Chip

...but seriously, most imperial era neutrality armbands are marked with unit ink stamps. WWI era armbands were constructed in many different ways. The width of the band, size of the cross and materials were rarely the same in any two examples. I say this based on period photos and my own collection.

Chip

Imperial markings!

Ah, the dreamer, the Don Quixote. But who am I to take his dream away? Join hands with those in quest of the black skull and skip down the road of possibility.

There is no such thing as a Bavarian Heavy Brigade Curassier Belt Buckle. First of all, there were no Bavarian "Curassier". This is just a standard steel wartime Bavarian belt buckle. There were several different die patterns for these buckles. Cavalry troops normally did not wear box type buckles, but rather the open mounted troops pattern. This may have changed in regiments that became dismounted "Schützen", but that would be due to their eventual issue of infantry type gear.

Regards,

Chip

I think that is a sword for Train troops. He also wears the mounted troops belt buckle. I also think that thing above the neutrality armband is just a flaw. The Sanitäter patch would have been worn on the right upper arm.

Chip

WhoooHoo 2,000 posts. Now I'm up to one tenth of Chris's number! :)

...Chris, Chip and Eric are the big boys and there are a few key "players" in France and Belgium too.

Mark,

I only wish I was in that bunch. You guys have the heavy hardware. All I have are a few accouterments, but thanks all the same.

Chip

Chris,

Very nice pair from a seldom seen manufacturer. Only about one in twenty that you see are complete with original neck strap and protective cover. I think you now officially collect these.... :)

Very cool. I love the von Rango signature and the unit stamp.

Chip

You can also tell the difference by the size of the bottom plate that the filter canister screws into. The one on the earlier mask is noticeably larger in diameter.

Chip

Personally, I think Chris is crazy, but it has nothing to do with filters.

I wouldn't buy a filter that had rust damage, unless it was one of the more rare examples. If you keep your home temperature controlled, you should never have a problem. Keeping them from rusting can also be accomplished by leaving the metal cap and paper cover on and leaving them in the taped can! I've known guys that have pulled the original paper covers off!

Chip

Eric,

You're right. Here are some pictures from a friend's collection.

Chip

Hoss,

I don't think "Trikofabrik" is actually a word in German. The shirts were made of Trikot (jersey), but "fabrik" does not mean fabric.

The other cotton material that shirts were made from was called "Körper", which in German translates to twill, but we would just call it cotton linen.

Unterhosen were also made from both materials (weaves).

Chip

Bullshit and Brilliance comes with Age and Experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen brother!

Your second Trikothemd is the spitting image of the second one I have in the photos above down to the off set BAII mark and size.

I wonder if these two were originally sourced together?

Joe,

Due to their unissued condition, I would say that is a pretty good bet. I got mine in a trade with Tony Meldahl in 1991. He had brought a bunch of stuff back from Germany. Perhaps he had more than one?

Chip

Yeah, some of them are getting a bit tight.

Only after I take them off.

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.

How often do drag straps come available?

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

Nevertheless, a grabenpanzer is rare nowadays,

Karel,

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

Chip