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    Paul H2

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    Posts posted by Paul H2

    1. I think this is interesting. My 2 cents worth--22 years US Air Force, 7.5 years deployed in war zones.


      The US awards system has some interesting issues--and has had so for a long time. In my experience the level of award was usually predicated not by one's proximity to combat, but the proximity of the recepient to the award writers during the deployment. I don't know how many times I saw people in support and admin functions awarded a bronze star when they guys out flying the missions came back with lesser awards.

      I remember one colonel, a deployed squadron commander--who refused to be written up for his bronze star. He said there was no way he was going to accept a higher level award when his guys flying combat missions were not receiving the same. We all admired him for that.

      We were always amazed at how many C-17 transport crews won distinguished flying crosses, which were very scarce in the AC-130 community.

      The Air Force in particular is extremely award heavy. If you fly, and have an active career, you retire with a chest full of medals that would put a Soviet field marshal to shame.

      These new medals are just a continuation of a system where everyone is to be recognized--which is the problem--decorations should be awarded for actions and performance--not proforma as is mostly the case now (and has been for many years.)

      Paul

    2. I've never heard before that Nachrichten only referred to intelligence in WW2. What is the source of that? I've seen the terms used to mean intelligence in both wartime and even pre-war German documents.

      Here is an article by Markus Poehlmann on the German Intelligence Service during the Great War: He states that

      Nachrichtenoffiziere Der OHL were intelligence officers and Nachrichten-Referenten were signals officers.

      The article:

      http://www.intelligence-history.org/jih/poehlmann_intro-5-2.html

      Walter Nicolai was Chef des Nachrichtendienstes der deutschen OHL.. and he wasn't a communications officer ;)

      Paul

    3. Hello Andy,

      No worries! That's a nice picture. I am fascinated by the Fussartillerie and their [dis] organization. :lol:

      It's amazing how some batteries would use Beute-Geschütze for a period of time, and then switch to another type of captured gun, then to another and then finally to a German type over time. I read a story in the "Die Schwere Artillerie" journal about 1./R.Fussa. R. 18 which went into the field with 10-cm K. 04's but was then given French 12cm guns from Maubeuge. The article is hilarious--"One couldn't speak of accuracy," the battery commander wrote.

      Those 12 cm guns were taken away 6 months later and became Fussa. Battr. 458, then 2./Ld. Fussa. Btl. 34. :wacky:

      So was life in the Fussartillerie--"Zu-Gleich!"

      Paul

    4. Looking at the "Das Ehrenbuch der schweren deutschen Artillerie," this morning I see that under the Fussartillerie units listed in the Champagne battles is HQ III./Fussa. R. 6 with 3. batterie--so I think that (along with what other members have written) would confirm the location and subordination of your man's unit. They way it's written makes me think that the battery was attached to the III. HQ. This is not an unusual situation at all--German Fussa. units were swapped around a lot.

      The 3./Fussa. R. 6 was armed with the 21-cm Mörser L/12, known simply as "Der Mörser" at mobilization, and that's what it had at Verdun in February 1916.

      Paul

    5. Hello!

      You asked about the unit acting as an independent unit. I can tell you that at Verdun (this is what jogged my memory) that the 3./Fussa 6 was independent at Verdun. You might try:

      Ehemaliges Fußartillerie-Regiment von Dieskau (Schlesisches) Nr.6 20 S

      Tradition des deutschen Heeres, Heft 491

      Kyffhäuser, Berlin (1938)

      It's one of the "micro" histories, so it might not be of much help. Fussa. 6 didn't produce a full 1914-1918 regimental history.

      Chris, in 1915 a series of divisions were organized with Fussa. batteries as part of their organic structure--5X series--but they had attached 150 batteries, not 210. I think they were later taken away.

      I think Chris is spot on about the post office--a small unit attached to a corps or division--that would make sense.

      It would be good to try and track down with the 3. Armee was doing at this time--you could come across the unit in an OoB even in "Der Weltkrieg" or "Schlacten des...." I would start from the army, then corps and figure out where they were and then go from there.

      Paul

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