Chip

I don't care who you are, that's funny! I've never seen an Ersatz one that was marked in any way. Years ago, a small cache of them was found in Stuttgart. A German friend of mine got two of them and I traded for one. I've never had a chance at a leather one in over 50 years of collecting. There are several varieties of the Ersatz models, made from different materials, and with different pattern loops. Mine is made from Papiergarn with metal loops. Some have rope loops, some leather covered rope. I've only handled one leather example and I can't remember if it was marked or not (it was thirty years ago). I would think any leather item would be at least maker marked. Chip

I know this is somewhat off subject, but here is an Austrian issue linen shirt. I have the matching Hosen too, marked from the same maker. I will add more of my German shirts as time permits.

Second Trikothemd.

Joe, Unfortunately, no Fußlappen or socks. I don't recall ever seeing any Fußlappen. I finally dug out my shirts and Hosen, it took half a day to get them out, set up and photograph them, put them away and then download and edit the photos! Whew!. I ran out of steam before I got to the Hosen. I photographed my army shirts, my navy shirts and then my Austrian shirt. Here are the first few.

When old collectors die....

They had so many sets. I wondered if they sold some off after they took them down. I have to admit that the museum did need some conservation steps taken, as when I last saw it in the early 1980s, there was obvious damage from sunlight, insects and gravity. Like everyone else, I wish they could have done that without totally ruining the old world type of museum display. The sheer volume of items, many of them quite rare, was astounding. Chip

Joe, Love that first pattern cloth carrier. You don't see very many that weren't modified to accommodate the Bereitschaftsbüchse. Eric's example clearly shows the changes that were made, i.e., the one cloth inner panel that was removed, the cloth closure tab being added to the smaller compartment and the "d" rings that were added to the backs of the belt straps. It looks like your Tasche was made by "S&B Loewenberg Sohne, Berlin WBS". The 1916 examples by Loewenberg were normally dated. Chip

This pattern was also issued to naval landing troops. Years ago I got a set of navy gear that came off of a German ship which was interned in an American harbor during the war. Sets of this gear were taken off of the ship and stored at the Philadelphia naval yard. The set consisted of a red/brown navy issue rucksack, six navy pattern, individual, three clip cartridge pouches, a leather over-the-shoulder ammo bandolier and an entrenching shovel with this single strap and ring suspension. I have an old fieldgear plate that shows this carrier as part of the M87 Tragegerüst. Paul Pietsch's book on the Prussian infantry also shows this pattern as being introduced with the M1887 Tragegerüst, calling it Schanzzeug 1887. Chip

Karel, You must not have ever seen the old display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces in Brussels! Chip

I do think that there were guidelines for the sizes of officer's cyphers. Obviously, since they were privately purchased items, there would be some manufacturer variation. In general, the size of the cypher fit the proportions of the board width. For instance, epaulette cyphers (and crowns) are noticeably larger than those for Achselstücke. I have seen military effects catalogs from the period (like that of the Deutsche Offizier Verein)and they show several different sizes. I think it was a matter of taste, but within limits. Just my conjectures.... I'm sure there are some formal period guidelines for outfitting officers. Chip

These are the width of the 1866 pattern, but I have never seen anything like them, with that patterned brocade in the center. If they are German military, this pattern was replaced in 1888 by what we normally think of as German officer's boards, that is, the cord type (Plattschnurr). Chip

Marcin, I was on the staff of Kaiserzeit starting in 1972. It was the dark ages of imperial collecting. We did our best. The first issue was run off on a Mimeograph machine! I have all of the issues, but it would take a month of Sundays to copy them all. Publication ended some time in the 1990s. At the end, I dropped out, as the new printer was a crook and was taking money and never producing anything. Chip

Karel, It's a nice piece and not easy to find. I've been looking for an enlisted man's version for decades. You mentioned that the buttons were polished tombak or nickel, but these look like steel painted M15s? Is the jacket missing it's original buttons or is this a later wartime version? Is it dated? Thanks, Chip

It's not uncommon to see them in photos of infantry, especially on the earlier tunics. After 1917, the Bluse had a loop (Schlaufe) on the shoulder that was put there so that the shoulder strap could be folded in half or rolled and looped back through it, thus hiding the top of the strap and it's unit number. Chip

Yes, it is irritating, but fortunately, it's just pencil and will come off with a soft eraser. The problem is that many of the cards were originally written in pencil, so you have to be very careful. Chip

. They're just for security purposes. Their commander may have just had they put them on for the photo or perhaps they were passing through a French town and didn't want the locals to ID their unit. Chip

I see Bartko-Reher marks on the back. A good source, but expensive! You can actually get items from them cheaper on Ebay. Chip

I'll try to take some pictures this coming weekend. I have some unpacking to do, but at least I know where they are!

Joe, The issue marks were normally right where your Etikett is. I wouldn't pull it off to look, but they are probably there. Chip

I've got six German shirts, one of which is a navy issue, which I believe is quite scarce. I guess I have a fetish, because I also have British, French and Austrian examples. I also have matching issue Unterhosen for the German and Austrian sets. Chip

Hard to believe that you could get any usable intelligence from a photo taken by strapping a camera to a bird. How would you get them to fly away over enemy territory and then return? How would you delay the camera so that it would take a photo at the correct time? I have the same incredulous look as the do the birds in these pictures! Chip

Marcin, That's a great photo! Thanks for sharing it. Chip

Joe, I was only basing my guess on the straps of my British tunic. I admit I am not that familiar with the uniforms of the Dutch, Danes, Norwegians or Swedes during the wartime era, so I could be overlooking something. What do you think about the possibility that it might be a UK made tunic that was used by the Belgians? Chip

Buttons #3 & #4 are Bavarian. #3 is a steel wartime version worn on the simplified M07 Waffenrock and also the Bluse (though not regulation). #4 is for the M07 Waffenrock and some of the early simplified versions thereof. I'm guessing #6 is Finnish. Chip

Thanks for backing me up Joe. I was beginning to doubt my first impression. I guess the guys on the British forum are all WWII collectors. Chip