Gordon Craig

The sleeve of this field uniform showing the location of the wound stripes.

The cotton embroidered stripes. They measure 54mm long by 7mm wide. The distance from the right shoulder seam to the top of the slanted stripes is approximately 185mm. Regards, Gordon

The sleeve showing the location of the wound stripes.

Kevin, Thanks for typing up the regulations for the Italian Wound badge and wound stripe. Nice to have them for reference. I have two Italian uniforms with wound stripes. Both are General's uniforms and bot have two gold wound stripes. One is a dress ubiform with bullion stripes, the other is a field uniform with embroidered yellow thread stripes. They are for different Generals. The first pictures are of the dress Generals uniform. The wound stripes and gold bullion embroidered on a piece of grey backing material which was then sewn to the right sleeve. The wound stripes are 45mm long by 4mm wide. The top of the slated tripes is approximately 155mm from the shoulder seam.

Kevin, Thanks for typing up the regulations for the Italian Wound badge and wound stripe. Nice to have them for reference. I have two Italian uniforms with wound stripes. Both are General's uniforms and bot have two gold wound stripes. One is a dress ubiform with bullion stripes, the other is a field uniform with embroidered yellow thread stripes. They are for different Generals. The first pictures are of the dress Generals uniform. The wound stripes and gold bullion embroidered on a piece of grey backing material which was then sewn to the right sleeve. The wound stripes are 45mm long by 4mm wide. The top of the slated tripes is approximately 155mm from the shoulder seam.

SICHERHEITSDIENST, I suspect that the crown has been added to make the cap appear to be war time or before. Hence the difference in colour and the sloppy sewing job to attach the crown to the cap. Since the House of Savoy did not rule in Italy following the war, members of the family were even denied entry into Italy until 2002, there should be no crown on the cap badge. Regards, Gordon

aussie85, Welcome to the forum. There is an extensive RCMP thread in the Police Form. As a new member you are limited to a photo size of 100k. Please try again to post you photo with this size in mind. Regards, Gordon

Grant, Interesting photos of the two Betriebswache cuffbands. Please post a picture of the back of these two cuffbands please. Regards, Gordon

Robert, That is what I suspected. You are probably correct. My reference books show these thin cords worn on General Officers uniforms. Often on both shoulders. Unfortunately, the description of the Generals and the General Staff officers uniforms don't mention the use of these thin cords. Thanks for answering my question. Regards, Gordon

Robert, I can not help in this area but I have one question. Why did you say the office had a star with a sash? Regards, Gordon

JimZ, Four gulls plus the tresse inicate the rank of Stabsfeldwebel, Stabswachmeister, or Sanitatsstabsfeldwebel. The red background, as you already know, is for artillery. I don't see anything in this group to link it to the HGD. These pictured tabs are standard Luftwaffe artillery issue. The HGD wore white collar tabs. HGD Artilleryregiments, Flakregiments and Fuhrer-Flakabteilung wore red piping on these white collar tabs. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, What can be identified from this picture relates to the officer in the centre. He wears the collar tab rank of a technical officer. He also wears a sports badge on his left breast pocket. Can not tell anything from his ribbon bar. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, Interesting foto. The uniforms look like Reichswehr to me. This just a guess by me. The Austrians did wear the M18 style helmet after WWI and without their spefic cap style it is hard to say who these guys are. Note the M18 style helmets and the spurs on the boots. Possibly a cavalry unit? One thing I have noted about groupings from veterans is that they often contain pictures and artifacts that did not necessarily belong to, or were used, by them. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, Correct. These are First Republic Austrian uniforms. I am not conversant with Austrian Field Artillery pieces so I won't attempt to comment on the type used here. I can not help with the sheath. These are often missing for some strange resason. I have one, without sheath, marked to the Reichsfinanzverwaltungs (RFV) Regards, Gordon

JimZ, This is not specifically a Luftwaffe bayonet. It is a private purchase bayonet for wear with the walking out uniform. Some come with slots for a rifle and some do not. In either case they were never meant to be fastened to a rifle. If the bayonet has a slot there is often a coloured piece of felt put in it to inidcate the wearers arm of service. Red would be used in this case for artillery. This particular design is more often associated with the Fire Brigade than the Wehrmacht. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, This is a typical wehrmacht uniform of the later war years. The chap that told you this was made from captured Italian cloth is probably correct. After the Italians surrendered in 1943 the Germans captured a lot of cloth material. Both green cloth for service uniforms and cammoflage cloth. The Wehrmacht used a lot of the green cloth to make uniforms and the SS used a lot of the camouflage cloth to make uniforms. Your comments about the tunic being green while the lining etc. is a different colour are a good sign that this tunic was made from green cloth and not dyed this colour. This tunic appears to be made in a factory by tailors rather than field made. The hip pockets and the breast pockets normally line up in a factory made tuinc. They do not in a field made tunic. I have German WWII tunics that are field made that exhibit these misaligned pockets very well. One SS tunic made from Italian cammo cloth and one Heer tunic made from captured Soviet zeltbahn material. The holes in the sides are for metal hooks to support the belt. Early tunics had straps suspended from under the arms to help distribute the weight. Later tunics did away with these straps as an economy measure. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, The bayonet frog looks brown which would fit prewar Luftwaffe. The trodellen would normally indicate the company level and is not associated with any specific rank. The colours of the different sections of the ball, and possibly the strap, would be what give the specific unit designation. This is often difficult to discern and people on forums are often asking questions about individual trodellen. The fact that he wore a trodellen indicates he was an NCO. In the German armed forces the enlisted men and junior NCOs were refered to as 'ohne portepee" or without portepee. Senior NCOs were "mit portepee" or with portepee and therefore wore the device in your photos on their walking out dress. Follows the rank increase in your grouping. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, I can not give you any info on this individual. That would have to come from the archives in Germany or you could try the sub forum on the WAF dedicated to this type of research. Gen. Rgt. 849 was part of the 282nd Infantry Division. Here is a bablefish translation of the Diivisions history from a Germany Language Forum. It won't be that easy to read but it will give you a rough idea of where this soldier was when he was wounded. The wound badge document indicates the badge was issued by the head of the 282nd Divisions Medical unit which was a normal procedure. From 15 April 1943, the Division moved to the east and was unloaded in the Kharkov area. On the 6th Division released the Donets Panzer-Division ab. Panzer Division from. The front portion to be transferred ranged from Verkhniy Ssalto Archangelskoje to the Donets. The assumption of authority in this section was made on 25 April 1943. The division remained in the following months as a position-division in this section. After the failed offensive at Kursk (companies Citadel) was the 282nd to Infantry Division to withdraw in August 1943, Kharkov. Because of this withdrawal of the division commander, Major General William Kohler was replaced. The Ia of the division, Lieutenant Colonel chips, took themselves out of fear a court martial life. August 1943 took over the then Colonel Hermann Frenking Division. Nachdem Charkow am 22. After Kharkov on 22 August 1943 had to be cleared to put the division back under heavy fighting on the Merefa position. On 3 September also had to be abandoned this position and the division went back to the Dnieper, from 26-27. September 1943 was passed September 1943. Subsequently, the Division moved into a new position on the south bank of the Dnieper in the line Terijewka - Tschuikalowka - Demurowka across from Kremenchug. On 28 September she was ready for the new section and the front came to a halt. In the following weeks, however, there was also heavy fighting north of Russian assault troops, and on the Halbinsen of Uspenskoe. On 15 Oktober 1943 joined the Red Army and then between Zaporozhye Kremenchug to the attack and reached the first assault Krivoy Rog. This was the first Panzer Army at risk of the enclosure. In the course of this development was the German front from the Dnieper banks be withdrawn into the interior. On 18 Oktober passed the Parlysch Division and was one that severely harassed by Russian units. On 19 Oktober was the division on the march north, reaching the space around and above the bridge head Uspenskoe Tschikalowka. From 20 November 1943 November 1943, the Division attacked again hard, and it was Russian troops to break into the front line of the division. This was followed by a further withdrawal of the division in the Kirovograd area. In January 1944, the Division was transferred to a new kind Division 44th. In the severe winter of 1943-44 in the defensive fighting, the division suffered heavy losses. End of January 1944, the Division is still in the Kirovograd area, northeast of Nowomirgorod. Until early March 1944, the front line of the Division in the area northwest of Kirovograd directly northeast of Novy-Mirgorod had moved. But the enemy's attacks forced the division to a further withdrawal to the west. On 9 März 1944 was the division in Section Nowomirgorod on 20 March 1944 as Lyssaje Gora. On 21 March of the Division crossed the bow, for the first night April 1944 the Dniester. On 3 April 1944 it purchased the Dniester Raut position northeast of Chisinau. On 15 April 1944 April 1944 the Division engaged in combat strength from 2,613 men and a board thickness of 7409 man you has 17 light and 8 heavy machine gun, 9 medium mortars, 6 light infantry guns, 24 light and a heavy field howitzer, and a 2-cm Flak. On 6 May 1944, the Division had a combat strength of 4,435 men and a board thickness of 9239 men from May 1944 was followed essentially position battles in the Dniester Raut position. On 19 and 20 August 1944 the Red Army at various locations on the Dniester Raut position where they could obtain from a focus on Thigina Jassy and local successes. In the night at 22 August 1944 the 282nd Infanterie-Division moved from the front and gathered in the area north and west of Chisinau. The division received the order to achieve the fastest and securing the Prut transitions in Leova and Husi. Die Panzerjäger-Abteilung 282 wurde zur Vorausabteilung und erhielt den Auftrag, am Morgen des 23. The Tank Destroyer Division 282 was the advance party and was commissioned on the morning of 23 August einen Brückenkopf westlich des Pruth bei Dranceni - Targ-Vardria - Sovarleni zu bilden. August a bridgehead west of the Prut in Dranceni - Targ Vardria - to form Sovarleni. The march of the main part of the Division was much more difficult due to road blockages and delays. On 24 August 1944 was the year 850 Infantry Regiment on the march Leova. As peak regiment arrived without contact with the enemy on Sarata - Galbena until the high ground east of Starlinesti that was already occupied by the enemy. The first high places were taken by the regiment in the storm. The units already met with Hancesti on the enemy. The place could be freely fought. With front to the west and southwest by the Division fought on. On 25 August 1944 were able to break through the Russian units Infantry Regiment 850th Any connection with the regiment was lost then. Only a small part of the regiment managed to break through to the Prut. The remaining units of the Division fought their way out of Sarata Galbena-up after Cazangio and were included here by Russian units. Through the enemy's artillery and attack aircraft were high losses. On the evening of 25 August the order was a breakthrough from the boiler in the western and north-westerly direction. This should be done in two spearheads. The division achieved in the first hours of the 26th August 1944 the high ground east of Veinescu. 5.00 against the clock by breaking units have been subject to heavy artillery fire. Only remnants of the division could not reach the Prut. The remainder of the division continued in the night of 27 August This was under the command of the Grenadier Regiment 848, Major Fritz Lange, form a 350-strong battle group. On 28 August was about the battle group on the western bank of the Prut. Finally escaped and the remaining remnants of the Division were to refresh the 76th Infanterie-Division used.

JimZ, Interesting pin. The German text on the front translates as "be united". There was a strong movement within Austria for many years prior to the German take over in 1938 to unite Austria with Germany. Perhaps this is what this pin refers to. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, These pins were private purchase and readily available for wear on civilian clothing should you have any. The cloth to make clothes with was rationed in Germany from the spring of 1939 and since Austria was a province of Germany from 1938 on would have been rationed there as well. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, Yes these are Austrian artillery buttons from the First Republic. This style of button was used well before WWI. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, I beleive these to be Austrian artilleryman arm badges. The difference probably indicates they were for wear on different uniforms. Compare the shapes of the cannons on these badges with the shape of the cannons on the Austrian Artillery buttons that you posted pictures of. Regards, Gordon

JimZ, During WWII German mmedals were commonly issued in paper packets with the medal designation printed on the outside of the packet. The owner probably just put the court mounted medals back into the packets he had received them in. Regards, Gordon