Chip

I believe the two older men are wearing the uniform of the NS-RKB (Nationalsozialistische Reichs-Kriegerbund) or the Marinebund, who had the same insignia, but the navy subsection's insignia was gilt metal with an anchor, which is unclear here. They wore a dark blue suit. It was a veteran's organization. There were ranks within the Bund that were signified by the wearing of an armband on the lower left sleeve. The young sailor in the middle has a cap band that reads "Marineartillerieabteilung" (Naval Artillery Detachment). There was normally a unit number before and after this name, but they cannot be seen in the photo. He is wearing the parade jacket (dress jacket). "MaschOgfr" would have been his rank, Maschinen Obergefreiter (Mechanic NCO), two grades above a basic seaman (Matrose). Chip

During the period that this type of unofficial sleeve patch was worn, the shoulder strap number would reflect the pioneer unit that the MWA came from. So, this would not be the 4th Bavarian Schwere Minenwerfer-Abteilung. If there was an Abteilung number at all, it was normally shown on the sleeve patch. Later in 1915, when the new Minenwerfer shoulder strap was introduced, the unit number was displayed on them and the sleeve patches were dropped.

This last link to the monograms of German regiments, while interesting and shows that someone went to a lot of trouble, is unfortunately, incomplete and has errors. I can't say, however, that I have seen any better one on the Net to this point.

And, of course, he is not wearing a clergy armband.

Some cap examples.

That's nice and newer information than I have. I have an S.14, but am not a bayonet collector per se.

Hello, Here is a comparison between a Bavarian and Prussian prong backed cap cockade. As anyone can see, they're not even close. Even in a black and white photo like this they are easily differentiated by the location of the white rings. The Bavarian Rautenborte was introduced with their new uniform regulations in 1916 (if anyone needs the exact date, let me know). In the final months of 1917, it was ordered reduced to just a vertical strip on the front edges of the collar. This change was supposed to be in effect for the duration of the war, but in practice, many later war Bavarian tunics never had it applied. Of course, it was worn in the field, but period photos of this are few compared with photos of Bavarians without it.

It's a bit difficult to tell the difference in black and white photos. If you could see them in color, it would be another matter, as Jäger zu Pferde officers had green collars and cuffs, whereas the Kürassier had various regimental facing colors. The braids on those collars and cuffs were very similar and some even overlapped (meaning both a J.z.P. regiment and a Kürassier regiment wore the same braid). The shoulder boards would be another identifying attribute, but they are too far away in these photos to be of any help. Also, the base color of the tunics was different. Jäger zu Pferde wore graugrün and Kürassier wore feldgrau. The second photo shows dark piping on the front edge and the cuffs, so he is from a different unit than the man in first photo. Chip

Hello, Here is the quote from Kraus, "Ein weiterer Entscheid von 14.9.1917 wies darauf hin, daß Wickelgamaschen nur für Fliegerformationen, planmäßige Sturm-Bataillone und Truppen mit Gebirgsausrüstung zugelassen seien." So, it was actually 1917 that this decision was made. He goes on to say that in practice, this directive was largely ignored. Chip

I checked this website for you and RIR15 is not listed as one of the unit histories (on disc) that you can purchase. http://military-books.lima-city.de/test/index.html Chip

Feld-Flieger Abt.Nr.66 Chip

Whoops! Ganz recht! (actually "König") I had thought this was a new thread, so my information had already been posted by me earlier! How soon we forget.....

And even more interesting to me is that he was in a regiment that was granted the name "Landwehr Infanterie Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm II. Nr.2" and awarded the wear of the Kaiser's cypher on their shoulder straps as of 1917. Chip

Hello Christiano, There are quite a few pieces here. Are you interested in specific ones or are you wanting them all identified? Regards, Chip

I just saw this thread and although it's unnecessary now, I was going to tell you that the cypher is that of the 1.b.I.R. König. I don't know much about medal research, but I can usually identify cyphers. Chip

Eric, Is that your banner?

I got mine on a trip to Germany in 1982. Traded them out of a German collector friend. Fortunately, they were so very lightly worn so that the markings on the sole are very visible. They are marked with the size "30 II" and the date "XII 16". Chip

One of the best pairs I have ever seen (and the most expensive)!

A great photo with a really unusual insignia. I've not seen that insignia on a helmet cover anywhere else.

Tony, Nice photos! I really like them. Early wartime and very clear. Chip

Hi Tony, Normally, within a communications unit, this "F" stands for "Fernsprecher". In this case, if these are members of an artillery unit, it may be an unofficial patch for the same or for a "Feuerwerker" (artificer), thought these were usually NCOs. Chip

Yes, they have metal numbers. I should have mentioned that in my first post. Notice too that they are both wearing tall rider's boots and cartridge pouches normally associated with the Kar98az. Chip

Thanks for posting that Joe.

According to von Stein, there were about 39 FA units numbered in the 900 series. Feldartillerie-Batterie Nr.908 served with Oberost, 10.Armee, Heeres Gruppe Deutscher Kronprinz, 17.Armee and 2.Armee. Chip

Duh, I forgot that! Chip