Chip

Jan, Thanks again. Chip

That's a bit rich for my wallet!

That's a super marking! One wonders if it saw action in the battle that caused the Kaiser to give the distinction to the regiment and was therefore marked later or if it was a new issue that was marked after the re-naming of the regiment. What is the manufacture date of the piece? Chip

Andreas, Thanks for the info. Did this unit see much action during the war, before it was disbanded? Jan, Thanks for the reply and information.

Tony, The original marks are the B.A.XIX.16 and the size stamp. The rest are re-issue stamps. "B.J.A.Chemnitz18" stands for Bekleidungs-Instandsetzungs-Amt Chemnitz 1918. This was the repair section of the clothing office in Chemnitz. Once repaired, the cap was given a new Garniture classification. The "g" and the "gb" indicate it was suitable for garrison wear, but in worse condition than normal. These stamps are in black, which indicates that they were made after January of 1917, when the color of the stamps were changed from green. Unfortunately, I cannot decipher the smudged regimental stamp. Chip

Chris, I'll take a stab at it. Lübeck Hanseatisches Kreuz? Chip

Dave, Thanks for adding that. It makes more sense now in relation to the RIR 203, which was also a Garde formed unit.

Where does the Preußisches Jäger Bataillon Nr. 27 fit in here? According to Andreas's list, they were not a part of the Ostsee Division. They had been trained by and were part of the German army, even though the unit was formed primarily from Finnish nationals. Did it go to Finnland independently and did it still have German officers? Chip

Was your wife's great-grandfather a reserve officer?

I have had this sleeve insignia for many years and had originally bought it thinking it might be from the WWI era, as it was on field gray cloth. I've searched and searched and have never found anything like it from that period. The "flag" is a representation of a commander's flag and the number below is "18". Recently, I have been told by more than one person that this is most likely an early Reichswehr inisignia. Has anyone seen anything like it? Thanks in advance, Chip

I have one that color too. I know that the paint finish supposedly indicates that it is early, but I wonder if we have any proof of this? When did they change to the darker finish? I don't suppose there is any info out there, or we would have heard it by now. Chip

I think the Bavarians tended to do this when the new 1915 regulations first came out. You normally see it on a Waffenrock and not on a Bluse. Chip

Nice cover Eric! Is it marked in any way on the inside? That helmet looks pretty crispy too. Chip

Quite a few Militärpaß have stamps to these units where recovering wounded or sick men went as a type of holding company until the soldier was ready to rejoin a field unit. Chip

The sleeve insignia was based on the old "Blitzbundel" worn on the shoulder straps of the Telegraphentruppen up until 1911.

Eric, Yes, it's November 5th, 1915. Almost all navy issue gear is marked this way. Chip

Kornel, No wizard, no hostage keeper, just an old collector. I've seen a lot of militaria, owned a lot of things, seen a lot of period photos and read a lot of source material. There is still a lot of heretofore unknown collector information out there. I find it encouraging that people like Rick L. and Daniel and many others have advanced our knowledge with their hard work. There's more to be done and I certainly still have a lot to learn. Best, Chip

You mean this one....

And finally, my navy dress jumper along with an issue white top cap.

And an issue navy work/field jumper. B.A.W. (Wilhelmshaven) 1915.

And here is an issue linen shirt. Marked "K.C.1916".

Continuing with the shirts....here is another one of my army issue ones. Marked B.A.XV 1915.

Hossie, I do have a mint Bavarian infantry pair. They're nicely marked. Chip

Man! Chris! The list of things you'd kill for is getting pretty long!

Chris, I'm guessing that the Leiberring was a wartime thing and not given by the association in the postwar period. I recall seeing a Sterbebild with a mention of the ring. Chip