IrishGunner

Impressive.

I don't know who is the old veteran, but the tall man to the right is the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Heydar Aliyev. It appears the veteran is wearing the Defense of the Caucasus Medal on his lapel. The Caspian and Baku oil fields were the German objective for the offensive into the Caucasus, but Stalingrad got in the way.

Nicely done. Pula is a really nice town - love the Croatian coast.

Motivated to dig out my old notes on Captain JS Carter, seems like a good time to provide some "new" interesting details. Something I found to be especially interesting - since I had always been curious about the sport of crew since I frequently see the university teams training on the Potomac River here in Washington DC and since a chance visit to Henley-on-Thames. I recently discovered that Carter was a Blue for Cambridge's rowing team and the #5 on Cambridge's 1903 winning crew in The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge. The entire crew consisted of famous rower W.H. Chapman (also a WWI KIA with the Yorkshires on 17 Aug 1915), P.H. Thomas, S.R. Beale, C.W.H. Taylor, H.B. Grylls, J. Edwards-Moss, R.H. Nelson, B.G.A. Scott. The 1903 race was one of "controversy" since the newly appointed starter had trouble with the " antediluvian double-barrelled pistol which had been used for the start since time immemorial [possibly 1884]" and couldn't get it passed half-cocked. The strong tide pulled Cambridge's boat forward by almost a length before the gun went off and the Oxford boat never caught up. Lt. Cdr F.S. Kelly, DSC, RNVR in the losing Oxford boat was also a KIA on 13 Nov 1916. A footnote put him at 13 stone 4 pound; around 186 lbs - as a rower - a lot of muscle I'm sure. As Rick Research stated above - you MUST research - you never know what you'll find - sometimes quite easily. A year or more ago, I also had a chance to pick up an 1897 Jubilee Medal named to Carter's father, J.P. Carter, who served at Eton College at the time, but alas the budget did not allow the 150+ Brit Pounds it would have taken to win the auction.

You always come up with great pieces. Thanks for sharing.

Only modern, folding, versions. If it were WWI vintage, would it not be likely that it was a local fabrication vice factory manufacture?

Ahhh, a few vodkas flowed soon after.

After reading Rommel's "Infantrie Greift An" I am partial to the Württembergisches Gebirgsbataillon. The mystique was enhanced when I had the chance to walk the ground in Slovenia where the fighting on the Isonzo Front occured. Also, while a modest item, I was happy to obtain a post card sent home from a soldier in the unit.

This is the first year in almost 16 that I haven't been with a few Russian colleagues - and WW2 vets - to share a few toasts on Victory Day. It's difficult to understand the impact that war had on Russia until you spend some time and a few vodkas with those veterans on a day like today.

Have both; don't wear either. Same with my wife; two - wears neither. No real sentimental attachment to these bits. Then again, I don't usually wear a watch either. Only my wedding band. I think these rings are a thing of the past - neither of my two sons desired a high school ring and my daughter now a HS junior has no interest either. I see almost no one wearing one today in the business executive realm. A bit of an anachronism.

Though I've been "inactive" for a few months, it's good to see things moving smoothly along.

Mike, thanks for the addition to this old thread. Your info that "All medals to NZers were engraved as "NZEF" regardless" is what I was concerned about - making finding medals to gunners just a tad more work intensive. Thanks again.

I would also add that Prussian artillery in 1870 was the decisive factor in many engagements - because of it's advanced breech loading guns. Still, this was short duration and in direct support of infantry engagements. I'd still give the most dangerous "award" to WWI.

how much more danger was artillery to soldiers in WW1 as opposed to 1870 Well, that question is far more than one of range - the full answer lies in different tactics. I wrote the following to be part of a website on WWI artillery that I have in mind - should I ever make the time: "Feld-Artillerie tactics prior to the war emphasized following the infantry and then moving the batteries quickly into position to engage the enemy at short ranges, firing over open sights. This tactic frequently was demonstrated with cavalry-like panache during the Kaiser's annual maneuvers. Observed fire was the standard target-attack method, with the battery commander himself usually performing as the observer. The development of indirect fire methods began in the years just before the outbreak of the war and as the war progressed, trench warfare would demand different Artillery tactics, including the utilization of forward observers and a gradual shift to predicted fire or map-based target-attack techniques. During the early days of the war, the Fuss-Artillerie supplanted the Feld-Artillerie as the decisive fire support arm due to its success in defeating the border fortresses and because high-angle fire was essential for trench warfare. Heavy Artillery was also critical for preparations prior to attacks, particularly for attacking deep targets in the enemy's rear and for counterfire against enemy artillery. Initially, Artillery preparations were massive affairs, sometimes lasting days, followed by a technique known as creeping fire, shifting forward just ahead of the infantry advance. Predicted fire allowed a German Artillery officer, Colonel Georg Bruchmüller, nicknamed Durchbruchmüller (a play on his name and the German word “durchbruch” meaning breakthrough) to develop the concept of a centrally-controlled surprise massive bombardment just prior to the infantry attack. This successful innovation replaced the concept of creeping barrages even with the Allies." Of course, just the volume of ammunition expended during WWI as compared to 1870 made life pretty dangerous. Add the idea of constant harrassing fire - along with your initial thought of range - reaching far behind the lines with larger caliber weapons, as well as artillery-delivered gas attacks, and there should be no doubt that artillery was much more dangerous in WWI than in 1870. I've read somewhere that 60% of all casualties in WWI were the result of artillery. I'd have to go and search my references to give you an authoritative source on that statistic if you desire.

Well, based upon the way you asked the question, Paul's answer is a target hit! Ulster is spot on - it depends upon the gun - howitzer - mortar; what specifically are you trying to get at? (I guess I should get on with my webpage idea.)

Sounds like you made a great deal - all around. But I suggest "something nice" for your wife should be in the $600 range. Just in case...

Dziękuję bardzo, Lukasz. An excellent bar and great info.

Maybe some members with a more extensive postcard/photograph collection than mine can add someething about the wearing of Kappenabzeichen in general. I have only a couple postcards of KuK soldiers wearing Kappenabzeichen - unfortunately, none are artillerymen to see if any are similar to these.

I can't say if these were worn by units or not, but I can say that nothing on them relate to a specific unit. The Skoda produced artillery pieces - 30,5cm Mörser and 42cm Haubitze - depicted on the badges were in several different Austrian KuK Festungsartillerieregiment and Schweres Artillerieregiment. I believe only 8 or so 42cm Haubitze were produced. And less than 100 of the 30,5cm Mörser. As for value, I can't really add much info. I've looked at a lot of Kappenabzeichen, but have discovered there are a lot of copies out there; so, I've been wary of purchasing. I like the look of the one in the link Chris provided and I bought one from eBay awhile back that was also in the 30 Euro range. Also, someone on GMIC awhile back was selling a lot of these Kappenabzeichen - they are in high demand if original and for particular units.

"Entlassungsschein aus den Heeresdienste" is his "Dismissal from Army Service" document. Effective 4 December 1918, signed by the Chief of Staff of the XIV Army Corps in Karlsruhe.

Congrats! One to go... Interesting side by side comparison - one very simple design; the other quite futuristic.

Posed. Angle of the rifle looks like he's shooting into the side of the trench. And as Spaz said, two helmets and a belt neatly placed on the box?