Sergeant 08

The quality of fakes like this one is very poor.

Some guys kill with the rifle, others with the parasol !

Thomas, it is an amazing theory about the black skull! Thanks so far for your thoughts and the photos.

The Wehrwolf was set up in 1924

1923

I'm still searching for a payable flag. Mission impossible!

Until then I can only show a Wehrwolf flag plaque!

More evidence of how regulations weren't strictly followed even in the elite Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment:

On the left is Lt. Jünger, commander of Detached Platoon Jünger, and on the right is an Unteroffizier. Lt. Jünger wears an enlisted man's Totenkopf of dark-gray cloth, sewn to the cuff of his Bluse in the position worn by enlisted men. The Unteroffizier, on the other hand, wears an officer's Totenkopf embroidered in silver thread, with no cloth backing, and it's in a weird nonregulation position at the top of his cuff. Very odd.

Another photo which shows, that not everything was confirm to the rules.

To make sure you don't get even more confused, here's the death head of the Italian Arditi or shock troops, wearing a laurel wreath and carrying a dagger in it's teeth:

Freikorps Schwarze Jaeger!

I think we had already discussed the photo in another forum. The black skull on the cap looks similar like the Italian pattern (could be dagger in the teeth?).

Just for your own reference and to make sure nobody mistakes these for German versions, here are insignia from the Russian Shock Battalions and Battalions of Death:

http://ww1.milua.org.../batsmerti1.jpg

Really interesting, Thomas! Why? I have seen comparable skulls during last months.

In one auction a skull on an armband and the seller stated it is Freikorps!

The entire I. Bataillon of „Freikorps Potsdam" consisted of men from the first Garderegiment zu Fuß.

Here are more informations! Enjoy the sound!

http://www.erstes-ga...Geschichte9.htm

This looks like the same skull.............it's facing in the same direction.

I wonder if this Reichswehr 35 Inf. Division was related to The Iron Division, after it was disbanded?

Robin,

I know your skull. That is why I said, it could be interesting for some other collectors. My first thought was the same.

It looks similar, but I think the skull in the picture has a jaw. And your skull is a jawless skull. But who knows? Maybe only "künstlerische Freiheit"?

Look at the skull of the Brüssow Freikorps! Unusual picture, I think.

And I could say, my skull is comparable to the armshield next to the Reinhard badge! Not the same, but similar.

Looking for answers is a part of the hobby. It is a fascinating hobby, isn't it?

There is a Rohr connection:

Walter Kaschner posted the following on 07 Sep 2005 at the Axis-History-Forum:

Ernst von Salomon's Das Buch vom Deutschen Freikorpskämpfer (originally published in 1938) contains an article by Major von Stephani himself, in which he describes the composition of the "Regiment Potsdam", as the Freikorps Potsdam was initially named, as follows:

"Es setzte sich zusammen aus drei Kompanien und einer Maschinengewehr-Kompanie des 1 Garde Regiment zu Fuss, drei Kompanien Gardejägern, drei Kompanien Unteroffizierschule, einem Zug Unteroffizieren des Regiments Gardedukorps, und einer Batterie, zuzammengestelt aus Angehöriger des 2 und 4 Gardefeldartillerie-Regiments, unter Führung des Hauptmans von Rohr*, zusammen rund 1200 Köpfe."

(*von Salomon wrongly adds a "von" in front of Rohr's last name.)

"It was composed of three [infantry] companies and a machine gun company from the 1st Guard Regiment on Foot, three companies of Rifle Guards, three companies from the Non-Commissioned Officers School, a platoon of non-commissioned officers from the Gardedukorps, and an artillery battery, made up from members of the 2nd and 4th Artillery Guard Regiments, under the command of Captain Rohr, altogether about 1,200 men."

read more here: http://forum.axishis...pic.php?t=70595

Yes, soldiers of the 1.Garde Regiment zu Fuss fought in Berlin in the Freikorps Potsdam.

Really? I read members of 1.Garde Regiment zu Fuss fought in different Freikorps (Grenzschutz Ost etc.) after ww1.

But if they fought in other Freikorps, why they had an own skull badge?

Yes, it reads Aermelabzeichen (1.G.Rgt.z.F)

1.Garde Regiment zu Fuss?

Bottom left!

Is the skull, next to the Freiwilligen-Regiment Reinhard shield badge, a skull armshield?

I'm not sure, what is the lettering under this skull?

I still try to find out what kind of skull this one is. It has a size like an armshield. I found this table of Abzeichen von Freiwilligen Korps and I thought it could be interesting for some other collectors, too. Look at the different skull patterns!

I won't bid on that photo, Sergeant 08. You can have it if you want.

No, I'm not interested in this photo. A chance for another collector.

Thomas, you was right!

The seller split the lot of flamethrower photos.

Now he sells a photo with the same guys in Montigny, that were in my photo in #271.

No anticipated 'third one' has turned up so far.

Right! And I'm watching the market daily.

,,

,

Robin, did you notice? Somebody tries to sell his SWJ collection

As I said, they had nice things.

Yes............similar.

Difficult to say what that skull would have been used for, though.

Could be...... military........wehrwolf........masonic........even SWJ !!

Masonic and SWJ? They had nice items! Why not?

I think, we will not find answers for all of our questions. But we can try it!

Btw, did you see new interesting SWJ stuff in this year, Robin?

Thoughts?

No bones behind the skull. No Wehrwolf, I think. But again a similar skull.