. Received a letter from August, thought of my dearest and wrote numerous letters. Went to bed thinking of my dearest after kissing her photo. Could not sleep due to snoring of a comrade. 13th Feb Sunday In bed until 08:30, wrote some lines to my wife. In the afternoon took a walk to look at the 30.5cm guns. We could not find them. No mail today. A boisterous evening in our house as a number of bottles of wine were emptied. For the sober amongst us it was infuriating as it was impossible to sleep. 14th Feb I went to see the 30.5cm artillery. The battery consists of one gun with 150 men. On the column road to Etray about 100 stick grenades are found with the handles screwed off. The I.R. 159 had passed this way on the night from 11.2 – 12.2. 15th Feb From 08:00 to 12:00 I watched over road work. Was not in a good mood this afternoon. Not helped by a letter from my dear wife which she wrote on the 11.2. She was felling depressed and was not feeling well. My mood took a turn for the worse. Was not able to do anything constructive due to this. 16th Feb No Duty today. Rifle inspection at 16:30. The road from Reville to Livry has become a roaring stream. Wrote letter and card to my wife. I hope they will arrive. Not in a good mood this afternoon. No mail from my wife, just a card from brother in law. 17th Feb Today 3 things from dear wife, Letter and card from 12.2 and letter from 13.2. last one interesting due to birth certificate and promotion to Leutnant. Sent her letters from yesterday and today. Afternoon 13:30 to 17:30 supervised road building. Upon return tea with Rum. Then arrival of above mentioned post. After this my mood was better, wrote her a few lines. 18th feb Morning walk to the company. 12:15 photographs by Dr. Lührmann, all officers of the battalion. Then Lunch, prepared by Vinzenz, peasoup, roast, asparagus, potato, cherries. 13:00-17:00 roadwork. Hauptmann Andre had given the company extra work, Vizefeldwebel Skötsch is under pressure. Letter to Wife, Frau Schachmuth, Lichtenberg, august. No mail from wife, just a card from Fritz. 19th Feb, Card from the wife 16.2. 08:30-12:30 Work on the access road. 16:00 assault pack inspection. Did not write to my wife, instead read a book, “Reise zur deutschen Front” by Ludwig Ganghofer. He describes his trip very nicely. The is no shortage of quotes from the Kaiser, for example “Soldat und Bürger, die müssen einander helfen, so gut sie können” (Soldiers and citizens must help each other as much as possible). 20th Feb Sunday, A beautiful day. 08:00 church service with father Klingenberg 13:00-17:15 work on the access road. Wrote a letter to my dear wife (he also read parts of 2 books CB)

MY thanks to Andy as well :-) Fantastic bit of detecting.

Hmmm... not 100% sure on that... I think the BS could be awarded by Generals? If that the case, there is no standard way, If One command names them, and the other does not.... I dont think the system was as uniform as with Brit medals.

So for a year or so after the war they reassesed cases and made a small amount of catch up awards. It is the case with "my guy"... Take into account the following... the unit (BRIR22)is hastily formed with guys from all over, sent into battle, he does his action, the officer he saves is then gone, he gets wounded a few weeks later and leaves the unit as well. The BRIR22 continues its war and forgets he ever existed... he is in hospital, then goes to another regiment on another front... drops through the cracks in the floorboards for all intents and purposes... In 1919 it may have been that the officer he saved said.."hey... did Riethmann ever get a medal for what he did?" now here is a question for a champion... by 1919 the officers would have seen all kinds of acts, bravery, citations etc... would they now be stricter and more objective (ie. raising the bar) than the awards made at the beginning of the war? From the handful of "catch-up" awards it does not seem like they lowered the bar... Best Chris

Hi, any idea for the 2nd entry? "Wegen dXXXXXXXX ins lazarett" and the last one in pencil... bx XXXXXXXXXX Erkr.

Hmmmm.... good question... I was assuming Glenn was using the Ancestry.com bavarian records which would have a record of him from the next unit after his wounding...

Had a simlar ruling out in red for a few of my guys, sometimes related to a transfer... could be the clerk in RIR22 made a mistake and pronounced him dead, never to be corrected as he was transfered and none cared about him anymore anyway.. My Guess... badly wounded, invalided out... made Major a.D. after the war, therefore no further references to his wartime postings. Best Chris

Thanks for the Pics of the docs!

Hi, Thanks for the pics, here is one from 1934!! http://www.kaiserscross.com/40047/40450.html

Fantastic... I had missed the last posting... incredible stuff!!!!!!!

Thank you indeed.... Reason i ask is this... http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/49145-bavarian-gold-bravery-medal-group/page__gopid__452231#entry452231

Citation... On the 21st of Feb 1915 the Bayer. Reserve Infanterie Regiment 22 was to storm the Reichsackerkopf. At 9:00 am the I. Batln. began the assault and right away suffered heavy losses as they came under a withering enemy fire. The 7. Komp (II. Batln.) lay in a tree line to the left of the I. Batln. They were to support the attack and received the order to join them to continue the attack. Arriving at the level of the Battalion the (then) Unteroffizier Riethmann saw two men jump up and run forward. They did not get further than 30m before being shot down. He then saw a badly wounded man about 70m in front of their position, laying doubled up in pain. He right away turned to Infantryman Vogt and asked him to help him save the wounded man. Under extremely heavy enemy fire they made their way forward to where Hauptmann Holler was laying and they managed to carry him back to the aid station 200m behind their lines.” Holler unfortunately died. Award was made in 1919-20 it seems

And a once only appearance....

Photoshop THIS!

There a Donald Trump in every sceptic, just waiting to break out..... :whistle:

Indeed it does.... There was originally a second one with the group... am trying to see if I can track it down...

Scratch alois then, shoulda seen the jump Lt to Hauptmann would not have been possible :-(

... ok... this is it... until someone starts to beg.....

alois sounds like a potential match... I know men from the 8 BIR went to the 22 BRIR... Best Chris

Hi, on the 20th of feb 1915 "Hauptmann Holler", very likely of the bavarian 22 RIR was wounded (maybe died). Can anyone add any meat to those bones? Thanks Chris

... unless of course, someone wants to see more......

enough for now?