The Prussian

Hi Rich! Thank you very much! So I´ll have to buy another one with the Morocco clasp. I only have the Algerian one... 🙂

Hi Chris! Thanks a lot! Yes, at the Hartmannsweillerkopf they received their nickname by german troops and kept it until today! By the way, I got the information, that they received their cap-badge in 1924

Hello! I´ve got this nice photo from 3rd company, french infantry regiment 152. Does anyone know when the picture was taken and since when the regiment had the devil's badge on the cap (Bonnet de police) and which medal the officer wears? Thanks a lot in advance!

Hello Klaus! It´s hard to say something about the stamp. Fact is, it is a German, not an Austrian one. It´s a so-called "blind stamp" with no info on it but the date. The troop-stamp shows us the GRP-Regiment, not GRP-Bataillon. There is no company marked, so the sender was in a company that was not detached to another unit. So the letter was sent by the regimental staff. The battalion was raised into a regiment in April 1916. The skull head was introduced end of July 1916 So we have August 16, 17 or 18. I coulnd´t see, the regiment was in the East in 1916 Probably we are in 1917 an we have the above mentioned theatres: From Febr.20, 1917 until the end of 1917 the 3rd company had two actions in Russia and 1 in Galicia. The 4th company 1 action in Galicia and 5 in Russia and the 7th company 4 times in Russia. In Rumania, Macedonia, South-Tyrol and Italy: 8th company: 3x Rumania, 2x Macedonia Platoon Hübner: 1x Tyrol, 2x Italy Platoon Hahn: 1x Tyrol I also wrote above: Since Jan.5, 1917 the Eastern Front was divided in Heeresfront des "Oberbefehlshabers Ost" (Commander-in-Chief East) and the Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph. The Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph consisted of: K.u.k. 7th army, K.u.k. 1st army and Heeresgruppe Mackensen with german 9th army and bulgarian 3rd army. So I am sure, the card goes to the german 9th army. 17.8.17: 26.7.17-9.12.17: Trench-war at the Sereth and Susita (Rumania) 6.8.17-3.9.17: Break-through-battle at the Putna and Susita (Rumania) So I assume, the card was written in France to the 8th company of that regiment in Rumania. In August 1918 I have no notification in the East. In the West the different companies fought at different places in that era. By the way...I found Billerbeck as a Leutnant in the regimental history! Unfortunately no info, in which company... That means he promoted to Officer later! I checked the "Militär-Wochenblätter": Schlodder: No entry. So he was only Offizier-Stellvertreter with the official rank of Vizefeldwebel Billerbeck was promoted from Vizefeldwebel to Lt.d.Res. April 27, 1918.

Hello Klaus! You mentioned the "Gruss". In his book he also told us, which Ersatz came to that bataillon (for the german ones): For staff and stormcompanies: II.Ers.Btl./Gren.Rgt.4 For 1.MG-RTrupp: III./MG-Kursus Döberitz For Minenwerfer: Pi.Ers.Btl.18 According to the regimental history of GRPR there is mentioned, which company came to other war-theatres. From Febr.20, 1917 until the end of 1917 the 3rd company had two actions in Russia and 1 in Galicia. The 4th company 1 action in Galicia and 5 in Russia and the 7th company 4 times in Russia. In Rumania, Macedonia, South-Tyrol and Italy: 8th company: 3x Rumania, 2x Macedonia Platoon Hübner: 1x Tyrol, 2x Italy Platoon Hahn: 1x Tyrol In the regimental history a Schlodder is mentioned as "Offizierstellvertreter" (Deputy Officer)

Hello! I´ve got a very nice photo of a group of members of the 5th Spahi Regiment, taken somewhere at the end of the Great War. Unfortunately I can´t determine the medals. I think I see a Légion d´honneur. Especially I need infos about the big one, worn by the Lieutenant and standard-bearer. Could it be the Nischan-el-Iftikhar? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Glory_(Tunisia) Thanks a lot in advance!

Hello! I did one mistake... It´s NOT Heeresgruppe Erzherzog Joseph, but Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph! Since Jan.5, 1917 the Eastern Front was divided in Heeresfront des "Oberbefehlshabers Ost" (Commander-in-Chief East) and the Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph. The Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph consisted of: K.u.k. 7th army, K.u.k. 1st army and Heeresgruppe Mackensen with german 9th army and bulgarian 3rd army. So the recipient could be a german soldier! I don´t know anything about the sticks. Maybe they teached some soldiers something and needed the stick to show something? No idea...

Hello Will! Great document! Those photos are very rare! Congrats! I have only one photo in my collection. Your card was written by a man called "Schlodder" from the GRPR. He writes to an Unteroffizier of the Sturmbataillon of the Heeresgruppe Erzherzog Johann. There was one man with the name "Schlodder" of that unit the casualty lists: Vizefeldwebel Schlodder: http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/4570054 With the number "1154" you can order the regimental history of GRPR on pdf for 10€ here: https://military-books.lima-city.de/hp01/garde.html

You can read it here (download unfortuantely not possible) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878856&view=1up&seq=5

Hello! By the way... This "K" was also used by the Freikorps unit "Detachment Küntzel". You might know this thread...

No. It's from the 70/71 Iron Cross receivers list.

Here is his Iron Cross entry:

Regimental history: pages 683 and 684

Hi David! The Kurhessen sources came from the regimental history of Hus.Rgt.13: https://orka.bibliothek.uni-kassel.de/viewer/image/1674739754863/ The prussian sources came from the prussian ranklists. In the regimental history and in the ranklists he is mentioned as "v. Helmschwerdt", but in the regimental history are some other officers , named "Rüppel v. Helmschwerdt"

Hello David! Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Hugo v. Helmschwerdt (* 8.4.1823, + 19.1.01) He was commander of DR6 from 26.9.71-15.6.75 NOTE: His name was "v. Helmschwerdt", NOT "Rüppel v. Hemlmschwerdt". First he served in Kurhessen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electorate_of_Hesse Career in Kurhessen: 1839: Cadet 27.6.1843: Portepee-Fähnrich Regiment Garde du Corps 14.8.1843: Sec.Lt. 2.DR 20.8.1851: Pr.Lt. 1.Leib-HR 30.12.1855: Rittmeister and Esc.Chef, 1.Leib-HR In 1866, Kurhessen came to Prussia Prussian ranklist entries: 1866: Rittmeister, 2./HR13 1867: Major (Patent 17.1.67) 2./HR13 (DAK, service award-cross) 1868-1869: Major, Staff, DR10 1870-1871: Major, Staff DR10 (EKII, Iron Cross 2nd class)) 1872-1873: Oberstleutnant (Patent 18.1.72), commander DR6 (RAO4, Red Eagle Order, 4th class) 1874: Oberst (Patent 19.9.74), commander DR6 1875: retired

Hello! Normally, the soldiers of the "Landwehr-Bezirks-Kommandos" (Singular: Landwehr-Bezirks-Kommando) had the number of the Brigade upon their shoulder boards. In areas with a bigger population, the "Landwehr-Inspektionen" (Singular: Landwehr-Inspektion) with the gothic letter of the capital, were set-up. Those were: 1886: B for Berlin (III.AK) 1907: D for Dortmund (VII.AK), E for Essen (VII.AK) 1912: B for Breslau (VI.AK), C for Cöln (VIII.AK), A for Altona (IX.AK) 1913: I for Insterburg (I.AK), B for Bromberg (II.AK), H for Halle (IV.AK), P for Posen (V.AK), D for Düsseldorf (VII.AK), H for Hannover (X.AK), E for Erfurt (XI.AK), S for Straßburg (XV.AK), M for Metz (XVI.AK), G for Graudenz (XVII.AK), A for Allenstein (XX.AK), Saarbrücken (XXI.AK), D for Dresden (XII.AK), S for Stuttgart (XIII.AK), K for Karlsruhe (XIV.AK), C for Chemnitz (XIX.AK), M for München (I.b.AK), L for Landau (II.b.AK), N for Nürnberg (III.b.AK) Here is a nice example of a "Bezirks-Feldwebel" of Landwehr-Inspektion Essen (my hometwon...). He also wears the China-Medal.

Hi Jesse! Hmmm, really? I really don´t think so. Watch the facts. He joined the army with 18,5 years in an Ersatz-unit of the fieldartillerie. The rest of 1917 he spent in hospital. Then he came in again because of Hysteria for three months in 1918. Maybe he did receive an EKII, but probably not more.

Well, he was 18 years and 6 months, when he joined the army. But I don´t think, he was in action. I don´t have more infos about that regiment. It was raised November 1, 1914 from the following batteries: 1.Ers.Bttr./Garde-Korps) 2.Ers.Bttr./III.AK 3.Ers.Bttr./II.AK 4.Ers.Bttr./IX.AK 5.Ers.Bttr./VII.AK

Yes. I think so. But I didn' t know that Wissmar before...

Ah, okay. I was confused. I noticed Wismar, not Wissmar. It's a different town.

Hello! Sure with Wismar? You wrote about Gießen. Wismar - Gießen are 470km!

Hi Jesse! I´m sorry, but I have really problems to read that handscript... I can read the following things: Kanonier (Gunner), Julius Schindler Unit: Ersatz-Feldartillerfie-Regiment Jüterbog, 1st battery Born: Dec.,24,1898 in Friedrichshagen, Landkreis (District) Nieder-Barnim (near Berlin), single (not married), service entry: June, 2, 1917 Illness or injury: June, 17, 1917, Mandelentzündung (Tonsillitis) July 17, 1917 - Dec.20, 1917 in Reserve-Lazarett (Reserve-Hospital) Südende (Berlin)

Hello! We would need more details. A military unit? Which town stands before the date 31.III.20?

Hi Jesse! It´s a little hard to read. Do you have a better scan?

Hi Johnny! Do you need some infos from Dr. Kraus? I stil have contact with him.