Glenn J

Hi David, I am not sure the field officers' epaulettes could belong to a Major in the RFJK. In peacetime the highest rank held was that of a Premier-Lieutenant/Oberleutnant. Both the Chief and Commander of the Corps were General officers. There were no field officers on the establishment. Regards Glenn

John, from what you say above, I assume you have an ancestry account? Your Karl Leister is the entry with a date of birth of 30 June 1893 in Landau. He survived the war and left the Bavarian Army as an Oberleutnant. Attached below, one of the more readable entries detailing his earlier career. Regards Glenn

If we assume that he is indeed an Oberstabsarzt as Bayern suggests and that, does appear to be a staff of Aesculapius on the nearest shoulder board, then we are looking at a Saxon Landwehr or reserve medical officer in the rank of major. To my reckoning, some 13 Saxon medical officers received the Knight's Cross of the Saxon Order of Saint Henry. Of these, twelve were further decorated with an Albrechts Order Knight's Cross 1st Class with Swords and Crown. As far as I can ascertain only Oberstabsarzt der Landwehr Dr. Louis Geyer also held the Saxon Meiningen Honour Cross for Merit in wartime. He additionally also had the Landwehr Long service decoration 1st class. Regards Glenn

He is a Saxon: St. Heinrich Ritterkreuz St. Albrecht Ritterkreuz with Crown and Swords Saxon-Meiningen Honour Cross Saxon Landwehr Long service decoration 1st Class Regards Glenn

Hello Marcin, from the Offizier-Stammliste of Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 8. Regards Glenn

Chris, generally speaking, the infantry of all contingents wore black waistbelts. There were some exceptions: the grenadier battalions of the guards infantry and line grenadier regiments wore white. Prussian and Saxon machine gun detachments wore brown waist belts, the Bavarians black. Jäger battalions wore black. The mounted arms were a bit more varied according to contingent but apart from the Jäger-Regimenter zu Pferde which wore brown, would wear white or black. Regards Glenn

That is absolutely not the case. Certainly before the turn of the century most officers posted to train formations were former cavalry and artillery officers and in fact the original commanders of Train-Bataillonen were field artillery officers. However just a quick glance at the 1914 "Vollständige Dienstaltersliste" shows that all Train Oberleunants (with one single exception) and Leutnants were directly commissioned into the Train branch as indeed were the majority of the Rittmeister. Regards Glenn

Gordon, this from the Offizier-Stammliste of Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 68. I assume you are OK with the German language. Regards Glenn

Andy, a little earlier. From a Ruhl booklet, this gives the situation in 1906. Regards Glenn

The gentleman is Generalleutnant Eginard Eschborn, long-time commander in WW1 of Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 21. I don't immediately recognise the cross but here is a close up. Regards Glenn

Hi Chris, yes, he did have a BMVO. In fact in the photograph he is wearing both the BMV2 and BMV2X plus the BMVO. Regards Glenn

Hi Chris, no, that was Anton Ritter von Staubwasser. Regards Glenn

Chris, Sandro, I don't believe this is the case. He does not look like General Lang and in any case Eduard Lang did not have a peace time award of a A-H Franz Josef Order Knight. In my opinion, it is Generalleutnant Ludwig Moser. General Moser had already retired before WW1 as a Generalmajor z.D. but saw service during the war, where he was awarded his second Bavarian Military Merit Order Commander's cross, this time with swords and the two classes of the Prussian Iron Cross, Clearly seen in this photo is the breast star of the Italian Order of the Crown which with hostilities long past, Herr General thought it ok to wear once again! Regards Glenn

Simon, I am well thank you and hope the same with you! Yes, a Franco-German war veteran. He was awarded the Knight's cross 2nd class of the Bavarian Military Merit Order as an Unterlieutenant in 14. Infanterie-Regiment for his conduct at Sedan. Regards Glenn

Hi Simon, indeed he is; Oberst Konrad Kronberger, commanding 11. Infanterie-Regiment von der Tann around 1901. Regards Glenn

Just found this at § 88, sub para 1 of the same regulations: Following demobilization, the Soldbücher of those in receipt of monthly salaries (Gehaltsempfänger), i.e. officers, the pay books were to be closed down and returned to the corps intendance branch, stored for a time determined by regulations and then destroyed. Although I don't have a copy to hand of the peacetime pay regulations, one can probably extrapolate that the same thing happened when an officer retired or died in service. Regards Glenn

Chaps, I am no expert on Soldbücher but I can draw your attention to the paragraph in the "Kriegs-Besoldungs-Vorschrift" of 1914. § 55. Soldbücher, sub para 1 states that All officers, officials and soldiers received a Soldbuch on entering a wartime unit if this had not already happened in peacetime. Regards Glenn

Claudio, as Paul states, General Wallenberg was a Prussian and this bar is clearly also Prussian (although not General Wallenberg's). The nearest match that I can find is Hauptmann (later Oberstleutnant) Walter v. Rohrscheidt who was serving in the Prussian War Ministry at the beginning of the war and later with Infanterie-Regiment 329. His known awards were: RAO4, BMV4XKr, SA3aX, WK3X, ÖEK3K, ÖM3K. Regards Glenn

Andy, I'm not sure his attachment to the Seminar for oriental languages is of any significance. He attended the seminar prior to a planned transfer to the Schutztruppen für Kamerun. It would appear that this never happened as both his transfer and posting back to Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 5 are published in the Militär-Wochenblatt by 3rd August 1914. Regards Glenn

I think you mixed up the place names? Besztercebánya = Banská Bystrica = Neusohl. FJB 21 was at Besztercebánya in 1868. The commander was Oberstlieutenant Ferdinand Ritter von Perger (1823-1890) Regards Glenn

Roman, his biography from the Offizier-Stammliste of 1. GRzF plus his portrait. Regards Glenn

Here is one for a start. Regards Glenn And another.

Paul, he was commissioned into Train-Bataillon Nr. 4 as a Leutnant der Reserve with a Patent of seniority of 22.4.12. Regards Glenn

The Generaladjutant is Feldmarschalleutnant Zdenko Prinz von Lobkowitz, Herzog zu Raudnitz. Regards Glenn

Hermann, he is wearing a Prussian general officers' Überrock with the epaulettes removed. Regards Glenn