Glenn J

Robert, the following were Bandmasters of the 7. Division in 1927: Obermusikmeister Hermann Kr?mmel A./19. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Gustav Wei? III./21. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Eduard Kaufmann III./20. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Otto Kirmse I./20. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Ludwig Zimmer II./20. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Georg F?rst I./19. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Heinrich Kohn III./19. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Karl Ortner A./20. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Waldemar Kr?mmel 7. Fahr-Abteilung Obermusikmeister Max Hempel II./19. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Schifferl 7. Pionier-Bataillon Obermusikmeister Hans Sauter I./ Infanterie-Regiment 21 Obermusikmeister Grawert A./21. Infanterie-Regiment Obermusikmeister Georg Heinlein 17. Reiter-Regiment Obermusikmeister Hugo Brathuhn 7. Nachrichten-Abteilung Musikmeister Ludwig Gaul II./21. Infanterie-Regiment Musikmeister Brandt 7. Artillerie-Regiment Regards Glenn

Having now returned from my trip to M?nchen I can offer a few pointers regarding the Kriegsarchiv on Leonrod Stra?e. The staff are indeed very helpful and friendly and the holdings there are considerable. The immediate drawbacks however are a lack of a computerised catalogue and very limited reproduction possibilities. All the Personalbogen and other files relating to commissioned officers of the Bavarian Army are there to see and these can be easily found using the card-index system there. I also understand there are similar documents for all the members of the Weimar era Landespolizei. These can then easily be ordered from a member of the archives staff and will be supplied within about ten-fifteen minutes. Of course then the problem is getting what you want reproduced. They will copy for you but it will probably take a couple to three weeks and I believe it is relatively expensive. These documents can also be a bit intimidating if you can not decipher the S?tterlin handwriting! Also available and searchable through the card indices are all the unit war diaries, Kriegsstammrollen and documentation from WW1. The second drawback: As there is no real catalogue of the huge holdings of books, one must have an idea of what you are looking for in the first place. If you have a title they will look for it and produce it if available. I also understand that an online catalogue may be in the process of being produced. There is a small library which contains all the Bavarian Milit?r-Handb?cher and Verordnungsbl?tter etc which are immediately available for use. If you are in that part of the World and you want to know about a Bavarian Officer then it is definitely the place to visit. Regards Glenn

Hi webr55, I have not found a commissioning date for him prior to January 1917. Another Beutnagel died as a Leutnant d.R. in R.I.R 73. Regards Glenn

Karl Graf Lehndorff was originally an active officer in the Neum?rkisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 3. He went on reserve status in that regiment on 15 November 1887. He transfered into Landwehr status in 1899 (Landwehrbezirk Goldap) and left military service completely sometime between May and December 1900. Second-Lieutenant: 14. 7.83 Premier-Lieutenant d.R.: 17.12.92 Regards Glenn

Hi Stijn, if it is the same guy he must have been quite elderly in WW2: Ludwig Wilhelm Gustav Reeps, born 1 October 1876 in Posen. A former cadet, he entered Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 17 as a Gemeiner on 28 March 1895. Transfered to Infanterie-Regiment 20 on 19 November 1895 he was promoted to Portepee-F?hnrich on 15 February 1896. Commissioned as a Second-Lieutenant on 18.10.96 he was assigned to the NCO School at Treptow on 1 April 1904. Transfered to Infanterie-Regiment 58 on 1 April 1906 he was promoted to Oberleutnant on 22.3.07. Retired on 6 June 1907. Recalled for service in WW1, he was promoted to Hauptmann a.D. in Flieger-Abteilung 54 on 22.5.15. Regards Glenn

Christian, I could find just one officer with the name Micharl Kłosowski - a Leutnant in der Reserve in K.u.K. Infanterie-Regiment 55. He is only shown with a KTK in early 1918. Regards Glenn

A Leutnant Heinrich Stahmer served in Husaren-Regiment K?nig Humbert von Italien (1. Kurhessisches) Nr. 13. F?hnrich: 20.2.15 Leutnant (ohne Patent): 30.7.15 (Patent: 18.2.13) Oberleutnant: 18.4.18 E Regards Glenn

Rick, I think there are more often sins of omission where a guy "disappears" on transfer than real mistakes. Just in case you don't have it - it is Paul Kurt Wilhelm v. Friedrich-Schroeter, born 16 February 1886 at Ornontowitz. Later Hauptmann i.G., only raised to the nobilty on 11 June 1902 on account of the Stepfather, one Landrat Paul v. Schroeter. Regards Glenn

Hi Komtur, if he is a medical officer then he holds the rank of Oberarzt (same as in the Prussian Army) but I can find no officer of that name in the k.u.k. Army, k.k. Landwehr or k.u. Honv?d (in any branch) in the 1918 editions of the various Ranglisten. Similarly no officer of that name in 1914 or 1916. Regards Glenn

Rick, Komtur Benno Hultzsch was awarded the charakter rank of Major d.R. a.D. on 22 May 1916 while serving with Bezirkskommando II Dresden. Glenn

He appears to be the Bandmaster (Obermusikmeister) of one of the Foot Guards Regiments 1 - 4 or the Garde-F?silier-Regiment judging by the lack of a cypher on the boards and double litzen. These then are the primary suspects - all serving 14-18: Max Graf 2. GRzF Hugo Goerisch 3. GRzF Heinrich Schrader 4. GRzF Heinrich Dippel Garde-F?silier-Regiment He is definitely not Fritz Brase of 1 GRzF and he actually does not look like Hugo Goerisch of 3. GRzF. Regards Glenn

Pater Ortner's entry and awards as at the beginning of 1918. Regards Glenn

Chris, by all accounts Feldpater Ortner was pretty fearless, tending to the wounded and dying in the foremost front lines often under heavy fire. A Feldkurat in der Reserve in the k.k. Landwehr since 28 July 1908. He was assigned to the 1. Landsturm-Regiment on the outbreak of war and initially saw service in Serbia and then in the South Tyrol. He particularly distinguished himself in the fighting on the Folgaria-Lavarone Plateau in the summer of 1915. His entry in the 1918 k.k. Landwehr Rangliste does not show his EKO so presumably that was awarded later in 1918. The photograph below shows him on the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a Priest. A former Landesschutzen Sergeant (Zugsf?hrer), his portrait his carved on the exterior of the church in S?ll. Regards Glenn

Hi westfale, Edmund August Conradin Mierzinsky: He retired on 14 September 1906 with permission to wear the uniform of I.R. 57. In WW1 Bahnhofskommandant in Seesen. Died 18 April 1917 in Hannover. RAO4 Crown Order 3 Long Service Decoration Regards Glenn

Chris, Rick, Faldpater Matthias Ortner born 18 Feb 1877 in S?ll - died 14 June 1960. The cuff rings are the rank distinctions of an A-H Chaplain with the equivalent rank of Hauptmann. Incidentally Pater Ortner was the Parish priest of the village of S?ll in the Tyrol where I spend my summer holidays each year. Regards Glenn

Mike Hauptmann Paul Stein was originally commissioned into the 1. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment as a reserve officer from the rank of Vizewachtmeister der Reserve on 17 April 1897. He remained with this regiment until his first retirement from non active military service on 17 February 1914. On retirement he was granted the authority to wear the Landwehr Army Uniform. Obviously not left in peace for long he reported for duty on mobilisation and was promoted to Hauptmann d.R. a.D. on 20 October 1914. Second-Lieutenant/Leutnant d.R.: 17.4.97 X5x Oberleutnant d.R.: 20.4.10 Hauptmann d.R. a.D.: 20.10.14 1902: Living at Kaiserstra?e 43 D?sseldorf 1906: Bergassessor in Recklinghausen 1911: Bergwerksdirektor in Recklinghausen The LD2 document was signed by Generalleutnant Ernst v. Natzmer. Regards Glenn

Hi Daniel, that is what happens when you make a guess 660 kilometres from home The real Esmarch below Regards Glenn

Dave, Materna was a General Staff Officer. It would appear that the KTK was not universally awarded even to those holding quite prestigious decorations like the EKO. A look at the 1918 k.u.k. Rangliste shows that hardly any of the general Staff officers, many highly decorated did not have the KTK. Regards Glenn

Rick, Chris, that is the later Generalmajor (1.4.41) Friedrich Schneider, born 28 Mar 1879 and died as a Soviet POW in Sachsenhausen in 1945 long after his final retirement in July 1942. Regards Glenn

Alexandre, discounting General Materna's Repulblic of Austrian Awards, he held the following awards and decorations in 1936: Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class with War Decoration & Swords Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration & Swords Silver Military Merit Medal on the Ribbon of the Military Merit Cross Bronze Military Merit Medal on the Ribbon of the Military Merit Cross with Swords Austrian Red Cross Decoration 2nd Class with Swords Officers' Long Service Decoration 2nd Class Austrian War Commemoration Medal Military Jubilee Cross Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class Prussian Red Cross Medal. Regards Glenn

Mike, sorry for the late reply, I have been away on holiday and just saw this. F./ = F?silier or III. Bataillon And yes it should read 24 September 1916. Regards Glenn

Paul, literally just back home. A few facts on Geheimer Baurat Bode. Garnison Bau-Inspektor: 1.4.87G. Awarded the charakter or brevet rank of Baurath on 25.5.95 as a Garnison Bau-Inspektor in Posen. Assigned to the Bauamt in Braunschweig on 19 April 1898 from Posen II. Retired as a Baurat and Milit?r-Bauinspektor as the president of the Milit?r-Bauamt in Braunschweig on 20 January 1910. He was promoted in retirement to the character or brevet rank of Geheimer Baurat on 14 April 1910. He died on the 7th of January 1912. An Intendantur- und Baurat with the charakter as a Geheimer Baurat wore the rank insignia of an Oberstleutnant. Regards Glenn

In fact I think it may well be Friedrich von Esmarch. Regards Glenn

Hi Komtur, I have that photograph somewhere at home possibly in the Zeitschrift f?r Heereskunde. I will look for him on Staurday if nobody identifies him first! Regards Glenn

Glenn checking in from the Tyrol I don't have my stuff with me but a quick check on the laptop shows that the then Geheimer Baurat Bode died in 1912. As Dave rightly points out, a Baurat was a military official in the "property management" business with responsibility for non fortress militarv related construction and maintainance business. I will check him out on my return at the end of the month. Regards Glenn