Glenn J

David, Dave, it is Carl Heinrich Franz. His award of the ÖFJ3 (awarded 1852) is listed in the 1881 Austrian Court and State Handbook. Regards Glenn

Bruce, Band Sergeant Major. The Bandmaster (WO1) wears a small Royal coat of Arms on the lower right arm as opposed to the large badge as worn by the Regimental Sergeant Major on the upper right arm. Note that Foot Guards RSMs assigned to positions outside their parent battalion (unless a former RSM of a Foot Guards battalion) also wear the small coat of arms on the lower arm. Regards Glenn

Bruce, my pleasure. I don't recall ever seeing a red backed Foot Guards RQMS crown worn on full dress (or any other order of dress for that matter). Here is an example from the Coldstream Guards. Regards Glenn

Ditto page 8. The two bar chevron in the Foot Guards is the badge of rank of the Lance Corporal. Regards Glenn

You might wish to recaption the badge of the Foot Guards Company Quartermaster Sergeant on page 7 to that of Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant. The CQMS wears the same badge as the Colour Sergeant. Regards Glenn

Perhaps Unterzahlmeister. Glenn

Chaps, RFAR 14, with the exception of some elements spending a few days under command of other higher formations, spent the entire war under command 14. Reserve-Division. Glenn

Simon, Chris, it appears to be mounted on a plain buckram board for service dress. I knew Paul years ago. That medal looks a bit battered though! Regards Glenn

The peacetime establishment of a cavalry regiment was five squadrons consisting of four troops (Züge). On mobilisation one squadron remained behind as the Ersatz-Eskadron although not necessarily the 5. Eskadron. For example, the Ersatz-Eskadron of Husaren-Regiment Nr. 11 was the 2. Eskadron. There was no such thing as an HQ squadron. A Beritt has nothing to do with the training of horses; it is an in-barracks grouping equating to a Korporalschaft in the infantry. A Berittführer was the cavalry equivalent of a section commander/squad leader. Glenn

Claudio, A pre-war regular field artillery officer (although originally an infantry officer in IR 62 and IR 150). He was commanding 3./Mindensches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 58 in 1914 having transferred to the field artillery (FAR 73) in 1906. Hauptmann: 1.10. 12 A Oberleutnant: 18.5.05 L1 (FAR 73) Sekonde-Lieutenant/Leutnant: 18.8.95 X4x He served with RFAR 14 during WW1. Glenn

I think RAD-Arbeitsführer and Major a.D. Richard Exner is looking good for this bar. HIs known awards: HOH3X DA Cent HT LK SLK SchlesA2 RADDA BKDM CV3 ChileCent 1910 UKDM Regards Glenn

Chip, presumably Leutnant Franz Graf Schaffgotsch. Commissioned into 1. Husaren-Regiment "König Albert" Nr. 18 with a Patent of 28.11.13. He appears in the 1914 Saxon army list as well as the Ehrenrangliste on page 919 which shows he died as a Leutnant a.D. on 29 September 1924. He was the holder of the Saxon Merit Order Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Swords and the Albrecht Order Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Swords. Regards Glenn

Alex, Looks like Harald Riipalu, an Estonian SS Officer. Glenn

Hi Jock, Sennelager was a few years back! I wish I was there now. Glenn

Difficult to say why he was awarded the Sword Order. According to the 1925 Swedish Court and State Handbook, Reservlöjtn. Johannes Ernst Friedrich Paul Lambrecht received the award (Knight's Cross 2nd Class) in 1919. Glenn

Very interesting. The Tschako stuff: National (Feldzeichen or field badge) Bezug (cover) Futteral (case or box) Glenn

I don't think it was picked up in the original thread but note the size of the rank button; it is a Sergeants' button. This guy was an Obergefreiter, a rank at that time unique to the Fußartillerie. These chaps although belonging to the rank class of Mannschaften, wore the Sergeants' button and the NCOs' bayonet knot. Regards Glenn

Perhaps ammunition supply in large static locations? Glenn

Given the title, I would hazard the guess that they actually ran trains as opposed to being in the construction (Eisenbahn-Bau) business. Hermann Cron lists just four Festungs-Eisenbahn-Betriebs-Abteilungen (1-4) formed at mobilisation and this is confirmed in the Mobilmachungsrangliste 1914 der Deutschen Eisenbahn-Truppen although a further Festungs-Eisenbahn-Betriebs-Kompagnie (Nr. 1) is also listed in the latter publication. A further four Festungs-Feldbahn-Betriebs-Abteilungen are also listed. Regards Glenn

Chris, Thats a typo on the Bundesarchiv site; that is Oberst Wilhelm Heye! Regards Glenn

Rick, I think you are inserting in an extra rank. The Etatsmäßige Feldwebel and Feldwebel are one and the same. Excluding the Fähnrich and the other specialists, there were just four ranks: NCOs without the officers' swordknot (ohne Portepee) Unteroffizier Sergeant NCOs with the officers' swordknot (mit Portepee) Vizefeldwebel/Vizewachtmeister Feldwebel/Wachtmeister Regards Glenn

Indeed, without a really clear close up shot of the cockades, it really is impossible to differentiate between the two. Regards Glenn

Rick, that is not entirely correct: This is the insignia used. Unteroffizier (collar lace, no collar button, one lace stripe on sleeve) Sergeant (collar lace, collar button, one lace stripe on sleeve) Vizefeldwebel - or Vizewachtmeister in artillery terms (collar lace, collar button, one lace stripe on sleeve) Etatmässige Feldwebel - or der Spiess (collar lace, collar button, two lace stripes on sleeve) On the 1915 pattern Bluse, the cuff stripes were often not used. Your guy with the "vertical stripes", I believe is just wearing an "abbreviated" amount of normal braid but just on the leading edge of his collar. The difference between the Sergeant and the Vizewachtmeister would have been in the officer pattern cockades and Portepee worn by the latter. Regards Glenn

An order of battle as at 1 August 1916 still has 45 Division in the Gorizia (Görz) bridgehead in the Duke of Aosta's 3rd Army but now a component of the massive VI Corps alongside 24, 11, 12 and 43 Divisions. Glenn

According to the Austrian official history, the Italian 45th Division was formed in April 1916 from surplus troops in the Vicinity of the Görz (Isonzo) bridgehead which alongside the 4th Division, became components of the newly formed XX Corps. Glenn