Chip

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Rick, I think your excellent photo is of a group of K?rassiers. I say this because of the double piped shoulder straps, which were standard for the M08 Waffenrock. The JzP only had one cyphered regiment and its straps just had one piping. Chip

And a picture of the unit flag.

Here is a M15 shoulder strap from the unit.

It's post-WWI. 1930s at the earliest. Chip

I think perhaps the reason that many of the troops of the technical branch wore the "Garde Litzen" is that these specialties grew out of the Versuchsabt. of the Garde Pioniere. Chip

Charles, Here is the whole story (if you can read German or have a good translating program). http://sh-home.de/s.j.schaefer/truebplatz/finnen.html

Where can one procure a copy? I only have two cap ribbons (both on issue caps), but would still like to learn about the many other possibilities. Chip

Chris, You're not broke. Just sell off a few of your many duplicates!

I was going to say that I think you can guess why, but Rick has taken the guesswork out of it! Chip

Hardy, Well, I certainly would not jettison these boards until you got something to replace them. Regarding your observations, The gilt numbers appear to be original to the boards. Not regulation, but not uncommonly done either. The color of the Laschen on the boards usually means nothing and was not an indication of the color of the tunic. Of course, the black velvet would be the same, as both the tunic and the boards are pioneer officer pieces. Regards, Chip

perce, Nice photo. Can you enlarge it a bit? Thanks, Chip

Bob, You must be thinking of the Bosnia troops in the A-H army. Jogl is not wearing an A-H uniform. It is a Turk uniform. Chip

Hardy, He could be any kind ground worker, mechanic (Monteur), staff typist, but not flying personnel. His rank is too low. They German airforce dipped all the way down to Unteroffizier for flying personnel, but I can't recall ever hearing of a Gemeiner getting off of the ground. Chip

Naxos, Nice photo! Your assumtion is correct. Chip

Here is the photo that I was refering to. Seeing these men with rifles and infantry style ammunition pouches makes me wonder if they really are coastal artillery. Is there some reference that can be referenced to verify what the meaning of this collar insignia is? Chip

The German advisors, both officers and NCO wore Turkish uniforms. I also have a photo of four men dressed in Turk uniforms, who look very German to me. They also have the bursting bomb insignia on the collar. I am not sure if this is Turk insignia or something to identify the soldiers as Germans or advisors. The "tinnie" on the Feldm?tze is not one of the normally found Bavarian divisional types. Chances are it is an Austrian badge or some currently unknown German badge. It is interesting to see the Bavarian Kennzeichenborte on the collar of a M10/15 tunic, considering that the braid did not appear until the introduction of the Bavarian Bluse in March of 1916. Chip

I agree that Kaliblau is "Potash-blue", but the normal English equivalent is Prussian blue. If you look it up in a German/English dictionary it is translated as Prussian blue. You won't find Potash-Blue in a standard English dictionary, but you will find Prussian blue. So we are both right! Chip

The last pattern German uniform, which most of them are wearing, came out in Sept.1915/March 1916, so other than saying that it was taken after that time, there is no way to nail it down any further from the uniforms or headgear. Chip

Charles, There is a color chart of sorts in von d. Osten-Sachen u.v.Rhein's "Deutschlands Armee in feldgrauer Kriegs- und Frienden-Unifom". Chip

Nope, that's Kornblumenblau. Kaliblau is Prussian blue. Chip

Charles, If it is a Train officer board, then it would be difficult to differentiate. The earlier Train underlay was a pale blue. This appears more like the darker Kaliblau, which was used later. So I would vote for the it being a Friedensrock piece. Chip

Thanks Glenn. What publication is this information from? Chip

Charles, The 182nd existed before the war, as it was established in 1912. The only records I know of that exist concerning an enlisted man's unit assignments are those kept in his Milit?rpa?/Soldbuch. Chris, The first photo on your website shows your grandfather wearing a prewar Rock from a cyphered regiment and with Einj?hrige Freiwilliger cord. Somehow, this does not make sense with your timeline of his regimental affiliation. Chip

Rittmeister, All officer's were entitled to wear the Litewka. It was a form of semi-dress wear that had many applications. The deep cuffs were often used to carry papers, which I think is what you are seeing in this photo. The point is that it is impossible to tell what branch your officer was from using this picture. He could be an infantry, artillery, cavalry, technical, or any other kind of officer. Chip