IrishGunner

Zagorów was in Russian Poland during the First World War period. It was never in Prussia; therefore, it didn't have a German name at that time. I believe Hinterberg came into use for Zagorów after 1939 during the Occupation.

I thought IG might like this Right you are Jock. But I'm not a Luger nor a Reichsrevolver expert; so for my guess, it could go either way. Regardless, a very nice photo.

100 Years Ago: The Lahore Division takes the field at Battle of Ypres Missed this one by a few days, but I know there is a lot of interest in the Indian Army due to posts in the Victory Medal sub-forum. It's good to see that lesser known aspects of the First World War are getting attention during the Centenary.

I had hoped to publish my latest article - Artillery in the First World War: Russia – The Tsar’s Cannons - back in August to coincide with the opening of the Eastern Front and the Battle of Tannenberg. I originally intended to include the Battle of Tannenberg in this article. But I didn't want it to become as long as a Tolstoy epic. Fortunately, I still got it published before the winter. Poetic. So, look for a special issue in the future regarding artillery - both German and Russian - at the Battle of Tannenberg. Please, leave comments on The Tsar's Cannons. The most important part of historical research is the ensuing discussion. Criticism very welcome. Za vashe zdorovie!

After a lengthy delay in finishing the piece, the fourth article in the series Artillery in the First World War has now been published. Artillery in the First World War: Russia – The Tsar’s Cannons Summertime distractions on the Chesapeake have given way to requisite autumn maintenance tasks in the garden; cleaning out dead foliage from the flower beds, raking leaves, putting away the kayak, preparing the house for the onslaught of Nor'easters. While there is much to be done, this time of year also brings a lot of rain. And rainy days are made for research. A couple wet days in a row gave me just the time I needed to finish writing the Russian piece. Part of the challenge in writing this article was finding sufficient detailed resources in English, particularly regarding the period between the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 and the start of the First World War. This challenge reinforces one of my main purposes for writing these articles in the first place - that is to bring together scattered nuggets of gold into single ingot. Interestingly, several New York Times articles of the period painted a very optimistic image of Russian artillery and its expected performance in the coming war. Perhaps that was born of optimism for a future ally against what was becoming increasingly seen as a vile enemy in Germany. 100635182.pdf "Russia's New Army" 301761392.pdf "Will Try Our Siege Guns" 106727247.pdf "Russian Guns Deadly" This article shows the reality was somewhat different. Perhaps the benefit of hindsight and analysis after the war allows reality to be clearly seen. Either way, taken together here, both the view of contemporary news articles or the view of historical reflection, hopefully represent a useful ingot in the treasury of information regarding Artillery in the First World War. Special issues regarding artillery at the Battle of the Marne and the Battle of Tannenberg are planned next in the series, as well as starting work on the "Kaiserlich und Königlich" artillery of Austria-Hungary. 106727247.pdf 301761392.pdf 100635182.pdf

What kind of unit is this...what was it's function?

They are proliferating.

That's exactly why we need a "manual"! Thanks for the additional detail on the belts. Maybe it would be better for you to write the manual.

Maybe someone else engraved it for him at presentation... I've been doing some reading on the Eastern Front; it's a very interesting area. I keep kicking myself for not studying/traveling more with a view to WWI when I lived in Poland.

Man, I didn't know that! I feel like such a neophyte. In the back of mind has been the idea of an article on artillery uniforms. I'm know there are printed references etc, but unless I build a new house just for a library, there's no way to have everything. I'm sure others feel the same; it would be a good article I think.

I still think it might be Zagórów, which was only about 100km west of the front line in August 1915. The award could have been made in a rest area or hospital behind the lines for action that happened somewhere else.

Glenn thanks for the Regelment!

Glenn, Thanks for the exact date; I'll keep looking for the exact reference. I can help you out a little here... Fuss-Artillerie had "Bataillon" instead of Abteilung (which was the term for battalion-level units of Feld-Artillerie). This might have changed around the same time companies changed to batteries. I agree that we have some problems with the photograph studio board captions. But what makes you say the I. Bataillon (which is where 2. Batterie would be) was in Hannover? I have I. Bataillon with XVI. AK in Metz. II. Bataillon in Strassburg. Isn't Metz close to Strassburg? That would help explain 2. Battr. on the studio caption boards... But it doesn't explain 6. Gesch. I'm pretty sure this is FuAR 10...and not FAR 10. But there are still some unanswered questions. Don't you just love researching Fuss-Artillerie!

All it takes is to pull one thread on a Brandenburg cuff and one begins to doubt all that was thought to be true... The printing of the card in Strassburg should still point to FuAR 10. But at the beginning of the war, Fuss-Artillerie batteries had four guns. This photo references the "6. Gesch." - or 6th gun section. Feld-Artillerie batteries had six guns. Could this still be 10. FAR with recruits wearing pre-1890 tunics? But why Strassburg? FAR 10 was in Hannover. But FuAR 10 had a historical connection to Hannover - formed in 1871 as Festungs-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 15 from Hannoverschen Festungsart. Abtl. Nr.10 and the Hessischen Nr.11. I can't find FAR 10 in Strassburg though... I am now pouring back through my notes to find the date that Fuss-Artillerie "kompanie" became "batterie" (I think around 1890); found a note that has 1908 as the date, but I didn't write down the reference. I bet Glenn has an AKO though! ...and when if ever, Fuss-Artillerie batteries might have had six guns. Unfortunately, this card has no dates...

Always something to learn. Nothing is ever as straight-forward as it first seems... Thanks again for the details.

Well, look at all those Brandenburg cuffs...

Just one more note: the 4th class (left), it's Eagles are also Cloisonné in the center Very beautiful...

I was then swept up by the Police doing a shoulder to shoulder search along the Quay front and ushered into the upper floors of the museum. And here I thought you were going to see a modern truncheon up close and personal...

Elmar, thanks for that clarification. I thought that would be the case - thus I put "wound" in quotes. A great thread to learn something new...

I would appreciate some help with good clear definitions for "Militärpass" and "Soldbuch" This is what I have....any edits/comments welcome: Militärpass - a small pocket-sized booklet containing information about the soldier's military service, including training, assignments, awards, battles, etc; usually maintained at the company/battery level headquarters. Soldbuch - a small booklet pocket-sized booklet containing information about the soldier's personal information, including pay, home leave, time in hospital, etc; usually kept by the soldier himself. Together they represent the equivalent of a soldier's military personnel file.

I originally posted this photo in the Feld-Artillerie thread. When I bought this post card almost 4 years ago, I logged it into my collection as "FAR 10" - Feld-Artillerie Regiment Nr. 10 - since that is what is painted on one of the signs in the photo. I even put it on my new website as "FAR 10". However, as I was writing a caption for the photo referencing the great image of the Dunkelblau Waffenrock, I noticed they all have Brandenburg cuffs (three vertical buttons). Feld-Artillerie have Swedish cuffs (two horizontal buttons). And then I noted that the post card was printed in Strassburg i.E. - the garrison of Fuss-Artillerie Regiment Nr. 10. So, here we have "A traditional souvenir photo post card of the soldiers of 6th Gun Section (6. Gesch.), 2nd Battery (2. Batt.), Fuss-Artillerie Regiment Nr. 10; taken at the end of their compulsory military service. An excellent image of the pre-WWI "Dunkelblau Waffenrock" with the usual Brandenburg cuffs of the Fuss-Artillerie. Printed on the reverse of the post card is Straßburg i.E., the garrison of FuAR 10. (Even though "FAR" is the usual abbrev. for Feld-Artillerie, in this photo it is used for a Fuss-Artillerie Regiment.)" Sometimes you can't trust the photographer studio to give you the correct information. You really need to know your uniforms to identify units. And it you always need to remember, this is a constant learning process - even when you think you got it down pat.

I agree with Don. Square three stripe item I think is a veteran badge.

And you thought only reporters of today needed to be fact-checked! Read this article from the NY Times in Aug 1914. Somehow I doubt the veracity of the last paragraph... 101924439.pdf

Recently found this excellent article about Fort Loncin's final hours and its legacy... Well worth a read. Liege’s Fort Loncin tells tale of 1914 Belgian resistance

Gotcha. I have no expertise... I'd love to have an 1870 EK, but I wouldn't buy one from eBay. That's a purchase I'd have to do with the help of an expert...in person.