Chip

Regardless, it will no doubt sell for a goodly amount. I have one tunic with this title (79th IR) and one loose one. While they are by no means rare, they are highly collectible, as the only official cuffband of the period. I would still like to find one on a field gray tunic!

What do you want to bet that that sheep's name is Minna?! Chip

Simon, A later war Bavarian overcoat should not have any lion buttons on it. In 1916, when the new Einheitsmantel was adopted, the buttons were changed to a universal crown button, which was worn on the overcoats of all contingents. Your lion buttons would not be the original ones and most likely were added later, either during the period or more recently. My 1917 dated example has no lion buttons as per regulations. Regards, Chip

David, Volume one is subtitled, "Field Equipment - Optical Instruments - Body Armor - Mine and Chemical Warfare - Communications Equipment - Weapons - Cloth Headgear." It has lots of photos, primarily from three large private collections, as well as period photos. It is basically the same format as the last few Schiffer books (lots of nice pictures with a modicum of text). I would say that in many ways it is similar to J?rgen Kraus' new book, but it suffers from the same lack of completeness. There are many more things that could and maybe should have been shown. I do think it will be popular amongst our crowd, as it shows not only the common, but the rare as well. Volume two is "in the can" so to speak and in production. Volume three is still being written and assembled. Chip

Kenneth, Get a copy of the translation of Cron's postwar retrospective on the German army in the war. The title is "Imperial German Army 1914-1918, Organization, Structure, Orders-of-Battle". Printed by Helion & Co. in 2002. I got my copy from Barnes and Noble. Unfortunately, the other source I used, "Index to The German Forces in the Field, October 1917" has never been reprinted (to my knowledge). I do think that "The German Forces in the Field" (the companion book) has been reprinted, but the name of the printer escapes me at the moment. Chip

For those of you out there that enjoy field gear and equipment items, Johan Somers new book, "Imperial German Field Uniforms and Equipment 1907-1918, Vol.1" is just out. I received my copy and it is very interesting. This is a bit of a plug, since I made a few contributions to the effort. 384 pages of reading and gawking pleasure. It's a Schiffer publication. Chip

Seeing that first photo makes me realize where all those size 53 helmets have come from! Chip

Kenneth, Sounds like you have the M1915 Gasschutzmaske, aka "Gummimaske". The late date on the filter cannister is no big deal, as all the screw-in filters were interchangable and if your mask remained in service it would have had the filter changed from time to time. Otherwise, it could have easily been put on by a collector too. Armierungs Batl.108/3 was a labor battalion that would have a number of chores, including digging trenches or breastworks, repairing roads, even providing agricultural help. These battalions could have quite a few companies, though the most commonly they had four. The 108th was identified as being on the Western Front in 1917. Chip

Those are the 1908 pattern peaked service cap for enlisted men. Very scarce with the visor still intact and difficult to find these days. I have only seen a handful in 40 years. Discontinued in October of 1918, they were primarily issued to support troops (engineers, Train troops, Sanit?ter and Krankentr?ger, etc. I have two of them that have had the visors and chinstraps removed and then were just sewn back up. The three compartment cloth gas mask pouch first came out in 1915 to carry the mask (no filter attached), and two spare filters in their factory sealed tin cans. In 1916, when the Bereitsschaftsb?chse (issue carrying can) was introduced, the old bags were modified by taking out one cloth partition, thus creating two compartments, one for the mask and filter in the carrying can and the second for the spare filter. Newly made cloth gas mask pouches (Segeltuchtasche 16) were made with two compartments. This one in the photo could be either, as it is not possilbe to tell which it is from the outside. The earlier pouches were made from a thinner canvas similar to Zeltbahn cloth. The later pattern was made from a heavier, tougher canvas. Chip

Robert, Nice photo. Such a small room. I think much of this type of work was farmed out to the "cottage industry". You see quite a few stamps and labels that indicate this. The big manufacturers would make the bulk materials and maybe do some cutting and then the finish work would be subcontracted. For instance, I have a sandbag made from papercloth and it has a bundle label on it. These labels were printed by the government (in this case the "Kgl.Ingenieur-Komitee Berlin") and then filled out by the shop or individual who completed it. The label says, "Angefertigt von der Hausarbeiterin:......." and "Heimarbeit=Ausgabestelle........". Chip

Rick, I see what you mean. In this picture Gonnermann is wearing the 1908 version. You were looking at the 1916 Friedensuniform, which was a new design for this regiment. Confusing ain't it. Chip

Rick, This is the tunic for the Schweres Reiter Rgts. You must be thinking of the Chevaulegers or Bavarian Ulans. Chip

I too have an EKII (Alpenkorps) document with Graf von Bothmer's signature as Major u. Rgts. F?hrer in June of 1918.

Tony, Both of these pairs of German epaulettes would have been worn on the Dunkelblau uniform for non-field use. The doctor's set is for the rank of Stabsarzt. The second pair is that of a Hauptmann from the Inf.-Rgt. von Courbiere (2.Posensches) Nr.19. Chip PS In the time it took me to type this, two others beat me to the answer! Talk about service!

I'm a little bit worried about your mom's fixation with pigs and skulls , but when it comes to the German steins.....would she consider adopting me? Great stuff! Chip

Dan, Years ago, a German collector friend of mine found four of these unissued papercloth MG-Trageriemen at the Stuttgart Flohmarkt. I was lucky enough to have something he wanted (an M71 Hirschf?nger), so I got a set, along with a like-new pair of issue boots (BA XII marked), some issue shirts and a few other things. There is a good possibility that your black Drillich is Kriegsgefangenenkleid. Kraus mentions that prisoners wore black Drillich suits as a sign of their status. He also says that they were eventually made from papercloth. On the other hand, his description of regular army issue Drillich does not mention black, but does discuss the change from earlier natural flaxen color to Feldgrau cotton cloth. No mention is made of papercloth. For what it's worth. Chip

Simon, The name of the maker of your belt is Karl Barth of Waldbr?l. His firm made other leather items during the war, including leather Sanit?ter-and Krankentr?gertaschen. They also made the same pouches from papercloth with leather straps. I think I did help you with an identification. German insignia is my specialty. I have over 700 shoulder straps. Chip

Rick, I wonder which Saxon regiment's uniforms Feldwebelleutnant Beyer dipped into in order to come up with Litzen on his collar. You would think that if the 241st was supplied with uniforms from the depots of say, the 100th or 101st grenadiers, that Herr Seltrecht would have them too. Chip

It would be interesting to know just how the medal is suspended in Ulsterman's photo. There is no exterior button hole on the Bluse. There is one under the flap, but how would looping through that suspend this medal the the position that it is in? I do have photos of soldiers wearing Blusen that have the EKII ribbon sewn on as if there were a button hole, but I don't recall having seen a ribbon suspending a medal in this manner on this pattern jacket. Chip

Dan, Very nice weapons. The drag straps were also made from Papiergarn. I have such an example. I don't imagine that they would have held up very well under field conditions, but I am told that the papercloth did do a sufficient job, as it was surprisingly strong. It's just hard to imagine what would happen to it if it got soaking wet. Chip

Simon, I checked my buckle collection and I have the same crown on my Bavarian "telegraphers" buckle. Chip

Rick's got it right. The straps are M16 field issue with white underlay for infantry. That would probably make the unit the b.4.I.R. The buttons are general issue after 1916 for the Bavarian Bluse and Mantel. The traditional Lion buttons were supposed to be replaced with crown buttons. I assume that this applied to officer's as well. The only lions left were on the NCO rank disks. In practice, this took a little while to get into the production pipeline and the earliest Blusen were still being made with lion buttons. I have a Probe Bavarian Bluse dated 1916 with lion buttons throughout. The special strip of cord on the medical officer's board differed by state. It came in black, blue, red/black twist, red/white twist, etc. The tunic and cap look like they could be examples of that "silk" material. Chip

Tom, That must have been a popular motif. I have the same match safe! Chip

Thanks guys, I think landsknechte's example is closer to mine (same exact ribbon) and it makes sense to me that it was probably a membership medal that once hung on my "bar". Best regards, Chip

I have a couple of photos showing Germans with captured Russian and French machine guns. Weapons seem to be the most common trophy. I also have a French Adrian helmet that I got in Germany back in the 1980s, which has a cloth field cover. It was souvenired by a German soldier, who wrote (in that ubiquitous purple pencil) "Somme 1916". Finally, I have a wooden Russian canteen that has a German's name written on the bottom (I also found this in Germany). Chip