Mark C

It's maybe from somewhere in the Baltic or former east Prussian region. Why are the crosses "Murdered by the SS" written in German? Is this in the DDR?

Well, we must see that Russian helmet! Please!

I notice how they identify the main beneficiary/mastermind of the imperial system as the British army corporal.

Thank you for the presentation. I look at the regiment's known killed through the war and see that 1914's losses were followed by much lighter casualties in 1915-16-17, which then pick up again a bit in the 1918 offensives and Hundred Days. Still, the worst year from these partial data is nevertheless the short year of 1914.

Not sure about your understanding of the Redl affair. From "Beyond Nationalism: A Social and Political History of the Habsburg Officer," by Istvan Deak, Professor of History, Columbia University. (Page 145) "On May 24, 1913, he was finally unmasked, thanks to the vigilance of the intelligence bureau of the German Great General Staff and of the Austrian state police. He killed himself that same night... The order for him to commit suicide actually marked the beginning of a lengthy attempt at obfuscation, in which both Conrad and the emperor were deeply involved. There ensued, nevertheless, a public scandal, which severely damaged the reputation of the general staff, the army, and the monarchy." Kronenbitter in "War Planning 1914" page 26, is also clear: "...without the helping hand of the German Sektion IIIb, Redl would not have been caught." And see the full color illustration in the 15 Juin 1913 issue of "Le Petit Journal" depicting the "trahison du Colonel Redl en Autriche, comment le coupable s'est suicide." Lastly, I have not seen a source saying any part of Redl's passed information included the Schlieffen Plan.

Very much so. Makes a Serbian ranker instantly identifiable from pre-WW1 through WWII. But in fact the pattern came from Austria in the 1880s or '90s.

Not necessarily reliable documentation, but I saw this on rootsweb: "Looking for information on my Great Grandfather. Served in the German Military. We were told by his son that he left the German Military due to being struck with a riding croup by the Kiser. Wondering if anyone knows of records of deserters or just those in the military." No doubt this fellow was a miserable varlet and deserved it, but which of the two meanings of croup might it have been? The croup that is a "hoarse, brassy cough," or the croup that is "a rump of a beast of burden, especially a horse."

If I remember right, no NVA officers were to be accepted into the Bundeswehr. Career NCOs were acceptable on a trial basis. The West German general officer charged with organizing the transition wrote a book about it. I saw it in English. Things were happening very fast. The West Germans were conscious of what they wanted to happen, and that it might not be the exact same way as their NATO allies might suggest being done. This general seemed kind of bourgeouis. Always remarking on the protocol being observed, how many higher rank officials came to meet with him, and what the furniture looked like. This officer thought that the NVA officers were more concerned with their loss of economic security (read privilege) than anything else. They would fairly beg for jobs or special favor. He was rather scornful of them. Maybe he thought they should just start a business or something, but you know--unemployment can be pretty scary.

The site has quotes that probably explain much: So they sent us in there. But the Aberdare Mountains or Hills they were called – they weren’t called Mountains – they rose to 12,000 feet. So you’d another 6,000 feet to go up to get over the top of them and this was very hard because it was difficult to breathe and you were carrying a wireless – everyone took their turn in carrying the wireless, you see. You’re carrying your rifle; your ammunition; your food, you know. So. It was very difficult to work at 10, 12,000 feet you know. And it was very cold at that height, even in Africa. And also, it rained every night. It wasn’t much rain, it was low cloud and drizzle all the time, so you were pretty dry during the day, but every night your were soaking wet, you know. And you only had a ground sheet to make a little tent with. You know, that’s all you had. No, no sleeping facilities, just lie on the ground and fall asleep, you know

The joke here is that none of the natives wear pants. They don't know what they are, or can't comprehend actually wearing them.

Hold on, folks. This kind of look is traditional for the Spanish Foreign Legion, for at least decades now. The heavy tatoos might go back to pre-Civil War, I'm not sure. The open-to-the-sternum shirt is the norm since at least the 1970s. All that's new on this guerrero is the modern tatoo design, but not tatoos per se.

The Irish Transvaal Brigade had lots of Irish-Americans in it from the goldfields.

Look at Google Books for The New Army List Militia List and Indian Civil Service List 1880 Probably has everything about stations and commanders that you want.

That's not Benjamin Franklin, but I believe his son, William. Staunch loyalist. Helped his dad in the kite thing. PS Old newspapers aren't really a museum concern, but a library's. Mostly solved by extensive microfilm recording, and often libraries prefer not to have to keep the originals because of their bulk and fragility. Some cheap papers 100 years old fall apart at the touch, while some good quality paper over 200 years old can still be leafed through.

Some characters are quite Cyrillic, others are strange. They don't seem to make any Russian language sylables, much less words. Maybe something weird - like Hungarian written in Fraktur?