Chris Boonzaier

Wow, thats a hit! Goes to show, if you know you are never going to get around to doing research justice on an item... pass it on to someone who will!

Just cannot get enough of this group... edelweiss and 2 Jäger badges added for the photo. The bullet seems to be the one that hit him in the lung in the Vulkan Pass during the attck on the Romanian positions....

Here is an interesting study of the front line in early 1915...

This is an interesting set of trench Photos for a number of reasons... they are really early (March April 1915) and the place is known (Loretto Heights)... added to that, the Batallion history said they took over the trenches just after the French were driven out, the defensive bays were facing in the wrong direction, the sides of the trenches had collapsed, the barbarians had to re-dig them, the French were really close and the men had to crouch down to avoid a bullet in the head, and for the 2-3 weeks they were there they had to fight back French counter attacks... You get a feeling of all that in the pics, including the guys staying pretty low in the trenches, often crouching, the French (presumably) bodies, the uneven sides of the newly dug trenches etc.... more....

Here is a very early Pass to a gebirgs Machine Gunner....

I am guessing this is early 1915 in the Vogesen...

I forgot to add the reason why he did not get the Leiberring inspite of being in the regiment for the WHOLE war.... Time spent in the Supply/Staff/Transport parts of the regiment did not count towards the 24 months "at the front" .....

I just picked up this small group.... One of the interesting things about it is the guy served in the regiment for the WHOLE war... and did not get a Leiber Ring, which one should have gotten for 24 Months at the front.... According to the Militärpass he was in the 11th Company, from beginning to end.... no wounds, no training courses... alway in the company..... On his ancestry page it is the same.... so why did he not get a ring?? The answer was very easy to overlook... very lightly in pencil was the notation in his ancestry record ... "15.??.15 Fahrer Gß Bagage" ... interesting for 2 reasons... The Transport/Supply became a very big issue when the Alpenkorps was formed in 1915, the Regiments at their level had to increase the size of their supply columns... the Leib Regiment changing to Ox Carts at about the time when Ludwig Weber became a Fahrer... 2nd interesting point.... on an admin level he remained a member of the 11. Komp even though he was in the Regt Supply columns.... It seems at Regt level other ranks remained in their companies for admin even if attached to the regt staff or supply columns....

I just picked this up... The Photo is not the man, and I am not sure if the frame has anything to do with the group.... but the 2 mugs and Militärpass belonged to the same man.... He was in the Leib Regiment from day one until the last day of the war.... I have a number of Leib Regt Beer mugs, but this is the only one with a screw top and hidden crystal...

Guys, if anyone has a problem with a photo they have copyright to, let them contact an admin. Online photos are posted and reposted and reposted all over on dozens of sites... the pics on my site have been reposted all over... such is life. We all profit when information is exchanged... That Tunic looks reeeeaaaally good...

HI, it was October 1916

Hi, it is a kammerstück, prewar. (I have to check the date when I get home, stamped to the 1st Bavarian Jäger Batl. What is intereting is the chin strap... is is the unique Bavarian Reserve M1896 Chinstrap. The site kaisersbunker has an article showing the strap

I am not big on the "Ghoulfactor" when it comes to collecting so I definately did not buy this for that reason, it was only after I recieved it that I examined the liner... It seems to have a splinter through the outside, then through the liner, and the liner has been discolored and distored by what I assume are bodily fluids. It was a Barn find in France and is stamped to the 1. Jäger Battalion. The Chin strap is also very interesting.

I was very very happy to get this as part of a grouping to a 2nd Bavarian Jäger officer (Alpenkorps)... direct from the family... Lt. d. Res Zieglwalner was wounded by a bullet in the Lung in the assault on the Vulkan Pass. He was evacuated to München. The Battalion History says Generalmajor Busse of the 301st Division gave the EK1 to Major Bauernschmitt (Commander of the 2nd Jäger Batl) to forward to Zieglwalner in Hospital. Zieglwalner died in 1925 and this was with the family until last week.... It is a SW cross

Hi, I know this is a very long shot indeed... but maybe, just maybe someone may recognise something here.... I am not sure if this is the alps, or in Romania or maybe pics of both....... maybe someone recognises a feature from a pic in a book.....

If anyone could give a hand reading these I would appreciate it, it is from a 2nd bavarian Jäger officer....

There are variations, I read recently that the 08s destined for india had smalled grips as the hands are on average smaller... I can quite see the Jordanians reworking these, the same way the turks reworked German bayonets... I am 193cm and find the 08 to be unconfortably long and unweildy...

Indeed... he had been a company level officer in the bavarian Jäger, about 10 years older than any of the other company officers... was then wounded and went to a flieger bau company, and around that time the Landwehr designation appeared... maybe the Jäger had simply ignored it...

I have been researching a Bavarian officer born in 1877 ... In his records for the first part of the war he is "Lt. d. Res." ... in the latter half of the war he is sometimes "Lt. d. Res." and Sometimed "Lt. d. Lw. II" .... Was this an automatic change? Even during wartime? And why was he never "lt. d. Lw. I" ? thanks Chris

Well, I have been through my Leibregiment binder and SB binder.... of my late 1916 SB Rohr pics, less than half the guys have leather, on my Flammenwerfer pics (only 3) noone has leather, on my Leib Regt pics only 2 are wearing leather. I do not think we should underestimate supply problems, it is great to authorize Leather... but then you need supply it... and to a certain extent personal preference must have played a roll... especially of you are marching, marching and marching more in the mountains...

Hi, Military Personnel received the Cross on a Normal Ribbon with the Vermerk Heimatverdiesnt or verdienst in der Heimat they did not receive a White ribbon. Unlike 1870 the white ribbon 1914 is usually always a civilian. The Heimat Verdienst on black ribbon is usually for ausbilder, commanders of an ersatz Bataillon, Artillery Park etc etc... on this example the ribbon is actually specified.... They are way scarcer than a white ribbon....

That is great, I have Kraus, but had not noticed that. Of course, it depends on availibility, like so much back then. I have many photos of mountain troops without leather, and pics of SB without leather....

I have seen regular Bavarian Infantry with leather, for some reason I have in the back of my head that it was a popular way of repairing pants, but then at some stage it was discouraged to save raw material. Of course, the bavarians in the photos may have been in the Vogesen or Alps and serving in the mountains as opposed to being officially designated Gebirgs truppen. I will look today, but I think I also have pics of non SB assault troops wearing leather.

Hi, could be, but I have a number of photos of men not in a SB and having leather. The SB were not the first to have it ;-) However, I think you are correct. This was in Cirey area as well... for most of the war it was an area occupied by geriatrics... with some Assault units to prop them up... looking at the pics, these are not the old guys.....

Not really my collecting field, but I needed some... I needed the officers dagger Portepee, and I liked the Frog (which I think is Bavarian) ... The Frog any baynot knot came from the same officers set as the big prussian sword Portepee, he was a Prussian Artillery officer (Or from Mecklenburg)