Chip

Hi Andy, I think some makers are known. I have not seen a "list" per se. Chip

Officer's had two types of shoulder insignia...those sewn into the shoulder seam and the removable type. Early in the war, when it was found that the bright prewar straps were leading to officers being targeted, several forms of covering were used. The most common was a strip of cloth sewn over the board. Officers also painted their boards field gray and before the September 1915 regulations, a type of "subdued" board was available. By the September 1915 regulations, officer's boards were either subdued flat gray Feldachselstücke or the bright Friedensachselstücke, primarily meant for the Friedensuniform and the Kleiner Rock. So, from the very early days of the war, there was no need for an officer to remove his sewn-in boards, as there were several means to hide them. Chip

Not really true. It was the primary custom of the Bavarians to sew the M15/16 shoulder straps into the shoulder seam. Most Bavarian straps you will find are unfinished on the end (not sewn shut), as that end would be hidden anyway. I have a near mint 1916 dated Bavarian Bluse and you can plainly see that the shoulder seam was left open so that the strap could be inserted. From the factory, it was just whip-stitched shut.

True!

I have that same case only in natural aluminum color. I think they are thick enough to handle many uses. Mine does not have that insert, and it lends some credence to the housewife type use. Chip

Hello GreyC, Yes, I am familiar with this thread, but it does not list all of the ranks. I say this, because I have examples that are not described or shown in the Tafel. I am still trying to identify them. Chip

Hello GreyC, Do you have a copy of this book and if so, could you scan the descriptions of the insignia? Thanks, Chip

Did the edelweiß pin come with the grouping or was that just added for the photo? Chip

I'm not crazy about those large winged props and it looks like there were pips on these boards at one time.

Vereinigte Schlauch und Gummidwaren Fabrik = United hose and rubber-ware factory. Chip

Thanks Andy, Just a guess on my part. I thought "Ges." stood for Gesetzlich. Chip

It looks like someone went back over it later and updated the rank and possibly added a death date "ges." might mean "gestorben". Chip

Hmmm. I struck out on the both the color of the state stripes and the color of the metallic lace. Time to get back to the ophthalmologist!

Nice Chris! I swear half of my 3.Jäger Rgt. Sterbebilder (77 of them) show soldiers in other unit uniforms. I have also seen several Sterbebilder where the uniform is that of the 3.Jäger Rgt., but the soldier died while serving in another unit. One look at an earlier war Soldbuch will verify that soldiers (for the most part) got transferred regularly, for a myriad of reasons. Chip

GreyC, The Bavarian enlisted cockade was changed in 1916 from the one with the blue ring on white to the one with the solid blue center. Officer's examples were additionally changed with the removal of the "clam-shell" outer ring to a ring with a "saw-tooth" type edge. Troops already in the field were not so much affected, unless issued new clothing pieces or, in officer's cases, when they wanted to update their cap or purchase a new one. Chip

Very nice indeed! Do you know when the extra silver lace was added to the shoulder boards of this unit and others? I see it, for instance, on boards from officer's of the Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Rgt.Nr.109, etc. Chip

Chris, A few additional, some of which you didn't show. Chip

There was no regulation for feldgrau underlay on medical officer's boards. This was strictly personal preference, as were this collar color and Kragenpatten backing. I have seen this many times on officer's shoulder boards and more frequently on Saxon examples. Chip

I think it's just a summer weight, privately purchased jacket. Windbreakers and the like are usually more loose fitting and don't normally display unit shoulder straps. Chip

Bavarian artillery Leutnant?

I see from the map that the 3.Jäger Regiment was well represented. Chip

Nice soldier artwork on the obverse. It takes lots of viewing time to find these gems! Chip

Chris, Though I am not comparing the two documents, I know how you feel about getting this Militärpaß. I had a similar feeling when I won the 124er pass signed by Rommel. Chip

I think this is the sleeve insignia for the RW-Schützen-Regiment 41.

Super acquisitions! Chip