Chip

Karel,

Welcome to the forum. Your wonderful collection photos are always a pleasure.

Chip

P.S. And for Rick, I might add that it is always good to display or store your Pickelhauben in such a way that they are not resting on their visors. The weight of the helmet will eventually break down the stitching.

It's also possible that this shoulder strap is a private purchase hybrid. I have seen similar foot artillery straps that have the 1915 crossed shells on a field gray strap with yellow piping. They are always private purchase pieces. This would make the red piping on your tunic make sense. But I still don't think it can be the line regiment without the crown and cypher.

Chip

Karel,

Is your artillery tunic marked inside? FAR.62. had a cypher on their shoulder boards and (in that they are from the X.A.K.) they should have the corps color white piping. There was a Res.FAR.62, so perhaps that's what your tunic is.

Chip

If there are any clear shots of a shoulder strap in the overall photo, we might at least be able to pin down the battalion he was from. This was the only regiment where two different royal cyphers were worn, one for the I & III battalions and a different one for the II.battalion.

Chip

Beverloo was a Belgian military camp that was taken over by the Germans and was used primarily as a training center and acted as a reservoir for the supply of drafts to the Western front. It had a permanent training establishment (Infanterie-Ersatz-Truppe) consisting of 11 battalions. Recruits were sent from this camp as required, either directly to the units in the field or to the field recruit depots. The troops of the battalions wore shoulder straps with a "B" and the arabic battalion number underneath.

There was also a field artillery Schießschule situated there and its Lehr-Abt. wore a yellow metal "B" on the front of each side of their tunic collar.

Chip

Interesting one year volunteer piping, that I believe was abolished for wear when the war started. This photo was obviously taken after the MGSSA badge came out in 1916. The kid is from s.I.R.106.

Chip

Thanks Chris,

Once I had the date, I realized that I have seen this SB before. I have it marked in my unit history. I put a little pencil "tic" mark by every example from the regiment that I have seen. That's a particularly nice one, for a fellow that obviously served in the regiment from 1915 until he was killed, only a month before the armistice.

Chip

As far as I am aware, the gorget was the same for most units in the Prussian army. This one could be infantry as well. Some were unit marked on the back. Without that, there is no way of knowing what kind of unit the wearer belonged to.

Chip

Chris,

That last one you have shown is the first one of these that I have seen that has writing on it. Like your other ones, my two are unsent. I wonder how many there were in the series? I had a chance years ago to buy several of them and only took two. Kicking myself now.

Chip

Here are two.

Eric,

I've got some pictures of original rucksacks, from various sites on the Internet. As you say, there doesn't seem to be one standard pattern. I have one example in my collection. It is not unit marked, but there is a leather goods manufacturer's stamp and a wartime date.

Chip

As always, extremely interesting story and top research. So, you're really back?

Chip

Hi,

Could you please show the Ulan markings?

Thanks,

Chip

Chris,

What is the name on the officer's Sterbebild and his date of death?

Nice passes. I have two from the regiment.

Interesting that Grühle became a Feldhilfsarzt in 1918.

Chip

Hi Andreas,

I thought something similar, but it was odd that it was offered in the same lot of the items from the 3er Jäger. Perhaps a collector added it to the grouping at some point, thinking it was 3er Jäger.

Chip

There was also a subdued (Feldachselstück) M15, which I would have bid on had I not already had one. I was perplexed by the other board, which had green darts on a bright board with green underlay. There were no Saxon battalions in the 3.Jäger Rgt., so all I can figure is that this Prussian guy decided that he wanted the darts to be green like the underlay. Anyway, I did not bid as I didn't know what I was looking at.

Chip

I've got a Nachrichten round for the light MW. Never could find an H.E. version. Sold my Granatenwerfer years ago. Still have a message round for it.

Chip

Interesting that all three Demags are from Saxon units. So, are the markings telling us that these are government issue? I had thought that these were private purchase pieces.

Chip

Rick,

How many years have you been "off line" now? It has to be two years or more. We miss you to the point that perhaps we could take up a collection to get you back with us on a regular basis again. Seriously, what would it take?

Best,

Chip

Andreas,

So, then you are saying that there should be a M1915 graugrün shoulder strap with red unit number and red piping for the GMGA? I have never seen such a thing or heard it described. Do you feel certain that the piping would not have been green?

Chip

Andreas,

Kraus says that with the new uniform regulations of 1915/16 that the special unforms of the MG-Abteilungen were discontinued. From then on, the detachments should wear the unform of the unit they are assigned to, that is, an infantry or cavalry tunic. So, essentially, from that point, graugrün uniforms were no longer being officially worn.

Chip

Andreas,

I know that the GMGA had the uuniforms of the MGA, but there was a point at which the MGA units dropped the special uniforms, so I am assuming that the GMGA did the same.

Chip

Andreas,

Do you think there is a chance that this 201 strap could be the Gebirgs-MG-Abt. Nr.201? I'm wondering if the mountain MG units wore graugruen?

Chip

I'll swap the pouch for your mg drag strap uumm and throw in my mum's recipe for Yorkshire pudding

Hmmmm. Tempting, but I'd need more than one recipe.

OK, OK. Maybe there is a slight possibility.

I'd be jealous about the book, but I already have a copy. I actually paid less (but that was in 1981).

Chip