Thomas W

Robin:

Just found a photo identified as a German small-flamethrower attack. The weapon in question appears to be a captured French P4 flamethrower, which the Germans could not have used very much, as the French manufactured only 250 of them. So, this photo is posed, and the soldiers are armed with the Gew 98. Since flamethrower pioneers used the Kar 98AZ, these are likely infantrymen.

Look at the sleeve cuff of this fellow:

Reviewing men of the Württemberg Mountain Battalion after Caporetto. Any idea who he is?

What a coup! Well done.

I paid 2.00 Euro for this ...

Very nice. Unusual to see Grabenpanzer and guard dogs. Usually the armored fellas are in a trench, not out in the street.

Here's a Pionier of Sturmbataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr) in Belgium. $1.00.

I planned to bid on this photo...yesterday the price was only 10.40 EUR...today's winning bid >>>> 154 EUR :speechless1:

Sometimes I pay insane prices for postcards on eBay, but other times I find incredibly valuable cards for almost nothing, so for me it balances out.

I just bought this card of an Unteroffizier of the flamethrower platoon, Sturmbataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr). It cost only $1.75.

Can anybody identify the vertical stripes on this pioneer's collar? Thanks.

Oh yes, you´re right! My fault! That was the Bataillon at the eastern-front! Sorry!

Well.

In the book "Les gladiateurs" (Jean-Claude- Laparra) I read, that in automn 1917 a provisional was built.

It had elements of the Bataillon 14 and 16 and some austro-hungarian formations!

This formation was rallied in Metz at 1st of octobre. The elements of the german bataillons were:

Btl.16: 2.(württ.) Sturmkompanie and the Flammenwerfer-platoon

Btl.14: one MG-company, one company Minenwerfer and the I./Geschütz-Batterie (just set-up)

This formation was called "Sturmbataillon der Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht", it existed from 1st october 1917 until 14th, decembre 1917

Unfortunately I don´t have any infos about the austro-hungian elements

Thanks, Andy. I appreciate it.

Btl.17 (Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht) formed 19.jan 1917

The Sturmtruppen book by Jean-Louis Larcade says that Assault Battalion No. 17--a Germano-Austrian unit--was formed January 19, 1917, by k.u.k. Heeresfront Erzherzog Karl on the Russian front.

This new Sturmtruppen book by Oliver Richter says a Sturmbataillon was formed in October of 1917 by Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg in Flanders.

I just read that Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht von Württemberg had an assault battalion, formed in October of 1917.

I've been unable to corroborate this claim. Anybody help me? An assault battalion seems a bit small for an entire army group.

Non-regulation FW skulls here? .................

Metal?

Really hard to say. Can't tell if they have oval cloth backing patches or not. The regulation officers' badge was embroidered from silver bullion. It would be a huge hassle to embroider a skull directly onto a sleeve. Plus, the officer would have to give up his tunic while it was being embroidered. They may indeed be non-regulation metal skulls.

At any rate, the position so high on the sleeve indicates that the two men are veterans of Sturmbataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr).

Sorry, I have no date for the photo.

It may be postwar, because many of the men seem older. At least four men are veterans of Sturmbataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr). Interesting!

The photos are from the photo album of an officer, who was a Flammenwerfer soldier at the end of the war.

Do you have a date for the last photo?

What's the story behind the last three photos?

According to K.-G. Klietmann, such a prototype helmet did exist at the Zeughaus in Berlin.

Chip

Yup. It was allegedly ordered on June 6, 1916. Every time I see a period photo of a Guard Pioneer wearing a Pickelhaube, I look closely to see if there's that little Brunswick skull. No luck yet.

Maybe someday I'll find a photo of a guy wearing a Guard Pioneer Pickelhaube with a Brunswick skull and a sleeve badge with a black Prussian skull.

Can you imagine the bidding war on eBay?

Due to the fact that they are wearing steel helmets (at least circa 1916), I think it is possible that they have subdued gray Litzen with a white Spiegel. This is the M15 pattern for the Bluse, but M15 straps were worn on the vereinfachte uniforms, so perhaps the Litzen were too.

Chip

Thanks, Chip. I appreciate it.

The Litzen look yellow, but the Litzenspiegel are white. Is it Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 5?

Let's all pitch in to split the cost, and then we'll take turns keeping it in our houses.

Thomas

Seesoldat

Regards

Glenn

Thanks again...

Seebataillon

Thanks very much.

What was the rank of a private soldier in the Seebataillon?

This soldier of the East Asia Expedition Corps was photographed in Peking in 1901 by an American officer named Captain C. F. O'Keefe.

Can anybody I.D. the unit?

Stahlhelmbund...

View of both men...

Irish gunner is right... I thought you meant the other case.

The little one is not an ammunition pouch

The larger one is a Lange Pistole 08. There's another man in the photo wearing the same rig, and you can see that it's a pistol holster. Both men have the small case...

Thanks. Never saw such a small map case...

Is this an ammunition pouch for the Lange Pistole 08 on the man's belt?

Thanks very much. It's a photo of an assault unit, so maybe "S" is for Sturm or Stoss and "A" is for Abteilung.