IrishGunner

You REALLY did want to KNOW which guns?! :rolleyes:

Uwe, you are GOOD! All I could decipher was "Berlin" :unsure:

Found this as a link from another forum; it's a website selling scanned pdf files of out-of-print Imperial regimental histories. Looks like a goldmine. Five euro seems like a bargain. But is it too good to be true? Anyone know anything about this website/product? http://www.military-books.de.vu/

Tres bon mon sergent! Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, Chris; where does one get a burlap lined Epson?

Not surprising for an artilleryman! (Boonzaier take note!)

Because they secretly wanted to be artillery?! Bwaaa haaa haaa Boonzaier! :lol:

Chip, it's over in "Photographs": http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=41914

Live and learn or better yet - get advice from GMIC! I bought this thinking it was a photo of Fuss-Artillerie kanonieren. However, GMIC'er and resident Imperial artillery expert Chip advised that there was no Fuss-Artillerie Nr. 75; so, who are these guys? Doing a bit more digging on my own, I found that Infantrie Regiment Nr. 75 was from Bremen. This postcard was printed in Bremen (no other writing on back and not postally used). The soldier front row, third from right clearly has "75" on his shoulder straps; I can see this with a magnifying lens. (I know it can't be seen from this poor digital image - Yes, Rick Research I hear you...Epson. ) I have seen read that the shoulder strap for Inf-Regt Nr. 75 on a Dunkelblau should be "white with a red 75." So... Could this be Infantrie-Regt. Bremen (1. Hanseatisches) Nr. 75? And wasn't this the only infantry regiment from Bremen? So much to learn.... :blush:

Chip; because of the paper the photo is printed upon, getting a good digital image is difficult. (Yes, I know Rick Research - Epson ) But... I have found that the Infantrie Regiment Nr. 75 is from Bremen. And the postcard was printed in Bremen. I am 100 percent positive of the light colored shoulder strap with only a 75 on it. I have seen one image that has the Inf. Regt. Nr. 75 with a yellow shoulder strap on the Dunkelblau. I'll post the image over in the Photographs section to start a new discussion...if necessary. :cool:

Antonio - thanks for the details! I knew you would be the one with the answer. I actually checked your website first, but didn't see this medal.

Dan, this does help somewhat. Your focus on the coat of arms got me to thinking; so, I went looking for the coat of arms of Catalunya and Barcelona. The coat/arms on the front is certainly for Spain. But the one on the back, is for the city of Barcelona - where the medal was found! Possibly a civil award from the city of Barcelona. This actually makes it even cooler as a gift from my son! http://www.ngw.nl/int/spa/b/barcelon.htm Cheers! :beer:

The EK2 entry...

Not the best quality, but my tools aren't the best either...

The reverse:

My son bought this at a flea market in Barcelona during a family a trip awhile ago; he gave it to me this year for Christmas (really cool that he notices my hobby!) He also gave me a Spanish Civil War Victory and Rising Medal. That one was easy to identify; this one I can't find anywhere online. The front:

Great project! Nice bar. Well done.

I am constantly amazed how heavily the German Army was dependent on horses. Hollywood never shows it this way...

Will you share the list? No 75 foot? Ok, will post as soon as I can... (Which means getting photographer wifey to help.)

So, you wouldn't happen to have a list of all artillery units would you? I mean including reserve, independent battalions, independent batteries, etc, etc, etc? Each and every one? Just kidding... But I sure could use one of those... Actually, I just received a post card of a group of new kanonieren - all dressed in Dunkelblau with what appear to be white shoulder straps - can make a 75 one one strap. I know there was a Fussartillerie Battalion 75; could this be it? (Will try to post photo this weekend after a trip to Krakow.)

A little over a month ago, I obtained the militärpass of Sergeant Louis Elbe of the Masurisches Fuss-Artillerie Regiment Nr. 22. Twice promoted and recipient of the EK2 in 1917, this was a grizzled veteran who fought from almost the first day of the war until the last - on both fronts. Here's his story that I've determined from his militärpass and a bit of other research. Unfortunately, I didn't find much on Fuss-Artl. Regt Nr. 22; however, Sergeant Elbe's story reads like a mini-history of at least part of the Regiment. -------------------------------------------------- Coming from Hildesheim in Hanover, twenty-year old Louis Elbe entered military service on 14 October 1898 as a recruit with the 2. Badisches Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr.30, 8. Batterie; garrisoned in Rastaat, Baden. He spent two years with the Regiment, being promoted to Gefreiter in April 1900 and transferring to the Reserves in October of that same year. With the outbreak of WWI, Gefreiter Elbe was mobilized with Ersatz Munitions Kolonne 44. and immediately went to the front in Lothringen (Lorraine). He would see further battle during most of 1914 on the Western Front, including at Arras in October 1914. Sometime in the middle of December 1914, his unit transferred to the Eastern Front, arriving in the region along the Bzura and Rawka rivers in Central Poland, probably joining the IX. Armee. According to the chronicle of the IX. Armee, heavy artillery from the vicinity of Lille and Metz, from the 4. and 5. Armee, moved by rail and off-loaded in the region west of Warsaw. Elbe was with his unit in this region on 31 January when the Germans attempted the first large-scale use of poison gas at the Battle of Bolimów west of Warsaw, Poland. Elbe participated in several battles on the Eastern Front, including the Battle of Lemberg (Lwów in current day Ukraine), during 1915 before returning at some point late in the year or early 1916 to the Western Front. On 10 March 1916, Elbe joined a munitions column in the newly formed Masurisches Fuss-Artillerie Regiment Nr. 22. Beginning with the Battle of Verdun in April 1916, Elbe participated in battles from the Somme to trench warfare on the Siegfriedfront to Flanders and culminating with the fighting at St. Mihiel before Germany surrended in November 1918. A grizzled veteran, Gefreiter Elbe was promoted to Unteroffizier for bravery in the face of the enemy on 23 May 1917 and later that year on 19 Dec 1917, he was awarded the Eisenes Kreuz II. Klasse. On 23 January 1918, Elbe was promoted to Sergeant. By the war's end, Sergeant Elbe had seen combat from shortly after the guns of August opened fire in 1914 until the guns fell silent on 11 November 1918. Fuss-Artillerie Regiment Nr. 22 mustered out one of its finest on 21 November 1918. Four days later, he boarded a train to reunite with his wife and seven children, who at some point had moved to Langenfeld in the Rheinland.

Rick; thanks for your reply. So, it's a bit impossible to narrow the date of the photo - our good gefreiter could have pulled out the blau for his wedding since it probably was more "elegant." Yes; too bad about the lack of name. One of these days I hope to benefit from your identification wizardry! :catjava:

Ok, it is clear that the 1895 Dunkelblau waffenrock was officially replaced by the Feldgrau Model 1910. However, how long after 1910 were Dunkelblau waffenrock allowed to be worn? I am trying to roughly date a photo; the soldier is wearing a Dunkelblau and has the EK2 showing. So, on one end is Aug 1914; but what date might be on the other end? Here is the Fuss-Artl. Regt. Nr. 18 kanonier in his Dunkelblau: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=34008&st=0&p=319450&fromsearch=1&#entry319450

Chip, Why do you say this is a munitions column unit? Too high to be a 900-series FAR?

Hey, I feel great! This is my first Pass translation and this seems to be my only huge error. I'm glad I posted it because now I've learned something about marching out money - something I didn't know about. Next time I see something similar - I will be smarter.:catjava:

Now this is the really difficult one. This one seems to tell what unit Steinkemper was assigned to in 1919. Hxx 165. Batl. Artl. xxx Batl. xxxx xxxxx X. 13.4.20