Chip

Some additional regimental cards.

Chris,

If I'm not mistaken, the Füsilier battalion wore black and the Gardist battalions wore white.

Chip

Wow, that Dragoner is first class. Very nice. The Hussar is nice too. Great additions.

Chip

Hello Andreas,

I am looking forward to seeing your Militärpaß!

Chip

It appears that there was some other insignia on the board before the balloon device was attached. It's not necessarily a bad sign, but it sure is a flag that would prompt further investigation. Are there extra prong holes on the reverse? What metal is the current device made of. I have a reproduced example of this same insignia. I'm not sure this is even the correct colored board for such and insignia.

Chip

Kraus says that a Bavarian Kriegs-Ministerium order of 20.11.14 allowed for the creation of an Daunenmantel for officers and Beamten. It was to be worn under the service overcoat. Of course, for temperature conditions that would not require both, I could see it being worn as in the photos, just to take the chill off. It would not have held up as well as an outer coat of wool, especially in the rain and trench conditions.

Chip 

Hmmm. Pretty nice boxload. What's in the narrow bag on the upper right?

Adler,

You didn't mention if it was marked in any way. Is it?

Chip

That cartridge case looks like a 21 cm. I have one and they are not light (solid brass). If you want to see the really big cases, take a look at the Kaiser's Bunker website. He has 30,5, 38 and 42 cm jobs, one of which weights over 100 pounds! Not easy to ship (if you're thinking of buying one!).

http://www.kaisersbunker.com/cc/

Chip

It doesn't look like any German issue canteen that I have seen. The sewn-on cover is not typical either. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is.

Chip 

Andy,

That's why I prefer to use the word Feldmütze. It's the normal word for such a cap and it's easier to spell!

Chip

Andy,

Has your library floor collapsed yet? 

Andy,

Super Feldpost examples! 

Chip

I suppose it could be an visored NCO. The lining would not do for an officer's cap.

Chip

Once detailed photos of the front and back of the real ones were put on-line, these better replicas started appearing. I am reluctant to show the reverse of any of my insignia for this reason.

Chip

​Hmmm. For me, another detraction.

​Yeah. That's me on the front left. Out of focus as usual.

Here we go again. The background FG cloth is a poor, shoddy substitute for the real thing. More junk, IMHO.

Chip

The cap in question has a taller profile than a normal issue cap, as you have shown in your comparison. The gray area below the bottom edge of the band is wider than on issue caps. The lining is not typical. The legible marks look like some property marks from a costume shop or a theater. The blotted out mark is worrisome. I suppose it could be OK, but it certainly is no issue cap. Once you get into the private purchase area, you can make excuses for anything. It's a fine line sometimes.

Chip

Those Kraus books on the field artillery are readily available. I have the infantry volumes, but not the FAR books yet. They are at the top of the list the next time I get some money.

Chip

Chris,

According to Meinlschmidt, these tags were worn alongside an oval pattern up until the adoption of the M1915 tag.

Chip

I have shown this helmet cover on other forums. I bought it out of a Canadian collection that was breaking up in 1985. I thought enough of it to pay a goodly sum for the time. Since that time I have seen so many reproductions, that I don't know what to think about this cover. I have to say that I have never seen another like it, though admittedly that could be either a good sign or a bad one. Anyway, I submit it for interest's sake.

Chip

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I like that piece Jock. Quite nice!

Supposedly, both the officer's and enlisted Rautenborte came with either white/silver or gray/subdued lozenges along with the blue. In period photos, you normally see the white, though, the gray version was supposed to be for the field uniform. My 1916 dated Bavarian Bluse has blue/white braid. I bought original meter strips of both the officer and enlisted version while in Germany back in the 1980s.

Chip

The M1915 pattern.