Chip

Ah, so the postcards of the period showed regular infantry capturing the flag.

So, what is the rest of the story?

Sounds like a plan. Good luck.

On 3/8/2016 at 02:28, Hoss said:

Nice photos

Those early issue mantels [104th Saxon] complete with boards and collar patches, have to be the rarest uniform items I've only luckily owned one 30yrs ago. It was very expensive for the day $1700 ! [Württemberg] I may have seen one in the IWM London but can't remember if it had patches or not [red]. 

Eric

Eric,

Those collar tabs were discontinued very early in the war. Most of the photos you see with them are coats that were made prewar. You might also notice that the Saxon tabs are field gray with colored piping. The Saxons were the only ones, who wore field gray tabs.

Take your choice.

It looks interesting. I think green piping is also worn on traditional south German woolen wear. Never saw such a thing before, but who knows. Jäger overcoats were feldgrau, not graugrün.

Nice Chris! I like collections that have various categories of items and yet are related.

Chip

Chris,

If your straps were issue ones, the width would mean something, but private purchase straps (as you mention) are all over the place and are often quite a bit narrower than regulation.

Chip

Chris,

Since these were private purchase pieces, they most probably were worn on a "walking out dress" uniform. You wouldn't find this quality in the field for an enlisted man. My guess is that they belonged to someone who served his reservist time in the regiment before the war. By 1917-18 enlisted artillery straps had changed. With the M1915 regulations, they had become red with yellow bomb and unit number. So, no chance these were worn after the cypher was ordered removed.

Chip

Interesting pattern. They do look nice. When I clicked on the thread, I only saw the tops and thought they were M15 infantry until I scrolled down. The FAR 28 had a regimental cypher from June of 1914, which stayed in place until 1917 when the cyphers of enemy rulers were removed. These are M1907, prior to the adoption of the Nicholas II cypher, so 1907-1914.

Chip

There are whole threads on these on some of the European sites. I know one guy who collects them.

Chip

Chris,

You do see that occasionally and I think you are on the right track. Officer's had some leeway and since the underlay color didn't matter much in the field, some officer's just chose to go with the gray. I have one or two examples in my collection.

Chip

Chris,

I think you are correct in thinking that there were no issue German compasses in WWI. It seems surprising to me, but I suspect that officer's did most of the map reading and therefore carried their own compass.

The American army did have issue compasses and I believe the Brits did as well.

Chip

Interesting journey through the army.....from the infantry, to the Feldluftschiffertruppen, to the infantry again, to pilot training in the Fliegertruppen and then as an technical advisor for a flight school.

Chip

Beautiful!

They must be from the III/3, as the NCOs have Prussian cockades on their caps. The majority of the tunics appear to be regular Jäger uniforms. They don't have the Bavarian simplified cuffs.

Chip

Eric,

I don't imagine you still have all of those, but I wondered if you had record of the manufacturer markings either on the shovels or the leather carriers.

Chip

Evidently, there was some practical use for the MG spade, as they wore them from 1901 to about 1915 and perhaps even later.

Chip

Chris,

This is the one I was referring to.

You're still missing one!

It's a small image, but it looks like a normal railway cap insignia.

He's got a Litewka on with Unteroffizier Tresse, so I suspect he is a career railroader in some military capacity, serving as a yard worker or depot guard. I don't think his outfit is a normal railway employee uniform.

Chip

On 3/4/2016 at 23:31, Chris Boonzaier said:

The strap is a pain in the ass to find!

True. I looked for years for the proper straps. Still looking the gray top enlisted cap and a Collani.

Chip

Chris,

That's correct. The first guy is a Bavarian, as he has no Litzen and his simplified shoulder strap displays only an "E" with no regimental number.

Chip

So, basically, if you are not at the archive in person, you have to hire an outside agent to do research. Evidently, you cannot access this information on-line.

Chip