Trajan

No, not copying a pickelhaube, but much more likley to be a copy of a GB Life Guards helmet.

Don't you just hate it when that 'Can't do a photograph right now' comes up and then nothing else appears! Yes, and old thread, but it would be nice to see the photographs having one of these 'keine magnetish' ones myself...

I guess that this group might be a staff officer seconded for service in Germany and so a non combattants EKII as that is a Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer...

Well spotted!

Just for starters, let's see the back!

The curse of photobucket has struck so I cannot see these...

Hi Tony, Yes I saw that site - and one of the photographs at the start page does show some uniformed official with an SA member, and the former seems to have something on his Ehrenkreuz ribbon, possibly crossed swords. But, basically, yes - more 'bling' was required by the owner of my pair! Julian Eric, How are these? Do they help in anyway? Julian

Thanks Eric, I'll try and get new photographs of the EK on line later today - when I find my camera! - but yes, a partial stamp for 'WUS' is a good explanation. I gather that there were quite a few EK makers and that not all have been conclusively identified, but Joh.Wagner und Sohn of Berlin were noted retailers of medals, etc.. The Ehrenkreuz, by the way, has what I gather is a common maker's mark - 'O.6' for Orden-Herstellergemeinschaft - Pforzheim Any thoughts, by the way, on the use of Kyffhäuserbund swords on the Ehrenkreuz ribbon on an Ordnensspange? I have seen other examples like this on the web, in collections and in 'for sale' adverts... I can understand why a man would have these crossed swords on the ribbon on a Feldspange but why on an Ordensspange when the recipient's category of Ehrenkreuz medal would be clearly visible from the medal itself? Jullian

Will this one below do to be going on with? I'll try and gets ones of the cross alone tomorrow or at the weekend. Also, any thoughts on the use of the Kyffhäuserbund swords on the Ehrenkreuz ribbon? These were not needed to show the man's combatant status as the medal did that. As the medals are easily detachable from the ribbon bar, I did wonder if they were for when the ribbon bar was worn by itself to show the recipient's status as a Frontkampfer recipient of the Ehrenkreuz. I have seen other examples like this. Julian

Thanks Tony, Yes I periodically step into the kaiserbunker as it is an excellent general source on the very many things I know nowt about - I am a WW1 German bayonet collector really! Could be a 'WS' - but I have no idea as to which way they stamped the things! I was reading from outside in but I guess it could be from inside out?

Hi! I recently came by a WW1 EK II, and have been trying to find out through the magic of G**gle who the maker might be (assuming it is real!), but with no luck. It looks to be "SA", but never having looked at any of these things before, and not finding anything on the web, I'd appreciate any help from pals out there!

Photo 3: They are pretty certainly M.69 Werder bayonets introduced 1869, not 1868 (!), and look to be the original unaltered version with the full quillon and round finial at the end, and so not adapted to the M.69 aptiert specification of December 1975. Note also that Werder bayonets were still around in Bavarian stocks in 1914, although clearly this photograph is not that late! Trajan

Thanks. I had imagined as such - especially as he is not even an EK or Wound Badge wearer!

Hi everyone, A long shot but I have had this photograph of a man with the Deutsche Schutzdivision freikorps (January 1919- June 1920) for some time. Nothing written on it, and apart from the fact he has two cockades on his hat and is holding a Gew.98, nothing else to say really - unless somebody has an idea who he might be? Trajan

I don't think the Reichsheer used those collar tabs... Police is certainly possible though, given that 'dress/parade' helmet

Carter doesn't do so. He includes them in his vol 4, IIRC. Josh, VERY well spotted! But a minor correction - they were made for the 1914 version of the MS rifle; the MS 1903 rifle had the short knife bayonet. And for those who don't know very much about this particular 'Greek/German' bayonet, they were ordered by Greece from Steyr, but none had yet been delivered when August 1914 came along, and as Greece would not commit to the Central Powers, they were instead sent to Simson to be converted to fit the Gew.98. BUT specifically for the Bavarian army, as they had lots of Gew.98 but were so short of S,98 for these that they were busy from early August converting their Werder 1869 bayonets to fit that rifle... Julian

And I am certain many other others will be happy to have this BB&Co matter sorted out - I have one of those! Trajan

Thanks! I knew there would be a simple answer, nd it would be something along these lines, so glad to have it spelled out. These epaulettes never appear in Turkey and so I have never really looked into them. Trajan

This is my favourite pick and here is my favourite pickelhaube (well, a Kaiserhelm really)!

Chip, Would you explain your reasoning please for those of us not well versed in these matters? That is to say, why bayr.6.Feld Artillerie Regiment?

A Bayerisches Artillerie-Seitengewehr M.1892 A very nice Bayerisches Artillerie-Seitengewehr M.1892! Don't know about finding a scabbard for it but some (not all) had the Bavarian frog staple for a strap-and-buckle scabbard fastening and two loop belt hanger (as with the French bayonets of the time) rather than a frog stud. As I understand it, the marking is the Bavarian pre-1910 style for the 9.Feldartllerie-Regiment Rekruten Depot der 2 Ersatz-Batterie, Waffe 10. If I am wrong somebody will correct me! Trajan

Many of the 'dress' Seitengewehr did not fit onto rifles - some don't have mortice slots, or mortice slots that are too short or narrow, or non-functioning press-studs and catch systems. What sort is the top example of yours? If it has a mortice slot, does it have a piece of coloured felt in it? The second is a very nice example of the short KS made as a 'dress' weapon. There is an excellent example of one of these with an applied (metal) monogram of Wilhem II on the grip illustrated in Nolle and Carter, Deutsche Seitengewehre und Bajonette, no. 221 on p.93, and I know of others - a friend in the UK has one. I have seen a photograph of one of the Central European minor princes or somebody like that who is wearing one of these - but can't remember where right now! Trajan

There is the excellent if pricey set of contemporary B+W photographs arranged by unit of WW1 uniforms by J.Sommers: The Imperial German Armies in Field Grey Seen Through Period Photographs, 1907-1918: Volume I - Uniforms, Headgear, Weapons, Gas Warfare, Telephone and Communications Equipment; Volume 2 - Infantry, Jager, Schutzen, Radfahrer, Mountain Troops and Machine Gunners; Volume 3, Cavalry, Artillery, Pioneers, Transport, Train, Medical, Miscellaneous Formations

I couldn't find him on the Kriegsgräbersuche so perhaps he has no known grave... There is a German subscription site via Ancestry with details of men who were in the Leib-regiment which might have more details - http://www.ancestry.de/cs/de/bayern-erster-weltkrieg-geschichte