JohnW

I can say with certainty that this flash is not a current TRF/DZ flash.

Many thanks for all your help Rick, it is much appreciated, it helps to make the tunic more than just a piece of material. I had the tunic for a few years before finally trying to decipher the name, and when I got the grave marker photo - I got goose bumps! I'm just hoping that the WASt come up with something too. John Unfortunately I cannot get the pic any bigger with a 65k limit!

Here's a pic of the I.R.26 shoulder board showing the Lt rank and reserve grey underlay.

I see...so he commissioned on 1 Feb 1939 (not '29) and was accepted into the off corps (as a Res. Lt) on 1 Mar 1939 - presumably after a one month officer training course of some type. He surely must have had prior service though to be commissioning at the age of 35! The tunic is dated 23.03.39 BTW, see pic. How many years would someone likely to have served and what rank would they have reached before being considered for commissioning?

Okay, what about...he directly commissioned into the army in 1929 (aged 25) as a Lt., did his service as an officer for a few years (not sure what the length of service was) before being discharged and tx'd to the reserves (this is how we'd do it in the British Army). He was then recalled into the officer corps on 01 Mar 1939. This seems a more likely scenario does it not? I have a tunic to this chap and I am trying to build up a small biography.

Hello Rick, Many thanks for your speedy assistance. I remember asking last year about this Res. Off and you did say then that a reservist would not be recorded. Well...not to be put off I wrote to the WASt (still waiting for reply...) and also the Bundesarchiv (see letter below). I have proof of this chaps death (photo of his grave in Lommel, Belgium taken this year) and this was what they sent me. I do find it strange that no records are meant to be kept for Reservists though, I mean the Germans were meant to be meticulous with paperwork I thought. As for the 1929 - I do not think that it is a mistake, more that he joined up in '29, served a few years before passing into the reserve and was commissioned on 01.03.39 after he was recalled. Is that possible? Is the number '3469' (top right), his army number? Also, what do the numbers 1400139 and 23.02.39 refer to (bottom right). Thank you, John

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I've been researching an officer and received these from the Bundesarchiv recently pertaining to the officer in question. Can anybody shed any light on them please? ie what are they and what information do they yield? Many thanks in advance. John

Maybe she had the brakes on like in the ARTILLERY!! John

I have only ever seen rifles stacked in threes - so forty stand of rifles must be 120 rifles altogether. Rifles in those days mustn't have been zeroed - nowadays you cannot simply pick up someone else's weapon! John

Just to let you know that when I was posted to Minden, Germany in the mid-80's we used to visit the Steintorstrasse - it is near the Hauptbahnhof and was then frequented by certain ladies I do not remember any mounting shops of the medal variety though! John

It's here again!! http://www.regaliaspecialist.com/catalogue...20MERIT%20CROSS

here it is - sold by http://www.regaliaspecialist.com/catalogue...20MERIT%20CROSS aka 'the fake specialist' John