Chris Boonzaier

A chance find today.... I bought the photo Album of a Bavarian Nurse. Most of the photos are of Soldiers she met at the hospital, but a few are from her brother.... A bit of research shows he was in the 2nd schneeschuh Battalion, then transfered to the Leib Regiment in July 1916... and in the end he was a Lt d.R. and Officers Leiberring recipient..... Unfortunately no Leib Regiment photos of him in the album....

Here is a nice one, hand embroidered Crown, for a 1 Year Voluteer... went way over what I had hope to pay... but i had to have it........

Hi, there seems to have been a decree in about 1916 that guys wounded enough to have been invalided out of the service recieved an EK2, I have seen this in quite a few groups, even guys wounded in August 1914 badly enough to be invalided out. I do not see a trend to award the EK as an ersatz for a wound badge for regular wounds. POWs accounted for a good number of awards, For the "catch up" awards, applicants had to provide some proof that they deserved it, witnessed by officers of their unit. Best Chris

We often brush the minis off as "mens jewellery" but I used to know a DKiG winner who told me on leave he was in civilian clothes and was stopped by the Feldgendarmerie, they checked his Soldbuch, and he got into trouble for not wearing the minis of the awards in the Soldbuch. I am not sure if that was an official regulation, or just a MP screwing a guy around, but it did cause a problem for him

Those are nice, I used to have an early 14-18 one out of 800 silver, and a TR era 14-18 one, but never had a 39-45 one.

I have an EK2 from my wifes grandfather... but I have never seen a straight 9 EK1 in the flesh

I made a pact with the devil, as long as I keep adding bavarian Jäger headgear to my collection I can never die... :-)

Very nice indeed... I used to have exactly that on a black ribbon with a Godet button on the back

That was a lucky find. If it had been WW2 Fallschirmjäger or SS it would have sold ten times as fast!

veeeery nice indeed! How did you source the last one???

Here is our dude.... back row in the middle.....

He was only Promoted to Lt d Res in October/November 1917, So I am a bit surprised at the shoulder board style. In fact, From the last week of September 1917 the unit was send to Flanders and was in the line for the battle of Passchendaele. on the 15th of October he was promoted to Lt. d. Res., on the 20th of November he is wounded, goes to a field hospital where he seems to have caught the Spanish Flu, staying in Hospital until he died on the 28th of December 1917. So he was basically promoted in the middle of a battle, served for just over a Month, then a month and a half in hospital until he died. The Tunic has his June 1916 awarded EK ribbon, the MVO4th Class was awarded but he died before he received it, so no MVO ribbon. He was promoted from Vizefeldwebel, there are no signs of Tressen and no signs of wear so it is safe to assume that this was not his old Bluse upgraded to Officer. Originally a Mannschafts bluse with both the Bandage and Soldbuch pocket, I think it is not to far fetched to assume that it was organized for him at the front and was as good as never worn. There are only the lightest of signs on the liner that it was worn.

A dealer had bought it at a show about an hour before I arrived, the items were already on display, but I think it would have been split if I did not do my superhero thing as the Haube and Bluse were already slightly separated on his stall. I think he was happy I took it to keep it together

A pile of letters to him, and from him to his family, and an interesting letter with the certificate for his MVO4th class. The officer sending it says he knew it was getting approved but died before the award went through, he was forwarding the Award doc to the family but as the recipient had died he had to return the award to the army and could not send it.

The Bluse is not tailor made, it comes from a Uniform Factory, so it is probable that this was his mannschaftsbluse upgraded. The Officers Bluse is supposed to have a seam running down the middle of the back, on this one it does not have the seam . (what looks like a seem on the photo is actually a crease). The liner is standard issue with size stamps 45 41 80 92 63 Factory stamp "Verband der Damenschneider-Geschäfte Geschwister Trell"

Bavarian Fussartillerie

This is a Bluse from a Bavarian Fus Arty officer, the cap band is exactly the same as his collar

Irish Gunner jinxed me with his comment about finding artillery stuff.... :-( Yesterday I arrived just in time to save a Bavarian Artillery group.... It consists of the Feldbluse, The Picklehaube and a box full of letters and photos. From what I can see he dies of the Spanish Flu in November 1917, in January 1918 his father got permission to travel to Flanders to pick up his body for reburial in Germany. It was pretty pricy, but it was saving history..... The cap etc do not belong to it, it was the Bluse, Haube and paperwork. The Haube was his as an EM, and I assume the Bluse was as well as it is an issue piece.

I am excluding combat badges etc from WW2 and simply the AMOUNT of medals earned. Who would it be? Would Schörner Qualify? With the WW1 PLM and WW2 Oakleaves, swords and diamonds to the knights cross he pretty much reached the highest peaks in both wars?

Jeff lebowski may be "the dude"... but this dude is quite the dude as well.....

I have never heard the claim that his EK1 was a postwar award. I think that is very doubtful. If I remember correctly the awards went on until 1924 for WW1 service.

Hi, nice docs! There are small numbers of awards made for Silesia, but these both seem to be "catchup" awards made for service in WW1. All the best Chris

I would have loved a Jäger connection, but I think it is a bog standard all branches Einheits Cap... Prussian according to regulations, anyones according to flavor of the day.

Hi, it has to do with my pics.... outside lighting shows normal fieldgrey?

Hi, Technically yes, but the traces in the cloth fitted the Bavarian Officers cockades (and the horrible pieces that were on the cap were Bavarian, although not put on to fir the traces). Krause also has a cap with the same piping set up with Bavarian, apparently the Fieldgrey band and piping was not very popular amongst the Bavarian officers and the "normal" color was often worn. He has a nice example on page 131 in the color volume, as well as a pic of a reserve officer. If course, in such cases we are on the same ground as a tunic with a MGSSA badge or Flamethrower skull... unless it is from the family you can never be 100% sure it "belongs"... but I think this one has a enough of a chance with the cockade traces to be bavarian. Hi, colorwise it is 100% the version on page 131, maybe my photo autocorrector gave it the jäger tinge