Chip

I am not sure if these battalions made it into the field as intact units, but this marking could have been made later, when this officer had been removed from a field unit in order to train new units being raised. Chipo

You can clearly see the crown on the Portepee, which is definitely Bavarian. There is also a resting lion motif on the clamshell portion of the grip. Chip

Yes, I agree that this is an official's gala uniform. Non-military. Chip

From Kraus, "F?r die Ausbildung der Ersatzmannschaften sorgten eigene Minenwerfer-Ersatz-Bataillone. Zur Verf?gung der OHL, als Heeresreserve entstanden insgesamt 23 Minenwerfer-Bataillone: 1915: MW-Batl. I-IV 1916: MW Batl. V-VII 1917: MW Batl. VIII-XIII 1918: MW Batl. XIV-XXIII" There is no mention of these battalions being associated with the corps that have the same Roman numeral. Chip

jj08, Enlisted Model 1907 shoulder boards (with the Lasche on the back) are the most difficult pattern to find. By January of 1915, it had been ordered replaced with a simplified, unpiped pattern. So, with the war only four months old, their manufacture was being discontinued. What this meant was that the supply was cut off and as the M1907 boards were worn out, they were replaced with something else. The majority of them were lost though use. Today, they do surface, but their percentage of the total number of boards out there is quite low. Finding a particular regiment would take a real stroke of luck. I'm not trying to discourage you, but having collected these for many years, I have seen what the reality is. Just plain numbered infantry and artillery M1907 boards routinely sell for around 130 Euros for a single piece on German Ebay. That would be the place to monitor while you continue your search. But be prepared to get out your wallet should you ever find the one you are looking for. Best of luck, Chip

The collar Stickerei are strictly that of a Gro?h.Mecklenburgische general. Chip

Minenwerfer Bataillon Nr.VIII. Chip

Here is one of the favorites from my Erkennungsmarken collection. Chip

With the state colored cord, I would guess about $35 or more. Chip

The Namenszug is that of the Kaiser Franz Garde Grenadier Regiment Nr.2. The shoulder strap in the photo appears to be a M07/15, the simplified pattern of the M07 that was ordered in January of 1915. It had no piping and the tongue (Lasche) was removed from the back. Here is a M15 example with the regiment's red piping and a narrower width than the previous patterns. Chip

Hans is from the b.Infanterie Leib Regiment and they were in the Alpenkorps. Chip

Would you think that other descriptive Annerkennungen, which are signed by lesser officers, like the regimental commander, would have the same level of significance? Chip

...and :rolleyes:

Chris, Once again, from von Stein (bis Kriegsende 1918). FAR Nr.501 - (Heeres-Artillerie zuletzt bei Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Ruprecht). The Index to the German Forces in the Field from October 1917 only lists the the regiment by sector, which is the Champagne. Chip

While looking for an old thread I re-read this one and have since discovered that the buttons shown by dmosher are indeed overcoat buttons for the M15 See Bataillon overcoat. With the exception of the lack of shoulder straps and these buttons, the coat is a normal M15 issue overcoat. There is an example of this coat in a private collection, which is pictured on this website http://www.sacktrick.com/igu/germancolonia...20greatcoat.htm . Chip

Chris, According to von Stein's research, 93. (auf Kraftwagen) Heeres Artillerie zuletzt bei 5.Armee. 94. 10.Ers.Artillerie Brig., b.10.Ersatz Division, Anfang 1917 - Heeres Artillerie zuletzt 6.Armee, Jan.1918 - 111.I.D. Chip

Do they fake these? I can't imagine. Chip

Rick, You are absolutely correct about this area of shoulder insignia collecting. The area of Beamten is a mine field and a huge topic, what with all of the wartime changes. Kraus devotes no less than 150 pages to the subject of Beamten in his two volume, 989 page work on the uniforms of the German army 1907-1918. It is also the least understood area in collecting circles. Part of the reason, as you suggest, is that these were not your normal "combat" troops with all "glory" that is associated with such. Thus, there is a general lack of interest (except by me and a handful of others). You may have noticed that this pair is unissued, and for some reason, many of the Beamten pieces on today's market fall into this category. Obviously, the number of Beamten boards souvenired by opposing front line troops is about nil, especially when compared to the combat branches. I think a cache of these must have been found in the vast warehouses discovered by the occupying Americans when they entered Coblenz. One warehouse there had what was reported as tens of thousands of examples of pre-trench helmet headgear. Regarding rarity, I could not hazard a guess as to how Beamten strap numbers compare with those of Offizierstellvertreter, but I can tell you that Offizierstellvertreter boards are few and far between. Regarding the German dealers prices, I have noticed those too, but I have also noticed that these pieces are still there year after year. Wanna guess why? Best regards, Chip

There were two shades of blue used as an underlay, but I agree with Rick that this is probably the lighter shade used for garrison's administration. The blue lines in the Borte do not indicate Bavaria. All Beamten boards with this type of braid had blue lines. It was the color of the officials. In some braids, the color did indicate the state (Offizierstellvertreter for instance), but this was not the case with official's braid. In all garrisons and troop training sites this group administered the real estate and buildings. They were subordinate to the Korpsintendanturen, who were responsible for all of the administrative branches/duties within the army corps. Chip

Also, I think the "Friedrich...." is a location along with the date and not a person's name. What do you think? Chip

Rick, Isn't it Hofoperns?gerin?

The name looks like G. Wolff. Chip

Berhard, It was a shame that this skilled unit was to loose so many of its veteran effectives in such a seeming senseless way. Thanks for the information. Chip

Chris, I have gone through various mental senarios and all I can figure is its "specialness" has something to do with the fact the "Vorl?ufiges" is crossed out, pretty much meaning that at this late date...it was the only document he was going to get. There might not be anyone around to make it "more" official since the army was breaking up.

Heeresfeldartillerie for the 18. Armee.