ccj

EXCELLENT! That suggests awards possible from Hesse (the 1917 "Iron Ludwig"?) or Waldeck-- but nothing from Waldeck would fit that tight.

The only officer I found listed as a commander of FAR 111 was char Oberstleutnant aD Kersten, a Hauptmann in FAR 3 when the war started.

That suggests that whoever this was, was a Major or Oberstleutnaant when the war started, was probably the first rather than final regimental commander-- and is now "invisible" in the Honor Rank List because everyody of this seniority was a DIVISIONAL artillery commander by 1918. Regiments were down to majors as commanders. So what the Honor Rank List shows are divisional rtillery commands when the war ended and not when this officer was at the head of the 111th circa 1915-16 or so.

Thanks Rick. I was hoping a colonel's tunic would be identifiable. The boards are Prussian not Hessen. Prussian unit or Prussian officer?

Charles:

Yes, this cap could also be used for UR 14, but for officers of DR 11 and 12, the band color would be more of a maroon shade and the band and piping would be in velvet.

Dave

It's hard for me to tell on the colors sometimes. Someday I shall find one for my collection. The search continuuuuueeess...

Here's a photo of a general and staff officer's. Not mine but from another post on the forum that I can no longer find.

Charles

Here's the proper schirmmutze for your tunic...

Dave

DAVE, you are alive! That's a super sharp visor. That's what I've been searching for these many years. That's the same for a ulan Rgt 14 or maybe Fragoon Rgt 12.

Charles

Cuff pocket

Claudio,

It looks great to me, but I highly recommend checking with the forumites on http://pickelhaubes.com/forum/index.php

I think it looks good.

Shoulder board

That is a beautiful tunic. Can you please post some closeups of the shoulder boards and litzen?

Charles, I notice two nice ribbon bars on the tunics. Are they original to the piece or original bars? Could you post a pic of the front and back of each?

Both ribbon bars are original. I'll try to either post them here or find links to where they've been posted already.

Your man in the photograph looks like Schmidt in my post...don't you think?

Cuff pocket.

Charles,

What size is the button you need? 18mm?

Chip

Yes Chip, 18mm is the size.

Does anyone have the proper tanish-green thread for these. I don't know what to use to restore in unleass I can find some 100% cotton thread in a color that is very close to the rest of the button thread.

An update to the Hessian Feldwebel-Lt of IR116. He is wearing an infantry visor cap for an Hessian officer and a Warrior Honor Decoration in Iron. I don't see anything in the in my search indicating a man could not receive this decoration before the EKI.

Besides, I'm low on EKIs

Rick, from Wikipedia

The 56th Infantry Division was formed on March 5, 1915 and began organizing itself over the next two months. It received the 35th Fusilier Regiment (F?silier-Regiment Prinz Heinrich von Preu?en (Brandenburgisches) Nr. 35) from the 6th Infantry Division, the 88th Infantry Regiment (2. Nassauisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 88) from the 21st Infantry Division, and the 118th Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Carl (4. Gro?herzogl. Hessisches) Nr. 118) from the 25th Infantry Division. ^[1] The 35th Fusiliers was a Prussian regiment from Brandenburg, the 88th Infantry was a Prussian regiment from the former Duchy of Nassau, and the 118th Infantry was from the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The 56th Infantry Division's order of battle on March 7, 1915 was as follows:

• 112.Infanterie-Brigade:
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr.35
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr.88
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr.118
  • Radfahr-Kompanie Nr. 56
• 4.Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
• 56.Feldartillerie-Brigade:
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr.111
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr.112
  • Fu?artillerie-Bataillon Nr.56
• Pionier-Kompanie Nr.111
• Pionier-Kompanie Nr.112.

_{^{Apparently, infantry regiments are the main interest for an infantry division and artillery and cavalry don't seem to get much mention.}}

Combat chronicle

After organizing and training in the Champagne region of France, the division was transported to the Eastern Front. It participated in the Gorlice-Tarn?w Offensive of 1915, and the Battle of Lemberg. At the end of June 1915, the division was transported back to the Western Front.

The division saw action from September through November 1915 in the Second Battle of Champagne. After a period in the trenchlines and then rest in the army reserve, in May 1915, the division entered the Battle of Verdun, fighting in the struggle for the Dead Man's Hill. The division joined the Battle of the Somme at the end of August 1916. In October 1916, the division received the 47th Ersatz Infantry Brigade as reinforcement, and returned to the final phase of the Battle of the Somme in November. The 47th Ersatz Infantry Brigade was transferred from the division in January 1917. The division remained in positional warfare along the Somme and in Flanders in early 1917. It faced the British offensive at Arras in April and May, and then after more time in the trenchlines, it returned to Verdun in August. The division remained at Verdun into early 1918, and then returned to the Flanders region. It ended the war in battle before the Antwerp-Maas defensive line.

Allied intelligence rated the division as a second class division, mainly due to the heavy fighting it had seen and the losses it had taken.

Late-war organization

Given its late formation, the division underwent fewer structural changes than other divisions by late-war. It became more Hessian in nature, losing the 35th Brandenburg Fusiliers to the 228th Infantry Division and receiving the 186th Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment Nr.186), a regiment formed from the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau. The division's order of battle on October 19, 1918 was as follows:

• 112.Infanterie-Brigade:
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr.88
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr.118
  • Infanterie-Regiment Nr.186
• 4.Eskadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17
• Artillerie-Kommandeur Nr. 56:
  • Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr.112
  • Fu?artillerie-Bataillon Nr.56
• Pionier-Bataillon Nr.139
• Divisions-Nachrichten-Kommandeur Nr. 56

This set-up will look great if you find a nice pair of captain or major engineers boards for display with an EKI and a states EK equivalent. The loops could hold a three place up to a 5 place order bar and it would look super to have a display showing an early war decorated pioneer officer dress in formal or evening wear.

There are many photos of officers wearing prewar colored tunics and uberrocks with WW1 decorations. If you ever tire of it I'd like to have it.

A very nice 1910 tunic for a General Staff major. It has the 1915 'Kolbenlitzen' tabs. Inside the cuff of one sleeve is a pocket. This tunic is almost exactly like the one on page 549 of Kraus' book. I tried many times to sell it a couple of years ago because I have this one and a super nice Majors Kleiner Rock and trousers. I'm glad I DIDN'T sell/trade it now. I've been foolish in the past and have sold many nice tunics, caps, spikes, orders, etc...

I need ot find a visor cap and a nice brocade or field belt for this tunic.

EKI NEEDED!!!

Sorry for the poor quality

Shoulder Board

Here's a nice display I'm just now able to put together. The visor cap is for Technical Troops and is very worn and made of a summer weight and material. The Kleiner Rock is very worn with a few holes and fading from both use and improper storage/display. It has one shoulder strap button that needs to be replaced if anyone has a spare.

The loops are for two badges and are very close together. I'm not sure what would actually be best suited under the EKI so I placed a cut-out silver wound badge underneath.

I'm running low in EKIs. I need 3 to have EKIs on my tunics that have loops for such an award. I'm looking but I won't pay what I think to be unreasonably high prices for 'common' EKIs. Maybe I AM getting old because I just can't see why prices for EKIs are going up like they have in the last year.

Cool... That's a first for me. I would think he had to be a "frontline" combatant in 1870-1 to get an EKII. I wonder what he did in WW1, he was too old to be a medic... Landwehr medical officer maybe?

Interresting thread Charles. Here some photos

Regards

Christophe

Christophe,

Can you ID the awards Mackenson is wearing? Who is the General Staff officer at the left?

...not such a nice guy apparently.

He looks like general Schmidt to me.

Does anyone see the similarities?

For the brigade/Arko, the only name listed in the Stellenbesetzung is "Oberst Reuss"; no first name and no dates.

FAR 111 was a wartime unit so it's not in the Stellenbesetzung. I think FAR 111 was Grand Ducal Hessian, so there might be information in "Die Hessen im Weltkrieg", but I don't have a copy of that book.

Thank you.

That picture is of Maximilian Ritter Von Hon

http://home.att.net/~ordersandmedals/MMJO/Hoehn.htm

Are there any other commanders listed for the brigade command or the regimental commands? I'd like to find more on this as I have found something belonging to an artillery colonel of the FAR111.

We cought almost start a Lodge on this site???Thanks Borther! Bro Darrell English Lafayette Greylock,North Adams Mass 32oSR

I am...

Albert Pike Lodge 714

Mark Master Masons Jewel (UK)

I'm a bit embarrassed that I don't remember my "mark". It's recorded if my memory serives... I can't find my coin. Is anyone else here a Royal Arch Mason?