joerookery

I ended up buying a Hanoverian helmet at SOS. I know almost nothing about their uniforms and I know totally zero about medals. Was there a medal? how difficult would it be to get one? Are they very expensive? Thank you in advance.

reserve regiments had a "parent" active regiment...

I don't know if I totally agree with that. It really depends upon the individual unit. Some came from a parent active regiment but others were formed from all sorts of different sources. I would also caution that the numbers align with each other. Sometimes they do -- most times they do not. Things get pretty complicated when you overlay the political boundaries and the fact that regiments actually moved. Sometimes it is just so complex I cannot figure it all out. For instance, this morning I was looking at LIR 87. I do not understand what relationship existed between this Hessian regiment and Mecklenburg. The parent line is far too simplistic and it got worse as the war progressed. I think in the handbook of Imperial Germany there is a good example of JR 31. I think there is a reason why most sourcebooks disregard reserve and Landwehr formations -- it is just too hard and no one has figured it out yet. Great subject though! You also get into confusions about where the guard uniforms came from in units like RJR 202. Sometimes it's simple but sometimes...

Got this today -- from the American Journal of WFA

available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher.

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=60521

The Landsturm was normally made up of men in their mid to late 40s. This couple both look incredibly young. Perhaps he had some health issue that excluded him from service in a line unit.

This is quite correct however, pre-war most people between the ages of 17 and 20 were also part of the Landsturm and you could also get sent to that organization as part of Musterung.

I agree with Paul -- what a shame.

Chris,

You are the man! That was really nice. God bless.

Bob,

The best way to buy is through the link above to go straight to the publisher.

is far better faster and cheaper that way. I really am having some problems dealing with the Zuber book. I have so much to read on this but I think many different thoughts and he should have read the Handbook.

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=60521

Low pay with high status meant that marriage had to be a business deal where the woman brought the “bacon” to the table. It was not unusual to use a marriage agency. A normal practice was for the bride’s father to assume the officer’s existing debts. The regimental commander had to approve the marriage to ensure the woman had at least an equal social background, enough money, and an unblemished record. 508

508 (Clemente 1992) pg 163-164

Bob,

This is an excerpt from the Handbook of Imperial Germany and the citation from foot note 508. As I am deep into Zuber's latest book I really recommend you read Handbook before you publish anything.

http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=60521

As a further clarification of the heavy light cavalry conundrum here is a quote from Dr. Buchholz who wrote that section of the Handbook of Imperial Germany.

An answer to this question is not as simple as it seems, the views are divided even within Germany. Rather than distinguishing between light and heavy cavalry the difference was made between light and battle cavalry, counting cuirassiers and lancers as battle cav - cuirassiers because of their role in assaulting infantry and uhlans because they were supporting the cuirassiers by breaking up squares with their long lances. Hussars, Jäger zu Pferde and also usually dragoons were counted as light cav due to their recce role and their role as kind of a mounted cavalry (dragoons) carrying out raids.

This system can be found in the really instructing book by General Graf v. Bismark "Ideen-Taktik der Reuterei" published in Karlsruhe 1829. On pages 40-48 he clearly distinguishes cuirassiers (called: Harnisch-Reuterei) and lancers (Lanzen-Reuterei) as battle cavalry from all the other branches of light cavalry. He does so by giving minute details about sizes of horses, riders, their armament and details of their roles. According to Bismark's (he is really spelled "Bismark" not "Bismarck", but with regard possible spelling rules of the 1820s that seems to be the same family - also the later chancellor Bismarck kept the cavalry tradition and was reserve officer of the Magdeburg cuirassier regiment) systematic the lancers would be clearly perceived as heavy cavalry. Since I regarded Bismark's book as the kind of a cavalry bible this was also my source when I wrote the footnote on page 310.

Ortenburg (who is one of the most respected current writers on military history in Germany) rather breaks up cavalry into three different branches: light, medium and heavy cavalry with counting hussars and dragoons as well as the Bavarian Chevauxlegers as light riders, ulans as medium cav and the cuirassiers as heavy battle cav. He doesn't put Jäger zu Pferde into this system since they were built up only after forming cavalry into a uniform arm without assigning different roles to different arms. Please see: Ortenburg Georg "Waffe und Waffengebrauch im Zeitalter der Einigungskriege" Koblenz 1990, pp 116ff and Ortenburg "Waffe und Waffengebrauch im Zeitalter der Millionenheere" Bonn 1992, pp 151ff.

Since I happen to have all of them on shelf as original print I checked all cavalry manuals, the 1764, the 1812, the 1876, the 1886 and 1909 one. In all of them there is no particular distinction made between light and heavy cavalry, only between tactical roles such as recce, flank guard, battle cav assaulting in echeloned formation and dismounted fight - Interestingly non of the manuals assigned a particular role to a particuloar branch of cavalry. Regretfully I don't have the hussars manual issued by Frederick the Great before he wrote the cavalry manual of 1764 based upon the experience of the Seven-Years-War. Probably the hussars manual specifies the role of light cav a bit more.

Interestingly a Saxonian source I have available subscribes to the British point of view by clearly distinguishing between heavy cav including cuirassiers, usually dragoons and also mounted grenadiers (a particular Austrian and Saxonian form of mounted heavy infantry) acting as battle cavalry and light cavalry including chevaux legers, uhlans, hussars, Bosnian riders and cossacks (Author unknown, Handbuch für Kavallerieoffiziers über den Dienst im Felde, Dresden 1789, p 13). Traditionally the Saxonians rather subscribed to Austrian positions than to Prussian ones. We may therefore assume that also the Austrians shared the British point of view.

All of my military handbooks (Handbuch für Heer und Flotte / Scheibert, Illustrirtes Militär-Lexikon / Frobenius, Militär-Lexikon) were published after 1871 and therefore after reforming cavalry into a uniform cavalry featuring their different arms more or less as pure tradition. All three hanbooks make it clear that modern cavalry has to meet both roles: acting as a battle cav and acting as a light recce cav - regardless what branch their are from. All three hanbooks therefore refuse to clearly assign cav branches to roles. Also my last source, the "Handbibliothek für Offiziere oder: Populaire Kriegslehre für Eingeweihte und Laien" published with 20 volumes in the 1820s and 30s explains the different roles of cavalry without clearly assigning branches to roles.

I hope that helped throwing further smoke upon that matter :-)

From the Handbook of Imperial Germany page 223 -- 224

The class of 1917 was mobilized over 18 months early between January and May 1916. This class had been decimated by both Verdun and the Somme. Some of this class had only trained for three months. The class of 1918 was called up between September 1916 and January 1917, a full two years early. This class constituted many of the higher numbered infantry regiments from 442 and two new divisions such as 231 to 242 and the 15th Bavarian division. The class of 1919 was mobilized in May and June of 1917 a full 2 ½ years early. Primarily, this class was sent to the Russian front and the more senior soldiers deployed to the Western front. By the spring of 1918, the class of 1920 had been called up. 564

the class of 1918

Hamburg in 1916

I don't know -- this really was a stretch for me to begin with as I was brought up with the Napoleonic understanding of Cavalry including middle cavalry. Then there was all the British influence in the combining of Lancers and Hussars. Dr. Buchholz' groupings were formed from German doctrinal writings. The German/English/French correlations do not seem to always work.

This is footnote 639 from the "Handbook of Imperial Germany" on page 310. Specifically the section deals with tactical changes in the cavalry and other branches between the Franco Prussian war and the first world war.

Thank you once again! I really should have posted that first. thanks for chasing this around for me your answer is exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you once again! I really should have posted that first. thanks for chasing this around for me your answer is exactly what I was looking for.

I should have posted this before..... something does not add up.

Thank you!

Name found inside a helmet. Any idea who this is or any information on him? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the kind words! I am really glad it is delivering for you. I have had a few e-mails asking why we didn't do the Navy. That was an intentional act. The intent of the book was to focus on the Army. As we didn't think there was anything in the English language that explained the Army in this way. While not the same, I think Holger Herwig did the Navy some justice in his book "luxury fleet". While he didn't do the social stuff, or the political stuff. It is still a good read about the Navy. We will try to include that if there ever is a second edition. If we do that, we will also increase the size of the pictures to help the contrast on some of the maps and our biggest gripe of all.--- We did not include an index at the end. That makes it harder for people to look things up. Just goes to show how much of a rank amateur operation we are! But we have had fun.

he also belonged to the Marine Offiziere Verband (Mitglied Nr. 383 !!!) which normally shunned ex-engineers. Why? Despite the social discrimination-- for business...

I would just like to back up what Rick said here. We did not cover the Navy in our recent book and have been researching that a bit. The naval officer corps was very very very stratified. It defies logic and is purely only social discrimination that to me makes little sense, but it certainly was present. Engineers was a subcategory that really took it on the chin.

Karl saw himself degraded to the Landwehr. In his own words: "Degradiert zur Landwehr"

This is really educational. Based on his rank! Must have been non voluntary during parts of the war. The following quote is from pages 183-184 of the Handbook of Imperial Germany.

An officer would remain in reserve status until he requested transfer into the Landwehr.

As long as an officer was fit and the Bezirks-Kommando had no objections, he could stay in the reserves after age 27. This routinely was approved. Likewise, officers moved between the first and second levy of the Landwehr upon request. Many reserve officers liked to stay in a functional organization where there was at least some training requirement. It was very unusual (but not impossible) for a reserve officer to be promoted beyond captain. Officers, who quit or were cashiered from the active army, were enrolled in to the reserve component that their age required.

Offizierstellvertreter Friedrich Kuban, 1. Kompagnie Landwehr-Infanterie-Bataillon Stockach I

If I am right his unit was Landsturm-Infanterie-Bataillon Stockach I ---super nice picture!

Thanks for the kind words! As they are on eBay , and they can be shipped from our house to the international community the book fits in an international priority mail envelope and goes to Australia for I believe $15. Look at the American eBay listings.

Sample pages by request.

I'm sorry about the shipping! The book weighs 1.7 pounds. Perhaps there is another way to skin the cat. The book is now available at Barnes & Noble's, Amazon, etc. perhaps ordering through them might be somewhat cheaper for the shipping to Australia. $36 is pretty shocking. The retail price of the book goes up five dollars, but perhaps the shipping goes down quite a bit. isbn 9781449021139

They have profoundly mucked up the review copies. Both time and money will go to try to fix this problem.